Item C14BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: September 20, 2006 Division: Employee Services
Bulk Item: Yes X No Department: Employee Benefits Office
Staff Contact Person: Maria Z. Fernandez -Gonzalez
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval to purchase Specific Excess Workers' Compensation
Insurance from State National Insurance Company for a proiected annual premium of $155,000
ITEM BACKGROUND: Monroe County is currently insured with Safety National with an
annual premium of $158,377.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: Services last bid in 2003 — Midwest was the selected
company, Services re -bid in 2006 at the direction of the BOCC
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES: Decrease in the annual premium to $155,000
(unauditable)
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Approval
TOTAL COST: $155,000 BUDGETED: Yes X No
COST TO COUNTY: $155,000 SOURCE OF FUNDS: Primarily Ad Valorem
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes _ No X AMOUN R MO H Year _
APPROVED BY: County Atty XOMB/Purchasing Risk Management X
DOCUMENTATION: Included X To Follow Not Required
DISPOSITION: AGENDA ITEM #
Revised 08/06
MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
CONTRACT SUMMARY
Contract #
Contract with: States National Insurance Effective Date:October 1, 2006
Company
Expiration Date:SMtember 30, 2007
Contract Purpose/Description: Approval to purchase Specific Excess Workers' Compensation
Insurance.
Contract Manager:
Maria Z. Fernandez -Gonzalez
(Name)
for BOCC meeting on
4448 Employee Services
(Ext.) (Department)
Deadline: September 5, 2
CONTRACT COSTS
Total Dollar Value of Contract: $155,000 Current Year Portion: $
Budgeted? Yes® No ❑ Account Codes: 501-07502-530450- -
Grant: $
County Match: $
ADDITIONAL COSTS
Estimated Ongoing Costs: $ /yr For:
(Not included in dollar value above) (eg. maintenance, utilities, janitorial, salaries, etc.)
Date In
Division Director C1 - I.0
Risk Management Q.9�*
O.M.B./Purchasing
County Attorney
Comments:
CONTRACT REVIEW
Changes
Needed Reviewer
Yes❑ No� �,( L__1>
Yes❑
Yes❑
q"5-'&t Yes❑
11,1111 -ill 11A,-1-All 7/ 1117✓ 1Vl,-r h"G
Date Out
q�1, &0
Q E4a
9
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
jo'MONROE
MAYOR Charles "Sonny" McCoy, District 3
OUNTY MayorPro-tem Dixie M. Spehar, District I
KEY WEST FLORIDA 390a0 George Neugent, District 2
(305) 294-4641 Mario DiGennero, District 4
George Patton, District 5
Employee Services Division
Benefits Office
1100 Simonton Street, Suite 2-268
Key West, Florida 33040
Phone (305) 292-4448
Facsimile (305) 292-4452
To:
Thru:
From:
Date:
Re:
MEMORANDUM
Monroe County Board of Commissioners
Teresa E. Aguiar, Division Director, Emp
Maria Z. Fernandez -Gonzalez, Sr. Admin
September 1, 2006
Approval to purchase Specific Excess Workers' Compensation Insurance
Approval to purchase Specific Excess Workers' Compensation Insurance from States National Insurance
Company for the period of October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007.
Currently the County's excess insurer is Safety National Casualty Corporation with an annual premium of
$158,377.
At the direction of the Board an RFP was done June 2006 for Specific Excess Workers' Compensation
insurance resulting in the receipt of six (6) different proposals. States National Insurance Company submitted
two self -insured options. The first option would require the County to assume the first $1 million of each
claim. The proposed premium for this option is $155,000. States National second option would allow the
County to reduce its self -insured retention to $750,000 and the proposed premium for this option is $162,000.
In deciding which self -insured option is best, our historical losses were analyzed and since 1992 only two
workers' compensation claims have a projected value in excess of $500,000. Neither of these claims would
have exceeded either the $750,000 or the $1 million retention.
It is staffs recommendation that Monroe County accepts States National option that includes a $1 million self -
insured retention for its Workers' Compensation insurance for the period of October 1, 2006 through
September 30, 2007 as submitted by Brown and Brown at an annual cost of $155,000.
MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
2006/2007
EXCESS WORKERS' COMPENSATION PROGRAM
EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
Monroe County's Excess Workers' Compensation insurance expires on September 30, 2006. In
accordance with the County's purchasing procedures, competitive proposals were obtained for the
2006/2007 policy year. The process began with the development of detailed bid specifications that
outlined the required coverages and information necessary for interested insurance companies to
develop their proposals. A public notice of the County's intent to receive proposals was placed in
local news publications and the specifications were posted on Demand Star.
In an effort to control the process and to ensure all interested proposers had an equal opportunity to
develop a competitive proposal(s), agents were required to submit, ranked in order of preference,
those insurers they wanted to utilize to structure the County's program. A total of six (6) agents
submitted requests for a total of fifteen (15) different insurers. It is believed that the insurers
requested represented the majority (if not all) of the insurers with the ability and desire to provided
the coverages being sought.
An addendum to the bid specifications were distributed to all interested parties on June 23, 2006
responding to the requests for additional information that were submitted. Proposals that were
received were publicly opened on July 26, 2006 by the County's Purchasing Department. Five (5)
agents submitted proposals from six (6) different insurers with some of the insurers presenting
various options. A detailed analysis of each proposal received is attached and made a part of this
report. Following is a narrative discussion of the County's current program and the proposals
received by the various agents.
Current Program
The County is an authorized self -insurer for Workers' Compensation within the State of Florida.
The structure of their current program requires the County to assume the first $1 million of each
claim with Safety National Insurance Company providing protection for any claim that exceeds this
amount. Since the benefits injured employees are entitled to receive are specified in the Florida
Statutes, the terms and conditions of most Workers' Compensation policies are similar with the only
varying factors being the limits, self -insured retentions and the premiums. The County's current
program provides coverage for the full statutory benefits as outlined in Florida. Statute § 440. The
annual premium for the current policy is $158,376. The policy was placed through Arthur J.
Gallagher who has served as the County's Workers' Compensation agent for a number of years.
Arthur-[ Gallagher
Arthur J. Gallagher submitted renewal proposals from Safety National (the incumbent insurer) and
Midwest Employers Insurance Company. Both Safety National and Midwest Employers enjoy a
favorable rating from the A.M. Best Company (the leading evaluator of insurance company
operations). Both Safety National and Midwest offered several options for self -insured retentions
and the overall level of protection that would be provided. Each proposal will be discussed under a
separate caption.
Safety National
The first option Safety National submitted replicates the County's current program. under this
option, the County would have to assume the first $1 million of each claim with Safety National
reimbursing the County for all expenditures in excess of this amount up to statutory limits. The
proposed premium for this option was $170,036.
Safety National also submitted a proposal with a $750,000 self -insured retention and full statutory
benefits. The proposed premium for this option was $310,945.
Safety National's third option would reduce the self -insured retention for BOCC employees to
$500,000 while retaining the retention for law enforcement officers at $750,000. The proposed
premium for this option was $431,308.
Their fourth option resembled their first option (self -insured retention of $1 million) but added
Aggregate Excess Insurance that would assume the County's self -insured retention if the total of the
claims during the policy year exceeded $4,903,485. It should be noted that since October 1, 1992,
the annual average of the County's claims has amounted to $1,168,781 with the highest occurrence
taking place during the 1998/99 policy year when the claims totaled slightly more that $2 million.
The proposed premium for this option was $244,977
Safety National's fifth option used their second option ($750,000 self -insured retention) as a
foundation and included Aggregate Excess Insurance if the total of the claims during the policy year
exceeded $4,903,485. The proposed premium for this option was $385,886.
The final option proposed by Safety National included a self -insured retention for BOCC employees
of $500,000 and a retention for law enforcement officers of $750,000. It also included Aggregate
Excess Insurance (to attach if claims exceed $4,903,485). The proposed premium for this option was
$506,249.
Since the County's claim experience would have to increase over 400% above their historical average,
it is believed that Safety National's options that included Aggregate Excess Insurance offers little or
no added value, it is therefore recommended that these options be eliminated from further
consideration. In addition, as will be discussed later in this report, the County has received more
favorably priced proposals from other agents and insurance companies that offer the same level of
protection. It is therefore recommended that the remainder of Safety Nationals proposals be
eliminated from further consideration.
Midwest L�loyers
Like Safety National, Midwest Employers offered several options for the County to consider.
The first option would require the County to assume the first $1 million of each claim (consistent
with the current program). While claim payments under this option would be paid in accordance
with Florida Statutes, any claim involving owned aircraft would be limited to $1 million per life and
$5 million for the entire policy year. The proposed premium for this option was $165,155.
Midwest's second option would require the County to assume the first $750,000 of each claim and
also limit the claim payments for incidents that involve owned aircraft to $1 million per life and $5
million annually. The proposed premium for this option was $222,463.
Midwest's third option would require the County to assume the first $1 million of each claim without
limiting the amount Midwest would pay for claims involving owned aircraft. The proposed premium
for this option was $190,424.
The fourth option Midwest presented would require the County to assume the first $750,000 of each
claim without any limitation for claims that involve owned aircraft. The proposed premium for this
option was $251,117.
The fifth option presented by Midwest required the County to assume the first $1 million of each
claim, limited the coverage for claims involving owned aircraft to $lmillion per life and $5 million
annually and included Aggregate Excess Insurance in the event the County's claims exceeded
$3,485,572. The proposed premium for this option was $169,006.
The sixth option presented by Midwest required the County to assume the first $750,000 of each
claim, limited the coverage for claims involving owned aircraft to $lnidhon per life and $5 million
annually and included Aggregate Excess Insurance in the event the County's claims exceeded
$3,485,572. The proposed premium for this option was $226,213.
The seventh option presented by Midwest required the County to assume the first $1 million of each
claim, provide unlimited coverage for claims involving owned aircraft and included Aggregate Excess
Insurance in the event the County's claims exceeded $3,485,572. The proposed premium for this
option was $194,177.
The final option presented by Midwest required the County to assume the first $750,000 of each
claim, provide unlimited coverage for claims involving owned aircraft and included Aggregate Excess
Insurance in the event the County's claims exceeded $3,485,572. The proposed premium for this
option was $254,980.
Since any of the proposals that were offered by Midwest that included an Aggregate Excess
Insurance provision would require the County's claim experience to increase by nearly 300% before
any meaningful benefits would be realized, it is being recommended that all of Midwest's proposals
that included an Aggregate Excess Insurance provision be eliminated from further consideration.
The proposed premiums for the remainder of Midwest's proposals were higher than other available
options (to be discussed later). It is therefore that the remainder of Midwest's proposals also be
eliminated from further consideration.
Employers Mutual Inc.
Employers Mutual submitted a proposal from ACE Property and Casualty Insurance Company that
would require the County to assume the first $1 million of each claim while providing statutory
coverage for any claim that exceeds this amount. ACE enjoys a favorable rating from the A.M. Best
Company. The proposed premium for the program submitted by ACE through Employers Mutual
was $247,273. Since this premium is higher that other available options, it is being recommended
that ACE and Employers Mutual be eliminated from further consideration.
The Alliance
The Alliance is a partnership established between the Florida League of Cities (the agent/insurer that
provides the County's Liability insurance) and Towers Perrin (an independent insurance agent
headquartered in Chicago). The Alliance submitted a proposal from the National Union Fire
Insurance Company that enjoys a favorable rating from the A.M. Best Company. The terms of their
proposal were consistent with the County's current program and would require Monroe to absorb
the first $1 million of each claim. Statutory coverage would be available for all claims that exceed $1
million. The proposed premium for the Alliance program was $229,863. Since more competitively
priced proposals have been received, it is being recommended that the Alliance and National Union
be eliminated from further consideration.
Marsh USA
Marsh USA is the largest insurance broker in the world and currently provides the County's Property
Insurance. Marsh submitted a proposal from Clarendon National Insurance Company that
contained two self insured retention options. Clarendon enjoys a favorable rating from the A.M.
Best Company.
The first of Clarendon's options would require the County to assume the first $1 million of each
claim with statutory benefits being provided for all claims that exceed this amount. This option
replicates the County's current program. The proposed premium for this option is $280,850.
The second option submitted by Clarendon would require the County to assume the first $750,000
of each claim with statutory benefits being provided for all claims that exceed this amount. The
proposed premium for this option was $358,504.
Since the County received more competitively priced proposals that offer the same or higher level of
protection, it is being recommended that the Clarendon proposals as submitted by Marsh USA be
eliminated from further consideration.
Brown and Brown
Brown and Brown submitted proposals from States National Insurance Company with two self -
insured options. States National enjoys a favorable rating from the A.M. Best Company.
Their first option would require the County to assume the first $1 million of each claim with States
National providing statutory benefits for all claims that exceed this amount. This option replicates
the County's current program. The proposed premium for this option is $155,000.
States National's second option would allow the County to reduce its self -insured retention to
$750,000 with statutory protection being provided for all claims that exceed this amount. The
premium for this option is $162,000.
A unique feature of both of States National's proposals is that they will be un-auditable. One of the
major components considered in the establishment of the premium of any Workers' Compensation
policy is the organization's payroll. Normally the estimated annual payroll is used in establishing the
premium and following the expiration of the policy, the actual payrolls are provided to the insurance
company and an adjustment to the premium is made. States National has agreed to base their
premium on the projected payrolls that were included in the Request for Proposals (RFP) and not
adjust the premium at the end of the policy using the actual payrolls. This will allow the County to
better budget for their Excess Insurance without the fear that an additional premium would be due
following the policy's expiration. This is viewed as a favorable feature.
Since States National has offered comparable coverage (and in some cases improved coverage) over
the County's current program and those proposed by the other agents and insurance companies, it is
being recommended that Monroe County accepts States National as their insurer for the period
October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007 as presented by Brown and Brown.
In deciding which self -insured option is best, the County's historical losses have been analyzed.
Since October 1, 1992, the County has experience 2,395 Workers' Compensation claims (as of June
30, 2006). Only two of these claims have a projected value in excess of $500,000. One is projected
to ultimately cost the County $670,922 while the other is projected to cost the County $694,275.
Neither of these claims would have exceeded either the $750,000 or the $1 million retention. It is
therefore believed that retaining a $1 million retention would be in the best interest of Monroe
County.
It is therefore recommended that Monroe County accepts States National option that includes a $1
million self -insured retention for its Workers' Compensation insurance for the period October 1,
2006 to September 30, 2007 as submitted by Brown and Brown at an annual cost of $155,000.