Compliance and safety
Insurance Loss Runs for NEMT Companies: What They Show and How to Get Them
Overview
Insurance loss runs are your insurer's report of the claims on your policies: when each loss happened, what was paid, and what is still set aside for open claims. A new insurer reads them before it quotes your NEMT company, because your claims history affects both your price and whether it will cover you at all. Ask every insurer you have had for them, in writing.
- A loss run lists each claim with its date, a description, what was paid, and any reserve still set aside on an open claim.
- Maryland's insurance regulator says the number of claims you have filed can affect both your premium and whether you can get coverage.
- Florida and Oregon give insurers 15 calendar days to send five years of loss runs, and Illinois gives them 30 days to send three.
- An open claim shows its reserve, so ask your insurer to close settled claims before your agent shops your renewal.
- Report every incident to your agent or insurer. California's regulator says handling a claim yourself violates your duties under the policy.
What a loss run shows
A loss run is a report your insurer prints from its own claim records for your policies. It is a snapshot: the payments and reserves as of the day it was run. The state laws that make insurers send one describe what goes on it, and Illinois and Pennsylvania list three kinds of entries:
- Closed claims. The date, a description of what happened, and the total paid.
- Open claims. The date, the description, what has been paid so far, and the reserve: the amount the insurer has set aside for what it still expects to pay.
- Reported incidents. Events you told the insurer about that have not turned into claims, with the date, the description, and any reserve.
Florida’s definition is shorter (Statutes 627.444, 2026): the policy number, the coverage period, the number of claims, the paid losses, and the date of each loss. It leaves out claim files, investigation reports, and statements, and Florida does not make the insurer show reserves.
Each insurer reports only its own policies. If your vans were insured with one company and your workers’ comp with another, you need a loss run from each. The same goes for every insurer you left in the last five years.
A dispatch example
Say you run four wheelchair vans and your auto policy renews July 1. In April your agent asks your insurer for loss runs, and the report shows two claims in three years:
- A van backed into a parked car outside a dialysis center in 2024. Closed, $3,800 paid.
- A rider slid off the lift platform during loading in 2025. Open, $1,500 paid, $20,000 reserved.
The second claim shows more than its $1,500 in payments. An underwriter reading the report also sees the $20,000 still set aside for it. If that rider’s claim settled last month for $6,000, ask the insurer to close it and send a fresh loss run before your agent shops the account. Then write two lines for each claim: what happened, and what you changed, such as retraining every driver on lift loading.
Why a new insurer asks for your loss runs
Your claims history is part of the price. The California Department of Insurance’s commercial insurance guide (Form 700, revised June 14, 2024) says claims loss experience is reflected in the rating formula and directly affects premium costs. It adds that the formula often includes other modification factors, such as experience modifications, schedule rating, or judgment rating.
It also affects whether you get a quote at all. Maryland’s business owner’s guide (MIA-CO-1, July 2024) says your driving record and the number of claims you have filed may affect your ability to get insurance in the private market and the amount of your premium. California’s guide says a business with significant losses may not find coverage in the standard market. If that happens to you, see NEMT insurance denied.
Workers’ comp uses the same history through the experience mod. The California guide says experience rating plans reflect your past loss experience, usually from the past three years. NCCI’s guide gives an example: a policy renewing January 1, 2026 generally gets a mod built from policies that started in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Some insurers want more than the standard report. In Illinois, you can ask your current insurer in writing for that extra detail, including specific reserves. It must answer within 20 days, and your current coverage is extended on the same terms by the number of days it takes.
How a clean claims history lowers your premium
The California guide puts it simply: the better your claims experience, the more the rating can be modified to lower your premium. It adds that once you put proven loss control methods in place, premium costs go down as your loss experience improves. A clean loss run comes from habits you can keep:
- Report every incident right away. California’s guide says to turn every claim over to your agent or insurer as soon as you know about it, and that handling a claim yourself violates your duties under the policy and can cost you later. Use an incident report form the same day, and follow the steps in what to do after a NEMT vehicle accident.
- Hire drivers with clean records. Maryland’s guide tells you to make sure employees who drive company vehicles have good driving records, because the risk they present can keep you from getting coverage with the insurer you want. Pull a motor vehicle record before every hire and once a year.
- Fix the cause of each claim. Write down what you changed after it, and hand that list to your agent with the loss runs.
- Get settled claims closed. An open claim keeps its reserve on the report until the insurer closes the file.
- Keep every loss run on file. A buyer of your company will ask for them, as buying a NEMT business explains.
See NEMT insurance cost for the other steps that bring a premium down.
How to get your loss runs
Ask in writing, and send the request to the insurer, not only to your agent. Five states set a deadline. In Florida, Oregon, and Illinois it applies whenever you ask. In Pennsylvania and California it applies only at certain times. Florida also bars a fee for one statement a year.
| State | When you can ask | Deadline and years |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Any time, in writing | 15 calendar days, for 5 years or your full history if shorter |
| Oregon | Any time, as a current or past commercial policyholder | 15 calendar days, for 5 years or your full history if shorter |
| Illinois | Any time. It also comes with a cancellation or nonrenewal notice, except for nonpayment, misrepresentation, or fraud. | 30 days, for the 3 previous policy years |
| Pennsylvania | In writing, within 10 days of a cancellation or nonrenewal notice | 30 days, for at least 3 years or your full history if shorter |
| California, workers’ comp only | In writing, within 60 days before renewal, or if the policy is canceled or nonrenewed | 10 business days, for up to 3 years before this term plus this term |
The Florida, Oregon, and Illinois rules come from Florida Statutes 627.444, Oregon Administrative Rule 836-080-0810, and 215 ILCS 5/143.10a. Pennsylvania’s comes from Act 86 of 1986, and California’s from Insurance Code 11663.5. In other states, ask your state insurance department whether a rule applies.
- Start two to three months before renewal. Your agent needs the reports before shopping your account.
- List every insurer and every policy. Include auto, general liability, and workers’ comp for the last five years.
- Send one written request to each insurer. Give your company name, policy numbers, and the years you need. In Illinois, the insurer must send it straight to your agent if you ask in writing, and Florida insurers must tell your agent of record when they send one.
- Check each report against your own records. Look for claims that are not yours, duplicates, and settled claims still open.
- Ask for corrections in writing, then ask for a new loss run that shows them.
Frequently asked questions
How many years of loss runs do I need for a NEMT insurance quote?
Ask for five years from every insurer you had in that time. Florida and Oregon require insurers to send five years, or your whole time with them if that is shorter. Illinois law covers the three previous policy years, and California's workers' comp rule covers three years plus the current term. If you changed insurers twice in five years, you need three loss runs.
Do insurers charge for loss runs?
Florida bars a fee for one loss run statement a year (Florida Statutes 627.444, 2026). The Oregon, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and California rules set deadlines but say nothing about a fee. If your insurer charges, ask your state insurance department whether it may.
My NEMT company is new. What do I send instead of loss runs?
Tell the insurer the company has never been insured, so it has no loss runs to send. Send what shows how you will run instead: each driver's motor vehicle record, your written safety and incident procedures, and your vehicle list. California's insurance regulator notes that a recently started business may not find coverage in the standard market, so apply early.
Can my insurer refuse to send my loss runs?
Not in Florida, Oregon, or Illinois, which require insurers to send them when you ask. Oregon's rule makes a violation an unfair trade practice, and Illinois treats a practice of refusing to send loss information as one. Pennsylvania and California require them only at certain times, such as after a cancellation or nonrenewal notice. If an insurer misses a deadline, put your request in writing again, then file a complaint with your state insurance department.
Do loss runs include workers' comp claims?
Yes, your workers' comp insurer keeps its own loss runs. Oregon's rule says workers' comp loss runs must leave out confidential medical and vocational records about the injured worker. Workers' comp claims also feed your experience mod, which raises or lowers that premium.