California's volatile workers' compensation insurance market

the long version

Since partial deregulation of insurance rates in 1995, the California workers' compensation insurance market has been very volatile. For reasons that go beyond price deregulation, there have been dramatic swings in insurers' underwriting profits and the share of coverage written by private insurance carriers, and a substantial number of insurers, including some of the largest market participants, have failed. The price that California employers have paid for workers' compensation insurance has been volatile since 1995 as well, continuing the considerable variation that occurred in earlier years. This book identifies and examines factors that contributed to the market volatility and the large number of insolvencies following price deregulation. It also examines the regulatory system that oversees the workers' compensation market and how the California Department of Insurance responded to the market turmoil that followed the move to open rating. It makes recommendations that aim to reduce market volatility and the frequency of insolvencies while realizing the benefits of a competitive market.