This Just In ...

Workers Comp Executive Sees Reserve Redundancy “Masking” Results

The National Council on Compensation Insurance will release its annual “State of the Line” report on workers compensation in late May. In the meantime, it has stated that, “Last year was the seventh consecutive year the workers’ comp line held a combined ratio below 90.”

Insurance Journal magazine contacted Patrick Edwards, area senior vice president, workers’ comp practice leader, for RPS. He told Insurance Journal that he believes there is some “masking” going on when looking at the line’s good news results.

“When I talk to various carriers, some of their loss ratios are not good,” Edwards said. “They’re speaking in terms of the claims they’re seeing, so I’m listening to them.” Like other specialists, he’s waiting for the “State of the Line” report but noted that it looks back. “From my vantage point—in the trenches—we see things ahead versus behind.”

“My view of the WC marketplace into 2025 has me looking out the front door, seeing storms rage from an accident year standpoint,” Edwards said in RPS’s 2025 US Market Outlook on Workers’ Compensation. “These storms stem from claims-related losses and healthcare inflation. But as I walk to the back of my house, the way WC carriers process reserve releases makes the storms disappear—it’s a sunny day from a calendar year standpoint, with reserve redundancy masking what’s really going on.”

In this issue:

This Just In ... Workers Comp Executive Sees Reserve Redundancy “Masking” Results

The Trump Administration’s Shift Away from Disparate Impact: Meritocracy vs. Proportionality

Understanding Subrogation Rights in California Workers’ Compensation

Reducing Opioid Dependence in Workers’ Compensation: Lessons from California and Beyond

First-Year Workers’ Compensation Injuries

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