RENO, Nev., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- EMPLOYERS(SM) today announced its enhanced workers' compensation insurance program for California's independent pharmacies. This program is designed to help independent pharmacies gain access to an outstanding workers' compensation product.

"California's independent pharmacies provide their patients excellent service achieved through focus on the business of prescription medicine," said Hale Johnston, Pacific Region President for EMPLOYERS. "When it comes to workers' compensation, no group of companies is more focused than EMPLOYERS on the small business segment. We feel this focus creates a uniquely positive experience for our customers which is truly valued."

Independent pharmacies engage in many unique patient services such as delivery, durable medical equipment (DME), and compounding. These can make acquiring affordable workers' compensation insurance a challenge. The EMPLOYERS Pharmacy Program anticipates these exposures so that qualified businesses can enjoy the benefit of preferred program pricing.

EMPLOYERS also recently lowered its minimum premium from $1,000 to $750, in accord with its industry focus on providing workers' compensation insurance and services for America's small businesses. In addition to its 12.5% commission for accounts $50,000 or under, EMPLOYERS offers independent pharmacies an extra 5% credit against premium for renewals and flexible payments with 15% deposit and nine monthly installments for accounts with more than $5,000 EAP.

Retail pharmacies with at least three years in business without a lapse in coverage, no more than one claim in the last three years, no 24-hour operations, and a limited, 25-mile delivery area may qualify for coverage under the expanded EMPLOYERS underwriting guidelines.

Interested agents can provide a completed ACORD application, Retail Pharmacy Questionnaire, and currently valued loss runs for three years; EMPLOYERS will determine your client's eligibility and provide a quick quote on each qualified submission. More information on how agents can respond to the workers' compensation insurance needs of small, retail pharmacies is available from your EMPLOYERS(SM) Sales Executive at (866) 717-7279.

Copyright (C) 2006 EMPLOYERS. All rights reserved. EMPLOYERS is a service mark and trade name for a group of companies which provide workers' compensation insurance and services. Insurance is offered through Employers Compensation Insurance Company, except in Nevada, where insurance is offered through Employers Insurance Company of Nevada. Employers Compensation Insurance Company does not do business in all jurisdictions. Please consult with your local EMPLOYERS Sales Executive for more information or visit http://www.eig.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements about EMPLOYERS. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding anticipated future results and can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words like "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate" and "intend" or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could" or "may." Certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results include increased competitive pressures, changes in the interest rate environment, general economic conditions and legislative and regulatory changes that could adversely affect the business of EMPLOYERS and its subsidiaries.