Who Is This Creature

This adorable cephalopod (octopus) captivated us and it has become our mascot. Why? The first thing that caught our eye was, well, the eye. As an insurance company that is owned by our policyholders, we have been keeping a watchful eye out on behalf of our owners for thirty years, enabling best practices in risk and claims management.

And who wouldn't want an extra arm, or eight? We know that our owners are busy doing what they do best — providing health care services. Our job is to act as an extension of their organization, reaching deep into the areas of our expertise.

The cephalopod is one of the most adaptable and long-lived species on the planet. Likewise, CHI is the longest continually-operating health care professional liability insurance company in California.

And lastly, we were captivated by our mascot’s smile. Talk to any of our owners and you will hear that we are a very friendly bunch. While people don't usually think of insurance as a fun part of their business, the team at Optima has put a smile on many faces.

CHI

30 Years, and Still Making a Positive Difference in Health Care

THROUGH OWNERSHIP

30 Years, and Still Making a Positive Difference in Health Care

Back in the 1980s, the stormy seas of the health care professional liability market were ruled by one dominant predator. Then, a new species emerged.

In 1988, California Healthcare Insurance Company, Inc., A Risk Retention Group (CHI) was formed to disrupt the insurance industry, with the goal of creating a competitive marketplace for California hospital professional liability insurance. Now, with 30 years of proven success, CHI has become an industry leader. Still, our vision for making a positive difference in health care is no less revolutionary today than it was back then. Policyholder ownership has been the backbone of CHI’s strength and the source of its fierce loyalty among our owners. Now that same source of strength is leading us to explore new depths in health care provider coverage and opportunities for growth in our marketplace.

Reflecting back on our 30 years in business, CHI’s story as the industry disruptor actually plays out quite conservatively, with steady but continual growth while providing a trusted and stable source of health care professional liability insurance for our owners. An industry, once skeptical of our business model, has come to accept and ultimately admire what we have achieved. CHI’s AM Best rating of A- is testimony to that respect. Deservedly, our owners have benefited most of all, receiving over $33 million in premium holidays and rebates.

As we begin our next 30 years serving our owners, CHI maintains a policyholders’ surplus of over $58 million. We plan to leverage this financial strength to continue our outstanding services as well as providing greater flexibility and options. We will weigh the advantages of taking a greater share of risk and offering higher policy limits as well as the introduction of new CHI-branded optional liability products. All of these initiatives will be done with the goal of providing ever-increasing value to our owners.

Our 30-year anniversary is certainly a time for reflection and celebration. But we believe the decades ahead hold even more exciting potential. We enter this new period in a position of strength and leadership. We will build on our CORE and values that have proven successful over the past 30 years. Most importantly, we will continue our mission of making a positive difference in health care.

Sincerely,

Diane Abbett, President/CEO