Preferred Risk

In insurance, a preferred risk is an individual, property, or group that is considered less risky to insure than average. As a result, they are eligible for lower premiums or more favorable policy terms than those offered to higher-risk individuals or groups.

Here are some key features of a preferred risk:

• Definition: A preferred risk is someone who is less likely to file a claim or suffer a loss than the average person in the same demographic group.

• Evaluation: Insurance companies evaluate potential policyholders based on a variety of factors, such as age, health, occupation, and driving record, to determine their risk level.

• Benefits: Preferred risks typically qualify for lower premiums and more favorable policy terms than higher-risk individuals or groups.

• Examples: Some examples of preferred risks include healthy individuals, experienced drivers with clean records, and businesses with low risk of accidents or property damage.

Insurance companies use risk assessment and underwriting to identify preferred risks and offer them lower premiums. This is because the insurance company expects to pay out fewer claims for these individuals or groups, and thus, can charge them less for coverage.

Next Up

Vision is the most commonly offered ancillary benefit in employer-sponsored plans — 89% of employers offer it nationally, higher than dental, higher than life insurance, and higher than any voluntary benefit. And yet vision is also one of the most underfunded benefits in the market.
Dental benefits are not your largest cost center. For most employers, dental represents a fraction of what medical costs per covered employee annually. But dental is one of the highest visibility benefits in your package: employees use it, notice it, and talk about it. When it’s good, it builds goodwill. When it’s inadequate (low maximums, no orthodontia, zero employer contribution) it registers as a signal that the employer isn’t invested in the total package.
How an employer funds its health plan sits quietly in the background of every benefits decision. Most CHROs and CFOs know their premium cost. Fewer understand the mechanics of how their plan is actually structured: who holds the risk, who administers the claims, how costs flow, and what flexibility, if any, they have to change any of it.