Loss Ratio

Loss ratio

The ratio of losses paid or accrued by an issurer to premiums collected over a year.

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Loss Ratio

In insurance, the ratio of what an insurance company pays in benefits and associated expenses (such as adjustments) to what is collected in premiums, expressed as a percentage. It is calculated thusly:

Loss ratio = (Benefits paid out + Adjustment expenses) / Premiums collected

For example, if a company pays out $8,000,000 in benefits and adjustment and collects $10,000,000 in premiums, its loss ratio is 80%. Traditionally, the loss ratio has been used as a gauge for both an insurance company's financial health and whether it was overcharging policy holders. For example, a high loss ratio indicated that the company was not making a reasonable profit, while a low ratio showed that it was either charging too much or covering too little. However, this view has been criticized ? at least in relation to health insurance ? on the grounds that the integration of insurers and providers makes it difficult or impossible to calculate the ratio properly.