Costs Continue Upward Trend, and Reform Relief May Take Time

By Greg Jones, Western Bureau ChiefSAN FRANCISCO – Claim frequency and severity data from the third quarter of 2012 looked much the same as quarterly data going back to 2010 when frequency increases emerged as the primary factor in deteriorating market conditions, Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau actuaries said on Wednesday.The frequency increase, first observed in 2010, effectively wipes out any chance that more moderate growth in indemnity and medical expenses will reduce costs. Instead, based on data collected through the first nine months of the year, it appears 2012...