(Boca Raton, FL, May 17, 2018)—This week, the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) is holding its
Annual Issues Symposium (AIS)—The Future@Work (May 16–18) in Orlando, FL.
This Year’s Word: Connecting
This year’s event opened with NCCI President and CEO Bill Donnell emphasizing the importance of connecting during times of constant change. Before an audience of more than 900 top carrier executives, regulators, and stakeholders, Donnell spoke of the work, the worker, and the workplace of the future with his focus on understanding how those dynamics might shape the workers compensation industry.
As is tradition at
AIS, Donnell revealed this year’s word—Connecting—to describe his vision of a path forward for the workers compensation industry to successfully advance in today’s change-driven environment.
“This year marks the 30th anniversary of NCCI’s
Annual Issues Symposium. On such a historic occasion, we can’t help but look back and ask ourselves, what has changed since our first
AIS event? Notably, the health of the workers compensation system is much stronger,” Donnell said. “But what we are most proud of is what hasn’t changed—our industry’s commitment to serving the employers and workers of this country.”
During the event, Donnell shared key indicators of industry results. Preliminary 2017 private carrier net written premium is $39.8 billion, and the preliminary 2017 pretax operating gain percentage is 23%.
Donnell concluded his remarks with a vision of what success will look like when the workers compensation system is able to connect to the work, workers and workplace of the future; “Our success will ultimately be measured by how we embrace technology to deliver our services and positively impact workplace safety and return-to-work efforts,” he said.
State of the Line
Following Donnell’s remarks, NCCI’s Chief Actuary Kathy Antonello, FCAS, FSA, MAAA, delivered the company’s highly anticipated
State of the Line Report, which provided the audience with a detailed description of 2017 industry results, market indicators, and trends.
As presented in this year’s
State of the Line Report, the workers compensation Calendar Year 2017 combined ratio for private carriers was 89%. This is the fourth consecutive year that the workers compensation line of business has posted an underwriting gain. Total market net written premium volume declined slightly in 2017 to $45 billion.
“The Calendar Year 2017 combined ratio of 89 brought unprecedented underwriting gains to the workers compensation industry,” said Antonello. “The underlying loss ratio of 49 was the major contributor and a historically low watermark. It’s clear that private carriers are supporting conscientious underwriting while interest rates remain low.”
On an accident-year basis, the industry-reported 2017 workers compensation combined ratio was 99%. NCCI expects this accident year’s combined ratio to develop favorably over time.
Other market indicators and trends highlighted in NCCI’s 2018
State of the Line Report included the following:
- The overall reserve position for private carriers improved in 2017. NCCI estimates the Year-End 2017 reserve position to be a $1 billion deficiency—down from $5 billion in 2016.
- Average lost-time claim frequency across NCCI states declined by 6% in 2017, on a preliminary basis. A similar percentage decline was observed in 2016.
- In NCCI states, the preliminary 2017 average indemnity and medical accident-year claim severities both increased by 4% relative to their corresponding 2016 values.
- The workers compensation Residual Market Pool premium volume declined to approximately $1 billion during 2017, while the average residual market share remained stable at 8%.
For more information about NCCI’s
State of the Line Report, please visit
ncci.com or contact us at stateoftheline@ncci.com.
AIS 2018 Speaker Lineup
Other speakers and topics at this year’s symposium included:
-
The Economics of Workers Compensation
Robert P. Hartwig, PhD, CPCU
Clinical Associate Professor of Finance, Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina
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Work Comp Mega Loss
Michael Choo, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer, Paradigm Outcomes
Scott B. Goll
Senior Vice President, Operations, Paradigm Outcomes
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Marijuana—The Move to Schedule II
Opioids—Killer Pain Relief
David Deitz, MD, PhD
Principal, David Deitz & Associates
Raji Chadarevian
Director, Medical Regulation and Informatics, NCCI
-
Leadership and Our Changing Times
General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.)
Secretary of State (2001–2005)
-
B3i—The Future of the Insurance Transaction
Paul Meeusen
Head Distributed Ledger Technology and Director, Finance Reinsurance, Swiss Re & Chief Executive Officer, B3i
-
The Impact of Provider Networks on Workers Compensation Medical Costs
Alex Swedlow
President, California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI)
Barry Lipton, FCAS, MAAA
Practice Leader and Senior Actuary, NCCI
Kids’ Chance Partnership
At this year’s event, NCCI also highlighted its partnership with Kids’ Chance, which provides scholarships to children of injured workers so that they can pursue their educational goals. The organization operates in 36 states, making a significant difference in the lives of children affected by a workplace injury. On Wednesday, May 16, NCCI held its annual
AIS 2018 golf tournament to benefit Kids’ Chance at the Grand Cypress Orlando Golf Club; JLT Re sponsored the tournament. NCCI announced today a donation of $25,000 to the Kids’ Chance organization.
Join the conference conversation by following us on Twitter
@NCCI. The official
AIS 2018 hashtag is
#ncciAIS.
For information on NCCI,
AIS, and the
State of Line Report please visit
ncci.com.
About NCCI
Founded in 1923, the mission of the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) is to foster a healthy workers compensation system. In pursuit of this mission, NCCI gathers data, analyzes industry trends, and prepares objective insurance rate and loss cost recommendations. These activities—together with research, analytical services and tools, and an overall commitment to excellence—have positioned NCCI as the trusted source for workers compensation information. To learn more about NCCI, please visit
ncci.com.
