Glossary

American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is a not-for-profit research organization whose primary mission is to conduct and support research in the transportation field with an emphasis on the trucking industry's essential role in the US and international marketplace.

The American Trucking Associations, Inc. (ATA), is a national trade association representing the interests of the trucking industry.

America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) is a national trade association headquartered in Washington, DC. It represents the health insurance industry. AHIP's members provide health and supplemental benefits to more than 200 million Americans through employer-sponsored coverage, the individual insurance market, and public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. AHIP advocates for public policies that expand access to affordable healthcare coverage to all Americans through a competitive marketplace that fosters choice, quality, and innovation. AHIP's member companies offer medical expense insurance, long-term care (LTC) insurance, disability income insurance, dental insurance, supplemental insurance, stop-loss insurance, and reinsurance to consumers, employers, and public purchasers.

Amount at risk refers to the protection element of a life insurance policy as calculated by subtracting any cash value from the face amount. It decreases over time as premiums are paid and cash value increases.

Amount subject is the value that may reasonably be expected to be lost in a single fire or other casualty, depending on the protection and construction of the risk and the distribution or concentration of values. Estimating the amount subject is a major responsibility of inspectors and underwriters.

The A.M. Best rating is an evaluation published by A.M. Best Company of all life, property, and casualty insurers domiciled in the United States and US branches of foreign property insurer groups active in the United States. The ratings are often used to determine the claims-paying ability, suitability, service record, and financial stability of insurance companies. Other rating agencies include Standard & Poor's, Conning & Company, Fitch, and Moody's.

The analytic risk modeling method is a type of risk model where solutions can be determined "in closed form" by solving a set of equations. These methods usually require a restrictive set of assumptions and mathematically tractable assumed probability distributions. The principal advantage over simulation methods is ease and speed of calculation.

Animal mortality insurance is a form of life insurance for livestock, zoological, and domesticated animals. It normally covers death from any cause (with some exceptions), as well as voluntary destruction for humane reasons. Also available on a named perils basis.

The anniversary date is the anniversary of the policy inception date in policies with a term that exceeds 1 year. For 1-year policies, this term can also be used to refer to the policy's renewal date.

The anniversary rating date is, in some types of insurance that are subject to experience rating, such as workers compensation insurance, the date that governs the application of rates and experience modifiers when a prior policy has been canceled midterm. It prevents either the insured or the insurer from canceling a policy midterm to take advantage of a more favorable rate structure. It also may have application for changes of ownership or combinations of ownership. For an example of how the anniversary rating date applies in the case of a canceled policy, assume a workers compensation policy is written for a 1-year term effective January 1, 2026. It is subsequently canceled and rewritten effective July 1, 2026. The new policy would carry an anniversary rating date of January 1, 2027. The rates effective on July 1, 2026, when the new policy is issued, are those that were effective January 1, 2026, not those that are currently effective. On January 1, 2027, the anniversary rating date, the policy is endorsed to apply the rates and modifier effective January 1, 2027. Then, when the new policy expires July 1, 2027, and is renewed, the anniversary date becomes July 1 and stays that date until some event causes the process to begin all over.