Agent News
Angle Q3 2018
We genuinely care about making sure injured workers recover, and we couldn’t do it without the partnership of our agents and customers. We hope you’ll watch and share our latest video, part of a new advertising campaign highlighting how we get injured workers back to work – and back to life.
Watch video.
Difficulties like medical treatment complications, litigation and fraud have the potential to derail successful claims management – that’s why our team is committed to expert, proactive management of difficult claims. Here are a few of many ways we stay in front of the snags. Watch video.
Find instructions for quickly pulling policyholder loss runs via RMIS – our one-stop risk management information system. Learn how to pull reports at regularly scheduled times and email them to yourself or others.
Download Instructions
Best’s Review recently published an article about the opioid crisis featuring insights from AF Group’s own Medical Director, Dr. Dan Hunt, who discusses the industry’s response and our company’s successful efforts to reduce opioid use.
Read it here.
At Third Coast Underwriters (3CU), our customers are our top priority. Because we specialize in addressing complex operations and challenging exposures, we know the importance of developing unique workers’ compensation solutions. The list below illustrates the varied mix of accounts we have written recently within our core segments. Let us help you deliver successful outcomes for your customers today. For more information, visit 3CU.com, email info@3CU.com or call 866-641-2328.
AGRIBUSINESS
| Contractors Machinery Dealer & Drivers | $413,000 |
| Farm: Cattle or Livestock Raising Noc & Drivers | $316,700 |
| Farm Machinery Operation – By Contractor & Drivers | $261,900 |
| Farm: Poultry or Egg Producer & Drivers | $353,500 – $715,700 |
| Florists – Cultivating or Gardening | $161,700 |
| Grain Elevator Operation – Local Managers & Drivers | $225,900 |
| Landscape Gardening & Drivers | $170,700 – $717,000 |
| Livestock – Dealer or Commission Merchant & Salesperson | $183,600 |
| Store Meat, Fish or Poultry Dealer | $157,700 |
| Store – Hardware | $360,300 |
CONSTRUCTION
| Airport Construction Paving & Drivers | $225,500 – $252,900 |
| Boiler Installation or Repair – Steam | $288,400 |
| Boiler or Steam Pipe Insulating & Drivers | $246,000 |
| Cable Installation & Drivers | $185,700 |
| Carpentry – Construction of Residential Dwellings | $672,300 |
| Carpentry Noc | $150,200 |
| Cleaning or Renovating Building Exteriors | $1,470,600 |
| Cofferdam Work – Not Pneumatic – All Operations to Com | $280,300 |
| Concrete Construction | $343,300 |
| Concrete or Cement Work | $161,500 – $374,300 |
| Concrete Products & Drivers | $993,700 |
| Conduit Construction – For Cables or Wires & Drivers | $574,800 |
| Contractor – Executive Supervisor or Construction | $208,900 – $267,800 |
| Contractors Machinery Dealer & Drivers | $252,200 |
| Electrical Wiring – Within Buildings & Drivers | $214,500 – $386,600 |
| Elevator Erection or Repair | $324,000 |
| Excavation & Drivers | $199,800 |
| Fixtures or Furniture Installation – Portable Noc | $435,400 – $463,400 |
| Gas Main or Connection Construction & Drivers | $241,100 |
| Glazier – Away from Shop & Drivers | $154,600 – $205,600 |
| HVAC & Refrigeration | $150,000 – $328,400 |
| Household & Commercial Appliances – Electrical | $276,600 |
| Masonry | $233,000 – $296,500 |
| Mobile Crane and Hoisting Service Contractors – NOC | $159,400 – $173,400 |
| Painting Metal Bridges & Shop Operations, Drivers | $344,400 |
| Painting Noc & Shop Operations, Drivers | $162,100 – $493,000 |
| Park NOC – All Employees & Drivers | $589,300 |
| Plumbing Noc & Drivers | $158,200 – $501,300 |
| Railroad Construction | $264,500 – $759,100 |
| Sign Installation, Maintenance, Repair or Removal & Drivers | $202,400 – $274,500 |
| Sprinkler Installation & Drivers | $163,000 |
| Stone, Mosaic, Terrazzo or Ceramic Tile Work | $491,700 |
| Street or Road Construction | $159,600 – $346,000 |
| Tree Pruning, Spraying, Repairing – All Operations | $386,200 |
| Wallboard, Sheetrock, Drywall, Plasterboard | $163,700 – $620,400 |
| Water Main or Connection Construction & Drivers | $153,700 |
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
| Automobile Service or Repair Center & Drivers | $224,700 – $820,900 |
| Rubber Tire Dealers | $1,478,600 |
| Scrap Dealer & Drivers | $724,100 |
| Street Cleaning & Drivers | $317,700 |
ENERGY
| Crane Rental – Operations & Drivers | $162,900 |
| Gas Dealer – Liquified Petroleum Gas & Drivers | $246,600 |
| Oil or Gas Lease Work Noc – Contractors & Drivers | $389,500 |
| Oil or Gas Refining Units – Erection or Repair & Drivers | $237,100 |
| Trucking – Employees & Drivers | $244,800 – $306,400 |
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
| Excavation & Drivers | $430,900 |
| Rubber Goods Manufacturing Noc | $819,200 |
TRANSPORTATION
| Ashes, Garbage or Refuse Collection & Drivers | $283,200 |
| Automobile Haulaway or Driveway – Long Distance | $150,200 |
| Beer or Ale Dealer | $222,300 – $1,580,700 |
| Building Material Dealer – New Materials Only | $550,800 |
| Coffee Service Companies – All Operations & Salespersons | $904,700 |
| Contractors Machinery Dealer & Drivers | $166,800 |
| Garbage Ashes or Refuse Collections & Drivers | $257,300 |
| Gasoline Station – Noc – Retail & Drivers | $289,700 |
| Lumberyard – New Materials Only | $286,800 |
| Machinery Dealer Noc – Store or Yard & Drivers | $216,900 |
| Railroad Construction Laying or Relaying of Tracks | $206,000 |
| Storage Warehouse – Furniture & Drivers | $370,200 |
| Store – Wholesale Noc | $199,700 |
| Trucking | $159,100 – $1,189,000 |
| Trucking – Long Distance Hauling | $501,600 |
| Warehousing Noc | $485,400 |
Legislative Update
Find the latest legislative movements affecting the workers’ compensation industry, including updates in Illinois and Texas and related to opioids.
Illinois – Governor Veto’s Portion of Work Comp Bill
Governor Rauner recently vetoed work comp prior rate approval and premium increase notification provisions within Senate Bill 1737. Of most concern to AF Group is the portion of the bill that states carriers cannot adjust discretionary rating more than 5% up without sending notice 30 days out to policyholders/agents. Although this portion has been removed by the Governor, we feel confident the legislature is likely to override his veto in November, which will make this provision law. The legislature is next scheduled to meet Nov. 13-15 and 27-29, 2018. Moving forward we anticipate Democratic forces will continue to promote legislative initiatives on price controls and the creation of a state fund. The industry will have to work diligently in order to negotiate the best compromise possible to all negative proposals.
Federal – Bipartisan Opioid Legislation
Recently, the United States Senate passed a comprehensive bill package intended to impact the national opioid crisis. Included in the bill are efforts to increase access to treatment programs for those citizens addicted as well as initiatives aimed to significantly reduce the amount of painkillers entering the United States illegally. Earlier this Summer, the House of Representatives enacted similar legislation. We anticipate the Senate and House will come to some form of compromise on this initiative and send a final bill package to the President for signature by the end of the year.
Texas – Proposed Rule §§114.1 -114.15, 114.16
The Texas Division of Workers’ Compensation has proposed a new rule aimed at employers seeking to transition from a certified self-insured into the voluntary market. Under the current system, employers remain liable for all claims that remain open, even after such an employer has opted out of self-insurance and entered the voluntary market. The proposal intends to allow former self-insured employers to obtain a work comp policy that covers all claim obligations that occurred while the employer was operating as a self-insured. AF Group will continue to monitor this proposal at it progresses through the regulatory process.
Gubernatorial Elections: California – Illinois – Michigan
Gubernatorial elections are taking place this year in the following states, each of which represents significant AF Group direct written premium. The current governors in these states have protected the industry from harmful initiatives throughout their time in office. The election results will impact industry political and regulatory climates. The recent poll numbers outlined below show where things stand:
California
- Republican: John H. Cox Democratic: Gavin Newsom
- Recent Poll: (from Sept. 5-17) has the Democratic Candidate Gavin Newsom in the lead at 52% to Republican Candidates John Cox’s 40%.
Illinois
- Republican: Bruce Rauner (incumbent) Democratic: J.B. Pritzker
- Recent Poll: (from Sept. 5-13) has Pritzker in the lead at 44% to Rauner’s 27%
Michigan
- Republican: Bill Schuette Democratic: Gretchen Whitmer
- Recent Poll: (from Sept. 10-14) has Whitmer in the lead at 50% to Schuette’s 41%
