Printed from BusinessInsurance.com

More than half of Texas comp insurers deemed average: Report

Posted On: Dec. 13, 2018 1:56 PM CST

More than half of Texas comp insurers deemed average: Report

Sixty-five of the 121 workers compensation insurers in Texas are performing at a level regulators consider as “average,” according to a report released Wednesday by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation.

Meanwhile, 55 insurers were in the high-tier performance category and only one was deemed a poor performer, according to the report.

Texas labor law mandates that the division at least biennially assess the performance of insurers and health care providers. Based on the performance assessment, insurers and health care providers will be placed into regulatory tiers: poor, average and consistently high, according to the report. 

DWC must then focus its regulatory oversight on the poor performers. Insurers will be assessed in even numbered years and health care providers will be assessed in odd numbered years, according to the report.

The division weighs such issues as timely payment of initial temporary benefits by insurer, timely submission of initial payment data, timely processing of medical bills, and reconsideration for such bills when categorizing insurers, according to the report.

The report also found that 72 insurers are average performers and 16 are poor performers when it comes to paying initial benefits. When it comes to processing medical bills, 117 fell into the high performing category.