loss ratio

American  

noun

Insurance.

1. the ratio of the losses paid or accrued by an insurer to premiums earned, usually for a period of one year.

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loss ratio British  

noun

1. the ratio of the annual losses sustained to the premiums received by an insurance company

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Etymology

Origin of loss ratio

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

For the year, Oscar anticipates a medical loss ratio between 82.4% and 83.4%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

That estimate puts the loss ratio about 2 percentage points higher than the same quarter a year prior.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

The solution requires acknowledging that the medical loss ratio rules were designed for an era when insurers and providers operated independently.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 10, 2025

The Medicaid result left the company’s overall medical loss ratio at 92.7%, better than the 92.9% consensus estimate.

From Barron's • Oct. 29, 2025

Business conditions were uncertain, overhead charges extraordinarily increased, the loss ratio large and bidding fair to cut their bonus down to nothing.

From Broken to the Plow by Dobie, Charles Caldwell