IDAL and Citadel have been working together for many years successfully. Citadel is a broker, not an insurance carrier. Citadel brokers insurance for specialty groups or programs, such as IDAL, not individuals, and has little control over restrictions in the policy.
The New York restrictions were put in place because of new laws in New York City. This law allows access to your general liability limits if worker comp limits are exhausted during an insurance claim. Because of this risk most nation-wide carriers have placed restrictions or pulled out completely from the five boroughs/counties of New York City: Manhattan/New York County; Bronx/Bronx County; Brooklyn/Kings County; Queens/Queens County; and, Staten Island/Richmond County.
Citadel has been notifying Insureds with their renewal reminders, typically 6-8 weeks out. Instead of a blanket notification, they reach out and work with each IDAL member individually to figure out a solution, as each situation is unique for each member. There was never any time when an IDAL member was not covered during their paid coverage year.
When Citadel found out in June 2018, they began looking for a new carrier for the policy. As of October 2018, there was a company looking into taking on the policy on December 31, 2018 but unfortunately, due to claim situations in the 4th quarter of 2018, moving the policy was not a possibility.
That said, Rachel Olsen, our Citadel Insurance liaison, has spent hundreds of hours trying to find a carrier that doesn’t have restrictions in place at both the program and individual level. The pricing of $312 and now $363 has been a great deal over the years and a feature benefit of IDAL membership. For the New York City working IDAL members, not having access to this group policy is a very real reason to not renew your IDAL membership.
Before I joined the board, I looked into my own general liability insurance and was quoted over $800 annual premium for working in upstate New York. Rachel is finding policies to cover IDAL members working in the New York City boroughs ranging from $600-$1200. In comparison of the locations, it’s a decent price.
A message from Rachel:
“I understand how frustrating this is, this is your livelihood, and you need affordable insurance. I appreciate the kindness and patience that has been shown by IDAL members. I’m doing my best not to leave anyone stranded without insurance and will continue to look for a solution to this problem.”
We appreciate your support and questions. Please reach out to Rachel for your specific insurance needs at: rolsen@citadelus.com
Thank you for reading and your understanding.
Lori Wilson
IDAL President 2018-19
