The Foundation of Catastrophic Insurance Pricing
Kyle Albrecht, '15
Senior Mathematics Major
Albion College
There are many different types of insurance plans, but larger companies sometimes
opt to be self-funded. A self-funded insurance plan is any plan where the company
itself pays out for claims instead of a designated insurance company. However, since
an individual could have a huge claim (upwards of a million dollars), it is a good idea
to limit potential losses. A self-funded company can elect to have stop-loss coverage,
which will cover larger than usual claim amounts. There are a few different ways
that insurance companies cover insurance plans, and my talk will focus on the
different aspects of each. Specific stop-loss coverage looks at each individual and pays for a portion of claims above a pre-determined amount. Aggregate stop-loss
looks at the group's total claims and pays any amount above a pre-determined
amount. Finally, aggregating-specific stop-loss coverage sums the amount above a
specific deductible on an individual basis, and then applies that amount to an
aggregating deductible; the insurance company will cover amounts above both of these deductibles. In my talk I will cover the details of each type of coverage along
with an analysis of what factors affect a company's rates.