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More Texas employers buying workers compensation insurance: Report

Posted On: Dec. 2, 2014 12:00 AM CST

More Texas employers buying workers compensation insurance: Report

The percentage of Texas employers who choose to buy workers compensation insurance has increased 5% in 10 years, according to a biennial report from the Texas Division of Workers' Compensation.

More Texas employers are obtaining workers comp coverage as a result of lower insurance premiums and the increased availability of workers comp health care networks, according to the report, released Monday.

About 67% of Texas employers were covered in 2014, compared with 62% in 2004, the report states.

Private-sector employers in Texas can choose to buy commercial workers comp insurance or self-insure, or they can opt not to buy workers comp coverage and become “nonsubscribers,” which means they potentially could be sued for negligence by injured employees.

The report found that about 33% of employers without workers comp coverage provided an alternative occupational benefit plan for injured workers in 2014.

While the majority of Texas nonsubscribers are small employers, more large employers are choosing to opt out of the state workers comp system because of the opportunity to control medical costs for injured workers, according to the report.

“Nonsubscription rates remain an important performance measure in the workers compensation system since it generally measures employers' perspectives regarding whether the benefits of participating in the workers' compensation system are greater than the costs of obtaining the coverage,” the report states.