Coffey County reviews insurance renewal options as workers'comp costs jump

Coffey County commissioners spent the bulk of a meeting reviewing insurance renewal proposals from Trust Point Insurance, weighing a lower-cost option from EMC against broader coverages offered by Travelers.

Angela Turnbull, owner of Trust Point Insurance, and broker Bobby Gillhouse summarized side-by-side quotes for property, equipment, liability, auto, workers'compensation, law enforcement and cyber coverage. Turnbull said EMC is offering replacement-cost coverage on most county buildings while Travelers's computational values yield a higher building blanket figure but also a more punitive wind/hail deductible.

"With EMC, your deductible for property is $5,000 for any event except wind or hail. For locations valued over $1 million there is a 1% wind/hail deductible," Turnbull said. "Travelers has a $10,000 all'peril deductible and a 3% wind/hail deductible with a $250,000 minimum, which means significant self'insurance for many single'building losses."

Bobby Gillhouse highlighted other contrasts: EMC includes incidental medical malpractice for the health department and certain drone liabilities; Travelers proposals offered stronger cyber and identity recovery limits (Travelers listed identity recovery at $250,000 versus EMC's $25,000) but rolled some coverages into higher overall deductibles and, in places, excluded cover for entities jointly named with the county.

A crucial driver of premium changes is the county's workers'comp experience modification factor, which Trust Point said rose to 1.22 from 0.76. "That is the highest it's been in over 15 years," the presenter said, adding that the change removes a roughly 24% discount the county previously received.

Commissioners pressed on details that could affect net cost, including whether certain expensive items (drones, leased equipment) were fully captured in Travelers's breakdown and whether the county should purchase deductible "buydown" coverage to limit tail risk on wind/hail losses. Trust Point said a Lloyd's wind-tail buy'down was available but would cost tens of thousands annually.

No final decision was made; staff were asked to follow up with department heads on vehicle schedules and values, to confirm whether the drone and specific equipment were included in Travelers's figures, and to obtain a quote for a higher auto deductible (example: $10,000) and umbrella alternatives. The county will receive follow'up pricing and a refined comparison before taking formal action.

The presentation included line'by'line cost comparisons and policy language that commissioners said they wanted reviewed with department leaders before a final selection and any potential mid'year changes.