(Bloomberg) – David Miller is a stickler for safety at the Goodwill stores he runs in central California. So when Applied Underwriters offered his nonprofit a deal on insurance for workplace accidents if he could minimize injuries, he jumped at the opportunity. Even better, Applied was part of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the firm controlled by Warren Buffett.
These days, he wishes he hadn't. The contracts Miller signed have turned into a burden for his organization. It paid $1.8 million to cover about 350 employees, many disabled or disadvantaged at 17 locations from Lodi to Visalia. When the nonprofit switched carriers last year, Applied demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars more to fund remaining claims.
"I'm trying to make money in my stores to help people," said Miller, chief executive officer of Goodwill Industries of San Joaquin Valley. "Instead, I'm writing big checks to an insurance company that I probably don't even owe."
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