California Worker’s Comp Insurer Written Premium Down 4% in First Half of 2017

September 15, 2017

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has completed its report on statewide workers’ comp insurer loss and premium experience through June 30.

The major findings of the report include:

California written premium for the first half of 2017 was $9.1 billion, 4 percent below the written premium reported for the first half of 2016.
The projected industry average charged rate per $100 of payroll for policies incepting between Jan. 1, and June 30 was $2.52, which is 5 percent below the average rate charged for the second six months of 2016 and 16 percent below the average rates charged in the first half of 2015.
The WCIRB projects an ultimate accident year combined loss and expense ratio of 93 percent for 2016.
The WCIRB projects indemnity claim frequency for accident year 2016 to be 1.0 percent below the frequency for 2015 but 10 percent above the frequency for 2009. The frequency increases experienced in 2010 through 2014 are largely attributed to increases in cumulative injury claims, late reported indemnity claims, claims involving injuries to multiple body parts, and claims from the Los Angeles Basin area. Years 2015 and 2016 represent the first consecutive years of projected indemnity claim frequency decline since before the Great Recession. The projected indemnity claim frequency for the first half of 2017 is roughly 3 percent higher than that for 2016.
The WCIRB projects the average severity of a 2016 indemnity claim to be roughly $80,900, which is 3 percent higher than the projected severity for 2015 and 8 percent higher than that for 2013.

The full report is available in the research section of the WCIRB website.

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