There are four ways to get workers compensation insurance in the state of New York:
- Online Portal
- Captive Insurance Agent
- Independent Insurance Agent
- New York State Insurance Fund
The best way to purchase workers comp depends on the needs of your business and desire to cut costs and free up cash flow.
The good news?
There is one option that clearly stands out as the best way to get workers comp insurance in New York:
How to Get Workers Comp Insurance
If you’re asking yourself, how do I get workers’ compensation insurance in the State of New York, you’re asking the right question because every state is different.
In New York, there are four different ways.
- You can go directly to an online insurance portal,
- You can work with a captive agent,
- You can work with an independent agent, or,
- You can call the state fund.
Online Insurance Portal
Just a couple of things to think about with the direct model, as easy as it seems, understand that you are getting no guidance on whether or not that policy is set up correctly.
When New York State comes and audits your workers’ compensation program, there is no saying, “Well, I didn’t know better.”
In that scenario, you are 100% responsible for how that policy is set up.
Additionally, they’re not going to help you find any credits or discounts.
They’re certainly not going to work with you on an Experience Modification Factor if you have one.
Ultimately, you’re getting a quote from one company. There is the benefit of it being easy, but in my opinion, no one should be buying workers’ compensation directly from a singular carrier.
Captive Insurance Agent
The second option is a captive agent.
A captive agent is going to talk to you on the phone, help you through the process, but they ultimately also only have one workers’ comp option to offer you.
Now, most of the time, captive agents do not have a robust platform for workers’ compensation either.
If you decide to buy workers’ compensation from a captive agent, just know you’re making a conscious decision to buy a lesser product.
READ NEXT: 5 Ways To Get The Best Rate On Your Workers Comp Insurance
Independent Insurance Agent
Your third option is an independent insurance agency. That’s what we are at Rogue Risk.
We have access to every carrier that writes workers’ compensation in the State of New York.
This includes carriers that only focus on workers’ compensation, as well as carriers that write all lines of business, which workers’ compensation is one of them.
Finding which one of those carriers is right for your business is what we do. We align your industry with proper payroll auditing and application of that payroll to the proper class codes.
We audit your Experience Modification Factor, which is the largest driver of change in your premiums.
We then work with your business to find discounts and credits like workplace safety and a drug-free workplace credits that can bring your premium down even further.
There are additional modifications that can be added in terms of credits and debits to your policy as well, depending on your operation and your willingness to put processes and procedures in place that keep your people safe and keep them healthy.
Finding the right workers comp carrier can only be done with an independent insurance agent like Rogue Risk.
Worker’s comp is what we do all day.
We’re happy to help you.
You can get a quote for workers comp insurance here.
New York State Insurance Fund
Your last option is New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF). You can call the state fund, go to nysif.com.
You can deal with them directly (or have help from an agent).
The New York State Insurance Fund has pros and cons.
I think that the cons often outweigh the pros unless you’re forced to go to the state fund as a source of last resort. In which case the state fund is a wonderful tool for businesses that may be classed out of all programs in the state, or have a loss history that doesn’t allow them to get into a preferred market.
There’s nothing wrong with being in the NYSIF, but if there is a private market, it is often a better place to be both from a price perspective and claims handling and payment options perspective.
You can do pay as you go with many private carriers and it has only recently become an option with a state fund, and there is an additional fee to do that.
The Rub
You can take control of your workers’ comp cost.
Rogue Risk can help.
If your current insurance professional has never addressed issues such as total cost of risk or return to work programs with you before, then I’d encourage you to reach out to us today.
- You can call or text us at 518.960.6600
- Click here to contact us via email.
I look forward to introducing you to a new way of viewing your insurance program.
Thank you,
Ryan Hanley
