Workers Comp Insurance Pools – Acting Like A Fully Self-Insured
Workers Comp Insurance Pools were a great way to save on premiums in the past. Homogeneous employers were grouped into risk pools and each member of the pool paid their share of the Workers Comp total costs. The Insurance Pool Administrator which operated as a hybrid TPA would adjust the claims, handle all filings, and handle all administrative duties for a fee.
These are not as popular as they were in the 1990s due to the law of large numbers. Risk pools such as trucking, construction, food service, etc. did not have enough members to spread the risk. One or two members having a very poor Experience Rating would over-burden the rest of the pool. The pools were often not large enough to offset the employers with many or a few very serious claims. Insurance Pools are still in existence.
If you are considering joining an insurance pool, make sure you have an expert or a team of experts analyze the pool before signing on. We received many calls and emails on trucking pools where the employer had very few claims and their Workers Comp premium doubled.
There are now many hybrid insurance pools that may save an employer on premiums. Once again, please make sure that the pool is healthy before turning your Workers Comp program over to a pool administrator.
2020 Update –
Captives that function as insurance pools could not escape the Law of Large Numbers. Many of them have folded or have charged their member insureds incredibly high rates even after the employer left the pool.
Your premiums are heavily affected by other group members. Check to make sure of what companies exist in your group before you sign any captive workers comp insurance pool agreements.
Next Up – Large Deductibles – some surprises
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