The renewal process for 2021 included several changes spurred by the pandemic, as companies changed workers’ job duties and insurers wanted to know more about what was being done to manage risks associated with COVID-19.
Much depended on the type of business involved, said JoEllen Thelen, St. Louis-based middle market practice leader for the central region for Aon PLC.
“With health care and anything food-related, anything retail, you can expect to have to prepare the client for a significant number of questions about COVID, about COVID-related (safety) procedures,” she said.
COVID-19 also added complexity to underwriting workers comp, experts say. For example, some restaurants have staff delivering food in vehicles, retailers deliver items to customers curbside, and much of the workforce is working from home.
“We have had to adjust to the major shift in exposures,” said Matt Waters, Boston-based executive vice president and general manager of middle markets for property/casualty at Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. “Exposures can go either way: Your risk profile can get better or worse.
This article was first published in Business Insurance.
