Report: California Workers’ Comp Losses and Expenses for 2014 Rise, Ratios Fall

July 1, 2015

Insurer losses and expenses rose in 2014 from the year before but ratios fell, a California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau report on workers’ comp losses and expenses for 2014 shows.

The report issued Tuesday shows total insurer losses incurred in calendar year 2014 were $11.1 billion (68 percent of calendar year premium) compared with $10.3 billion (72 percent of calendar year premium) in 2013.

Total insurer loss adjustment expenses incurred in calendar year 2014 were $2.9 billion compared with $2.6 billion in 2013, according to the report.

workers_compThe report shows the combined loss and expense ratio for calendar year 2014 was 104 percent, down from calendar year 2013’s 108 percent ratio.

Other findings in the report show:

  • Medical losses paid in 2014 were $5.0 billion (60% of total loss payments). Of these payments, $1.4 billion were paid for physician services, $1.2 billion were payments made directly to injured workers, $600 million were paid to hospitals, $400 million were paid for pharmaceuticals, and $300 million were paid for medical-legal evaluations.
  • The total cost of medical cost containment programs in 2014 was $471 million compared with $447 million in 2013.
  • Indemnity benefits paid in 2014 were $3.4 billion (40 percent of total loss payments). Of this amount, temporary disability benefits paid totaled $1.6 billion and permanent partial disability benefits paid totaled $1.4 billion.

WCIRB 2014 Workers’ Comp Losses and Expense Report

Topics California Trends Profit Loss Workers' Compensation

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