Insurance is something that you should never overlook under most circumstances. It is an unfortunate reality that accidents happen, and the best insurance companies know this. They develop policies to help protect you from unfortunate circumstances that could occur.
The insurance audit may be one of the most misunderstood processes out there today, but it is also one of the most common. Most people have some knowledge of what it is, but there are many misconceptions about this type of audit.
Let’s explore everything you need to know about insurance audit services.
So, What Is an Insurance Audit?
An insurance audit is an investigative process carried out by insurance companies.
They aim to inspect or review the accuracy of premiums charged or collected from an insured company’s customers. In other words, it is a form of research that helps the organization to get a clear understanding of how much money should be taken from each customer based on their risk profile.
Since this audit is conducted to ensure that premiums charged from a company’s customers match the insurance policy in question, it may be carried out in order to determine whether an insurer owes an underpaid or unpaid dividend. The insurance auditor will review many details within a given customer file in order to understand their risk profile and determine the correct price for their insurance.
With this information, the insurance company can determine whether they have overcharged or undercharged customers. This is based on the parameters of their specific risk profile.
What Is an Insurance Audit Like?
There are many different avenues that one could take when it comes to conducting an audit. Since every office is different, there are many different types of audits that may occur.
Insurance companies choose their auditors based on the size of the company.
That way, they can be sure to send someone who has experience with policies similar to yours in order to get an accurate review. Large insurance companies will send out one of their managers, while smaller insurance companies may send out an agent. Auditors will get in touch with the company’s general manager or owner.
The auditor will request records for all policies in question. They will also give you a chance to explain anything they find unclear.
Then, they will review any policy changes in question. The auditor is likely to ask you several questions about each specific category of insurance that you carry.
At the end of the audit, the auditor will calculate an average price for your company’s policies. They will give you time to review it with them in case anything seems off. If they change your prices, they will then send you a letter that explains their reasoning as well as the prices they have assigned to each policy.
Depending on the circumstances, this change could be marginal or drastic.
Why Do Insurance Audits Need to Be Completed?
The main purpose of an insurance audit service is to ensure that your customers are getting the most accurate rates possible. An insurance audit may also reveal information about a customer’s past claims. If they find that you have made a large number of claims, they may reassess your rates.
Without insurance audits, insurance companies would end up paying much more in compensation to their clients. This would then cause a widespread increase in premiums for every other client. Although it might not seem obvious at first, insurance audits help everyone else to save money.
Insurance companies are required by law to file certain reports which disclose information about the premiums they collect. This applies to each state in which they conduct business.
So, insurance providers will conduct audits to help make sure that this information is accurate. Otherwise, they may accidentally breach legal regulations.
What Should I Do if I Get Audited?
Your insurance provider will let you know what information they would like to receive and how they would like it to be presented.
If you fail to provide this information, you may end up with a higher premium rate, or your policy could be canceled. This is why it’s vital that you comply with whatever requests they make.
A field claims representative may be able to help you compile all of the information required for an audit. If you’re unsure about what needs to be done, or how it should be presented, they will likely have the answers that you seek.
Insurance companies are required by law to conduct audits so their clients can maintain accurate information. This information is then used to determine the appropriate premium rates.
Failure to comply with an insurance company’s audit requests can lead to higher premiums and policy cancellations. As you might guess, this comes with a large number of consequences.
You should note that it will be much more difficult for you to obtain a policy in the future if a provider cancels your policy. This is simply due to the fact that insurance providers may view you as unreliable or high-risk. In some cases, you might not be able to obtain sufficient coverage.
This means that you will have a more difficult time accommodating contingencies.
How Does a Worker’s Compensation Audit Work?
A worker’s compensation audit is the process of evaluating an employer’s compliance with state laws regarding injury and illness reporting, and medical care.
It also applies to:
- Drug testing
- Safety training
- Workers’ compensation insurance premiums
- Wage replacement benefits
- Managing claims
Worker’s compensation audits are also performed by federal agencies that oversee employment practices in certain industries or hiring practices for specific positions.
In the United States, state agencies are responsible for regulating worker’s compensation programs within their respective jurisdictions. The federal government is also involved in the regulation of worker’s compensation programs through statutes that mandate certain requirements for employers who operate in industries subject to federal oversight.
In order to accommodate these regulations, insurance providers occasionally need to audit their clients.
How Does a General Liability Audit Work?
A general liability audit is a process of evaluating an employer’s compliance with state law regarding premises safety, equipment safety, and overall insurance. General liability audits are also performed by federal agencies that oversee employment practices in certain industries or hiring practices for specific positions.
They will also assess your current rates and determine if they are too high or too low. From here, they will make any changes they deem necessary.
What Exactly Does an Insurance Auditor Do?
An insurance audit is exactly what it sounds like. An outside party will come in and review your policies to make sure that everything is in line.
They will look at premiums, claims history, and so on to determine if the client qualifies for the best rate possible. An audit also includes reviewing your company’s pricing structure to make sure you are charging competitive rates compared to other insurance carriers. This will benefit both your customers and your business as a whole by ensuring that your rates for each policy are reasonable.
Their services will save you time and make sure that you are on the right track in terms of price, which can result in more business from existing clients. It can also help you attract new ones.
If they find a pattern of claims made by the customer, they will let you know so that you can adjust accordingly to avoid future issues. For example, if there are a large number of accidents in the last year, this may prompt an insurance company to increase premiums or change their deductible for that policy.
The auditor will also check to see how many claims the client has made for a certain type of incident. If they are above or below a certain threshold, the auditor may then adjust their rates.
The entire purpose of their job is to make accurate adjustments. So, they aim to make their decisions as objective as possible. For this reason, it can often be difficult to dispute the changes they make.
What Happens if I Don’t Pay an Audit?
If you don’t pay an audit, your insurance company may not renew policies or issue new ones until the premiums and claims match up with industry standards.
This can affect your business in a negative way because you won’t be able to acquire new clients or keep them for very long. In addition, if you are audited multiple times without paying or without making changes, your insurance carrier may drop you altogether.
Depending on your industry, the absence of insurance can prevent you from operating. By extension, this also means that it will be impossible for you to make money or conduct business. Under many circumstances, this could result in your company shutting down.
The bottom line is that it is in your best interest to always pay an audit as soon as possible. If you can’t pay, ask for an extension and work on getting the situation sorted out as quickly as possible.
Can I Dispute an Insurance Audit?
Yes, you can always dispute an audit if you feel as though it is unfair. This should be done as early as possible to avoid any further issues with your insurance company.
If you find that there has been an error or that the auditor made a mistake, don’t hesitate to reach out and let them know immediately. Most companies will work with you to come up with a solution if the situation is handled as soon as possible.
It is also important to understand that there are times when an auditor might make incorrect changes. If this happens, make sure you work with them to fix the problem as quickly as possible so that it does not affect your business going forward.
When disputing an audit, it’s in your best interest to remain calm. This will help the process go as smoothly as it should.
For example, it’s not uncommon for individuals to come aggressive with insurance adjusters. This is often due to the belief that the imposed changes are unfair or inaccurate.
They may also feel as though the auditor is not taking relevant information into consideration. Similarly, they might also believe that the auditor is using information that should not be relevant.
This type of behavior will only prolong your dispute and reduce the likelihood that you resolve it in your favor.
What Are the Reasons Why I Would Get Audited?
The main reasons that you will be audited are due to claims or prices, but there are other instances where this may happen. For example, if you are having financial difficulties and can’t pay your premiums on time each month, your insurance company will likely initiate the process after a certain period of time.
You should also expect an audit if you switch insurance carriers or if they notice that your policies are becoming less profitable.
This is because most insurance companies will want to work with their customers to keep their business rather than lose them.
An Insurance Audit Isn’t as Complicated as You Think
The above guide has everything you need to know to understand how an insurance audit works and why one occurs. This will help ensure you know how to navigate one in the future. So, be sure that you keep this information in mind.
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