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Commissioners warn rising tort awards and insurer exits are driving up county insurance costs
Summary
Cowlitz County commissioners and staff described a sharp rise in claim sizes and insurer withdrawals in Washington, raising the county’s self‑insured retention and predicting a 20–25% premium increase; commissioners said the county and state risk pool are pursuing legislative and lobbying responses.
Commissioners said rising claim sizes and the withdrawal of domestic insurers from Washington are forcing the county’s insurance risk pool to assume larger portions of liability and will raise premiums for local governments.
At the meeting a county official summarized changes in the risk‑pool structure: four years ago the risk pool covered the first $175,000 of an individual claim, then a private carrier covered the next layers; today the county said the risk pool’s self‑insured retention has risen to $3 million and that the pool is carrying layers that previously sat with private insurers.
"Our risk pool's self insured retention now is up to 3,000,000," the county presenter said, adding that the pool is seeking international carriers to fill coverage gaps after domestic carriers exited Washington. The presenter said the pool’s underwriting environment was affected by a surge in claim filings and by court awards, and singled out changes to assault and molestation litigation as a contributing factor.
Commissioners and speakers said the risk pool expects to increase member premiums by roughly 20%–25% and that the pool is hiring lobbyists to seek legislative relief. The presenter said counties are considering operational changes such as consolidating jail services because some insurers now condition coverage on health‑monitoring systems for inmates.
Multiple commissioners and a public speaker described a wider legal and market environment in which plaintiff advertising and third‑party financing made large claims more common. One commissioner said some firms and funders were actively recruiting claimants and that several settlements and judgments in recent years had reached nine figures, a development he said was unprecedented.
The board discussed practical consequences: higher premiums and deductibles for county government, potential consolidation of services to contain costs, and pressure on county budgets that will ultimately fall to taxpayers. Commissioners discussed writing to the state insurance commissioner and coordinating with the Washington State Association of Counties (WOSAC) to press for legislative changes.
No formal action to change county policy or budget was adopted at the meeting. Commissioners described these items as ongoing risk‑management work for staff and members of the county’s risk pool and the Washington State Association of Counties.
