Agent News

Please take note the upcoming rate changes in various states.

Core States

The following core states have a pending rate change. New rates are not yet available in eLink; however, some renewing policies may be viewable in the renewal index. Please refrain from releasing quotes and renewals for these states until rates are updated.

Illinios

Effective March 1, 2015, Accident Fund is adopting NCCI’s Jan. 1, 2015, proposed loss costs in Illinois with an overall average rate level decrease of 6.2%. In addition, we’re making some adjustments to our loss cost multipliers. The actual change will vary by class. New rates became available in our system on Nov 24.

Kansas

Effective Jan. 1, 2015, Accident Fund is adopting the NCCI loss costs in Kansas. The overall average loss cost level decrease is 10.4% for the voluntary market, but rates will vary by class. These new rates became available in our eLink system on Dec. 8, 2014.

Accommodation States

Please be sure to discuss pricing options for all new business and renewals with your business development consultant

The Agency Hall of Fame is recognition for those agencies that write the most new business each month. The acknowledgment, given to top agencies in each state, allows us to show appreciation to our agent partners for their efforts.

Arkansas

• Brown – Hiller – Clark & Associates, Fort Smith
• Cashion Co. Inc., Little Rock

Georgia

• Johnson & Bryan, Inc., Atlanta
• Risk Innovations, LLC, Atlanta

Illinois

• Assurance Agency, Ltd, Schaumburg
• Dimond Bros. Insurance LLC, Paris

Indiana

• Insurance Management, Marion
• ISU Stewart Brimner Peters & Co., Fort Wayne

Iowa

• First Iowa Insurance Agency, Inc., Cedar Rapids
• Harper Insurance Agency, LLC, Manchester

Kansas

• Insurance Center, Inc., El Dorado
• SRA Insurance Agency LLC, Mission

Maryland

• Rosenkilde & Associates, Hunt Valley
• Sandy Spring Insurance Corporation, Glen Burnie

Michigan

• Doyle & Ogden, Inc., Grand Rapids
• Szura Agency, Inc., Rochester

Minnesota

• Heartman Agency, Inc., Rochester
• The Christensen Group, Inc., Minnetonka

Mississippi

• BancorpSouth Insurance Services Inc., Hattiesburg
• Bottrell Insurance, Jackson

Missouri

• C. J. Thomas Company, Inc., Saint Louis
• Nixon & Lindstrom Insurance, Springfield

Nebraska

• N P Dodge Insurance Agency, Inc., Omaha
• The Harry A. Koch Co., Omaha

North Carolina

• Carolina Underwriters and Financial Group, Cornelius
• Insurance Service Center of Fayetteville, Inc., Fayetteville

South Carolina

• Adams Eaddy & Associates, Columbia
• Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA Inc., Charleston

South Dakota

• Holmes Murphy & Associates Inc, Sioux Falls

Tennessee

• Burke, Powers and Harty, Inc., Bristol
• Martin & Zerfoss, Inc., Nashville

Texas

• Capps Insurance Agency, Mount Pleasant
• MHBT Inc., Dallas

Virginia

• Sheehan Insurance Group, Inc., Haymarket
• Towne Insurance Agency, LLC, Virginia Beach

Wisconsin

• Johnson Insurance Services, Inc., Racine
• R & R Insurance Services, Inc. Waukesha, Waukesha

Legislative Update is a brief synopsis of relevant legislative activity currently taking place in Accident Fund core and accommodation states. For more details or further documentation on any of these legislative activities, contact your business development consultant.

Federal

Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins successfully attached a rider to the spending bill, which was recently approved by the United States Senate, so truckers will no longer have to get two nights sleep in a row before starting a work week. Suspending year-old federal regulations means truckers will be allowed to work as many as 82 hours over eight days — upending what safety advocates said was a key component of a 15-year effort to reduce deaths caused by drowsy long-haul drivers.

The Collins amendment suspends until Oct. 1 and orders a study of rules the Transportation Department implemented last year. Under those rules, after working 70 hours over eight days, drivers were required to rest for 34 hours before beginning another work week. And that had to include two consecutive nights from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Even with the Collins suspension, drivers are still limited to 14 hours of work a day, of which only 11 hours can be behind the wheel, and they must take at least one 30-minute rest break. They are still required to be off duty for 34 hours at the end of a work week, but the 1 a.m to 5 a.m. rest periods over two consecutive days will be lifted.

That means drivers can conceivably work 82 hours a week — something the industry says is highly uncommon.

State

Michigan

Future Use, Cost of Opioids, and Compounds Limited With Rule Implementation

A draft rule aimed to improve the oversight of workers’ long-term use of opioids was adopted recently by the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). Throughout 2014, a subcommittee of the Workers Compensation Health Care Services Advisory Committee (HCSAC), developed the rule which will require increased standards for reimbursement when opioids are prescribed beyond 90 days unless the physician conducts additional review.

Additionally, the rule will limit industry cost and physician use of compound creams/lotions by capping the price of topical compounds at the Average Wholesale Price (AWP) – minus 10% and require the original manufacturer’s National Drug Code for each component of the compound as published by Red Book or Medi-Span. Providers would be limited to dispensing a 30-day supply per prescription for compounded drugs. Total reimbursements would be limited to $600.

This rule was drafted by a multi-partisan group from the Health Care Services Committee and was unanimously approved by the Committee consisting of providers, employees, attorneys and carriers. The provider requirements in the rule are nationally recognized standards for long-term use of narcotics, for improved pain and functional outcomes and reduced risk of addiction and death.

South Carolina

Raymond Farmer is staying on to lead South Carolina’s Department of Insurance. Farmer communicated he was honored to be asked by Gov. Nikki Haley to stay on in the position he’s held since 2012. Farmer took over nearly a year after the agency’s last director, David Black, resigned abruptly. Haley said it took so long to fill the role because she wanted to hire someone from the private sector, but found it difficult to attract the right candidate who was willing to take a government salary.

Farmer retired as Southeast vice president at the American Insurance Association. Haley said that Farmer was committed to making the insurance agency as consumer friendly as possible while keeping South Carolina friendly to businesses.

Disclaimer of Liability

This document is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This information is subject to change. Every effort is made to provide accurate and complete information in Accident Fund Holding’s Legislative Update. However, Accident Fund Holdings makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Update and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this newsletter.

As a leader in the workers’ compensation marketplace, we are constantly creating new tools and services to make it easy to do business with us. And that’s why we’re excited to announce the launch of our new website, which features great new functionality.

The new AccidentFund.com offers improved tools and navigation including:

• Full site search
• Mobile-friendly design that adapts to any mobile device
• Simplified and organized content
• A new ‘Find an Agent’ tool

With more than 100 years of workers’ compensation experience, we are the ‘go-to’ resource to help customers save money and keep their workers safe. We’ve created a ‘Knowledge’ section on the new site to demonstrate this expertise, including case studies, white papers and videos about various topics related to the business. We’ve also rebuilt our Policyholder Toolbox, which offers a wealth of resources, including marketing materials, safety tools and helpful claims and fraud information for our customers.

While our public website is changing, our Agent site will remain the same (including eLink). To access the Agent site, simply click on ‘Login’ at the top of the homepage. You can also access the Policyholder site using the same ‘Login’ button.

We hope you enjoy the features and functionality of our new website and welcome your feedback as you explore this great new resource. If you have any issues with the site, please contact our Marketing Communications department.

With the New Year upon us, our team is gearing up to hit the road for our 2015 Annual Agent Meetings, which begin on Wednesday, Jan. 28. We look forward to gathering with our agent partners to share our message, which demonstrates how ‘We Are Different’ in the marketplace.

We’ll also share regional results, including where we’re seeing the most success, so you can continue to focus your energy on the markets that will benefit your business. Finally, we will recognize top performers from the past year and announce our exciting new destination for the 2015 Incentive Trip Program.

You play a significant role in the success we’ve achieved and we want these meetings to serve as recognition of how valuable we consider your partnership. Our meetings also provide you with a great way to share your perspective on our business and interact with our executive team.

Times and dates for the meetings are listed below. You will receive an email with a link to the registration soon. Meeting information and registration will also be available on our website.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Lansing, Mich.: Wednesday, Jan. 28
Lisle, Ill.: Tuesday, Feb. 3
Plymouth, Mich.: Wednesday, Feb. 4
Carmel, Ind.: Thursday, Feb. 5
Marquette, Mich.: Tuesday, Feb. 10
Little Rock, Ark.: Thursday, Feb. 19
Nashville, Tenn.: Friday, Feb. 20
Troy, Mich.: Friday, Feb. 27
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Tuesday, March 3
Brookfield, Wis.: Friday, March 6
Minneapolis, Minn.: Tuesday, March 10
Coralville, Iowa: Wednesday, March 11
Kansas City, Mo.: Thursday, March 12
St. Louis, Mo.: Friday, March 13
Atlanta, Ga.: Tuesday, March 17
Columbia, S.C.: Wednesday, March 18
Greensboro, N.C.: Thursday, March 19
Henrico, Va.: Friday, March 20
Houston, Texas: Wednesday, March 25
Dallas, Texas: Thursday, March 26

Accident Group Programs recently paid out dividends to several programs thanks to their safe work practices.

Remember when a business belongs to a Group program, they can expect the following benefits:

• 5% upfront savings on their premium (Note: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin do not allow discounts due to state filings.)
• Opportunity for dividend payments based upon the entire group’s loss history.
• Access to safety materials through our extensive online WorkSafe Toolbox.

For more information about Accident Fund’s Group Programs, click here or contact Groups and Association Specialists Theresa Ross or Mike Dake.