This past year has marked a sea change in the traditional relationship between employer and employee. We are experiencing a paradigm shift, and the power and prominence that once rested with the boss has gravitated toward the employee.

Many people have vivid memories of where they were when COVID-19 became “real” for them. It was the moment that the pandemic evolved from an intangible topic on the news impacting people somewhere far away to something that directly affected daily life in their own communities—and for an a seemingly indefinite period of time. Much in the world has changed as a result of the pandemic, some of it perhaps permanently. In the captive insurance world, coverage for business interruption (BI) may be one of those changes. 

The pandemic has created some extraordinary market conditions throughout the U.S. economy. As people have spent more time at home, the demand for single-family homes and the number of home renovation projects have increased. But what happens when costs of parts and labor for repair become inflated? For submitted home insurance claims, insurance costs will likely be significantly more in 2021 than a similar claim last year.

At least two things came to fruition from the 1960s science fiction TV shows many of us watched as children. First, as the title of this blog suggests, it is now acceptable to split an infinitive (that is, insert an adverb between the word “to” and the verb). Second, although we still don’t have flying cars, it is possible to conduct meetings and converse with people miles away while looking at a screen. This came in quite handy as we planned our 2021 Pinnacle University program.

One of the jarring results of the COVID-19 pandemic has been disruption to the rhythm of our daily lives. Routines, regular activities and traditions have all changed as the result of imposed restrictions, personal safety choices and a mixture of both. In the insurance industry, actuaries and other professionals who rely on patterns such as claim reporting lags and loss development factors are now working to understand how emergency declarations, temporary court closures and changes in insured behavior have impacted these patterns. In this blog, I’ll highlight specifically how changes to statutes of limitations because of the COVID-19 pandemic may affect reporting of medical professional liability claims.