Coverage Snapshot: Loss runs help insurers evaluate how a NEMT operation has performed over time. For medical transportation companies, carriers usually review accident frequency, paid claims, reserved claims, driver patterns, wheelchair loading incidents, passenger injuries, and corrective action. Clean, complete loss runs do not guarantee approval, but incomplete or unexplained claims can delay quotes or limit market options.
What should buyers know first?
- Loss runs are claim history reports issued by your current or prior insurance carriers.
- Commercial auto, general liability, professional liability, abuse and molestation, and workers compensation carriers may each have separate loss runs.
- Many markets want currently valued loss runs, often valued within the last 30 to 90 days.
- A no-loss letter may be requested when a company has no prior claims or is newly insured.
- Large losses, frequent small claims, open reserves, and missing claim details can all slow underwriting review.
For a broader overview of coverage considerations, WHINS maintains a practical resource page for NEMT Insurance for Medical Transportation Companies.
Why do NEMT insurers ask for loss runs?
NEMT insurance carriers use loss runs to understand more than whether claims happened. They look at what happened, when it happened, whether the same driver, vehicle, location, dispatcher, or process appears repeatedly, and what the company changed afterward.
For example, one at-fault auto accident may be viewed differently than several backing accidents in a short period. A passenger injury during wheelchair securement may raise different questions than a disputed billing complaint or a slip and fall at the office. Underwriters usually want the story behind the numbers.
What do underwriters usually need?
When a NEMT operator is preparing for renewal, replacing coverage, adding vehicles, or bidding on a transportation contract, it helps to gather the following before requesting quotes:
- Commercial auto loss runs for each prior policy period, usually three to five years if available.
- General liability and professional liability loss runs.
- Abuse and molestation loss runs or confirmation of no known incidents, if requested by the market.
- Workers compensation loss runs if employees, drivers, attendants, or office staff are on payroll.
- Current vehicle schedule with VINs, garaging addresses, radius of operations, wheelchair lift information, and seating capacity.
- Driver list with dates of hire, license class where applicable, MVR review process, training, and termination standards.
- Contracts or insurance requirement pages from brokers, healthcare organizations, transportation managers, facilities, or public agencies.
- Written explanation of any large, open, disputed, or repeated claims.
- Corrective action notes, such as driver retraining, camera installation, maintenance changes, incident reporting changes, or updated passenger assistance procedures.
Some regulated transportation operations may also maintain accident records under official transportation rules. For reference, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration discusses accident register requirements in 49 CFR 390.15. Applicability depends on the operation, vehicles, contracts, and law, so operators should confirm requirements with qualified counsel or the proper regulator.
How can an operator explain claims without hurting the submission?
Do not hide claims. A better approach is to provide clear, factual context. Underwriters can usually see the loss run, but they may not know the operational improvements that followed.
- Identify the date, driver, vehicle, location, and type of incident.
- Explain whether the claim is open, closed, paid, denied, reserved, or in litigation.
- Describe what changed after the incident.
- Attach supporting documents only when they are relevant and appropriate.
- Avoid blaming the passenger, facility, broker, driver, or prior carrier. Keep the explanation factual.
A short claim narrative can be especially helpful when the loss run shows a large reserve, a claim that later closed for less than expected, or an incident that does not reflect current operations.
What coverage gaps should be reviewed?
Loss runs can also reveal coverage issues that should be discussed before renewal or contract review. Common examples include:
- Auto claims involving vehicles that were not scheduled correctly.
- Incidents involving rented, borrowed, or employee-owned vehicles.
- Passenger injury allegations that raise both auto and professional liability questions.
- Wheelchair securement, loading, unloading, or door-to-door assistance incidents.
- Abuse, neglect, or misconduct allegations that may require separate underwriting review.
- Contract requirements that ask for limits, endorsements, waivers, or additional insured wording not currently on the policy.
Coverage depends on the policy language, endorsements, exclusions, facts of the claim, and carrier handling. A loss run review is not a coverage determination, but it can help identify questions to raise before a contract deadline or renewal date.
What common mistakes should be avoided?
- Waiting until the renewal week to request loss runs.
- Sending only auto loss runs when the account also needs liability or workers compensation review.
- Providing screenshots instead of official carrier-issued loss runs.
- Leaving open claims unexplained.
- Submitting driver and vehicle schedules that do not match the claim history.
- Assuming a no-loss history removes the need for complete applications and underwriting information.
How can WHINS help prepare the submission?
WHINS can help NEMT operators organize loss runs, vehicle schedules, driver information, contract requirements, and applications before approaching markets. A cleaner submission can make the underwriting review more efficient, although it does not guarantee eligibility, pricing, or coverage terms.
To begin the auto portion of a review, Start a commercial auto request. For liability review, complete the NEMT general and professional liability application. If requested for the operation, also complete the abuse and molestation supplemental application.
Completed applications can be emailed to [email protected]. You can also contact WHINS at 818-233-0825 or [email protected]. WHINS Insurance Agency, CA License #0G66655.
Common questions
How many years of loss runs do NEMT insurers usually request?
Many carriers ask for three to five years if available. Requirements vary by carrier, account size, coverage line, prior insurance history, and underwriting appetite.
Can a NEMT company get quotes with prior claims?
Possibly, but the details matter. Carriers usually review claim frequency, severity, open reserves, corrective action, driver controls, vehicle use, and whether the current operation differs from the period when the claims occurred.
What if the company has no prior loss runs?
A new operation or first-time insured may be asked for a signed no-loss letter, complete applications, driver details, vehicle schedules, contracts, and safety procedures instead of prior carrier loss runs.
Written by Stella Torres, Insurance Advisor at WHINS Insurance Agency. CA License #0K22577 | NPN #17580360.
This post is for educational and marketing purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, HR, medical, regulatory, underwriting, or coverage advice. Coverage is subject to underwriting, carrier appetite, applicable law, and the terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions of the issued policy.
