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County officials say risk‑pool conference flagged big increases in claims and premiums
Summary
Officials reported takeaways from a risk‑pool conference: removal of the statute of limitations for sexual‑assault claims has driven large, unexpected increases in claims (citing California experience), carriers are narrowing coverage, and the pool is looking at a roughly 25% premium increase; the county will explore mitigation steps.
Commissioners and county staff reported outcomes from a recently attended risk‑pool conference, where presenters warned that changes to statutes of limitations for sexual‑assault claims and advertising by plaintiff firms have driven large increases in claims and larger award sizes.
Speakers said California had projected an $800 million increase in claims after removing limitations but had reached roughly $3 billion to date. Conference presenters told attendees they expect higher claim sizes and more claims across counties and that the risk pool is planning an across‑the‑board premium increase of about 25 percent. County attendees also described insurers narrowing portfolio participation and the need to layer multiple carriers to cover different risk shares.
The conference also highlighted jail‑related claims as a major source of liability; one county described a wearable scanner program that monitors inmate vitals to detect medical events as an example of mitigation. Participants said some counties previously considering individual self‑insurance are finding the capital requirements and claim volumes make that option infeasible.
County officials said they would investigate steps to reduce claims and return with potential mitigations for the board to consider.
