Today's Insurance Pulse
Heritage trims reinsurance program, saving $63.2M
Heritage Insurance Holdings renewed its 2026 reinsurance and catastrophe‑bond program with a total limit of $2.2 billion, down from $2.5 billion placed in 2025. The renewal includes $712 million of multi‑year coverage, $550 million from cat bonds and $162 million from private markets. Pricing softness allowed Heritage to cut renewal costs by $63.2 million.
Also developing:
Florida Insurer Cancels Coverage over a $0.01 Premium Lapse, Leaving Single Mother with Medical Debt
HealthFirst terminated Lorena Alvarado Hill’s health plan after a $0.01 unpaid premium, leaving the single mother in Melbourne, Florida, with unexpected medical bills. The case highlights how insurers’ administrative policies can abruptly strip vulnerable consumers of coverage.
P&C Profitability Nears Peak Amid Rising Competition and Strong Balance Sheets, Says Moody’s
Moody’s says P&C reinsurance profitability peaked in 2025 as European reinsurers benefited from lower catastrophe claims and strong investment returns. However, risk‑adjusted pricing fell in the 2026 renewals, and underwriting ratios are expected to drop 2‑4 percentage points. Life reinsurance...
Best Practices in 2026 for Workers’ Comp: A Smarter Playbook for New York Restaurants
The Friedlander Group promotes a New York Workers’ Compensation Safety Group for restaurants, bars and nightclubs that can slash premiums by as much as 57% through group discounts and dividend payouts. Since 1993 members have saved $244 million, with recent dividends...
HIMSSCast: Self-Pay Numbers Continue to Increase
The expiration of ACA premium tax credits, Medicaid funding cuts, and rising benefit costs are driving a sharp increase in self‑pay patients and higher out‑of‑pocket balances. Hospitals anticipate a 10‑15% rise in patient cost‑sharing and uncompensated care. Even commercially insured...
Vermont Passes House Bill 649 Impacting RRG Investments and Cell Funding
Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed House Bill 649, a statewide captive insurance update that bars risk retention groups (RRGs) from extending loans or making investments in their member‑owners or affiliates. The law also mandates quarterly financial statement filings for RRGs,...
Progressive Expands Aggregate Reinsurance Cover, Renews Shared Hurricane Limit for 2026
Progressive Insurance has boosted its 2026 aggregate excess‑of‑loss reinsurance to $300 million, up from the prior year, by adding a $125 million catastrophe bond and renewing traditional limits. The cat bond, issued by Bonanza Re Ltd., covers losses between $550 million and $750 million...
US Treasury to Consult with Insurance Regulators on Private Credit: Sources
The U.S. Treasury will hold its first meeting with domestic and international insurance regulators to address concerns in the $2 trillion private‑credit market. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans regular consultations starting in the second quarter, focusing on liquidity, transparency, fund‑level leverage,...
Alberta Captive Market Continues to Flourish with Foreign Interest Set to Rise
Since Alberta introduced its captive statute in July 2022, the province has attracted 29 captive insurers, outpacing British Columbia and drawing increasing foreign interest. Legal and insurance experts say Alberta’s G7 status, diversified trade strategy, and flexible partnership‑based framework position...
AI Tops Insurance Executive Priorities as Regulatory Concerns and Market Volatility Reshape the Risk Landscape
The International Insurance Society’s 2026 Global Priorities Report shows artificial intelligence has become the top strategic focus for insurers, with 71% of executives naming it the leading issue across all business categories. Regulation now eclipses cybersecurity as the primary political‑legal...
One‑in‑Five Australians Regret Delaying Private Health Insurance as Cost Pressures Mount
A recent poll shows one in five Australians regret postponing private health insurance, citing cost‑saving shortcuts that could trigger a surge in future enrollment. The finding comes as households grapple with higher fuel, food and housing expenses, prompting insurers to...
UnitedHealth Plunge Erases $267 Million of Buffett’s $1.57 Bn Stake
Berkshire Hathaway’s newly disclosed 5.04 million‑share position in UnitedHealth Group, valued at $1.57 billion in August 2025, has been hit by a 17% slide in the insurer’s stock, creating an unrealized loss of roughly $267 million. The loss highlights the pressure on UnitedHealth’s...
Risk Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is reshaping risk management by delivering predictive analytics, real‑time monitoring, and automated mitigation. AI algorithms now parse historical and live data to flag emerging threats, while automated response systems reduce reaction times and human error. The technology also...
UK Bulk Annuity Market Sees Record Deal Volumes as Competition Intensifies, Says Aon
UK bulk annuity market recorded its busiest year by deal count in 2025, with 367 transactions surpassing the 293 deals in 2024. Although the number of deals rose, total written premium fell to £38.2 billion (≈$47.8 billion), down from £49.1 billion the year...
LA Wildfires a Real-World Stress Test. Investor Confidence in Wildfire Cat Bonds Rose: Swiss Re
The January 2025 Palisades and Eaton wildfires in Los Angeles served as a real‑world stress test for U.S. wildfire catastrophe bonds. Swiss Re Capital Markets reported that, despite no per‑occurrence payouts, the events reinforced investor confidence and spurred record‑size issuance, including the...
Alejandro Pedroza to Lead MISSION’s Recently Launched Latin America Platform
MISSION Underwriters has launched a new Latin America platform, operating from Miami, to develop specialised facultative reinsurance programmes. Alejandro Pedroza was appointed President, Latin America, bringing two decades of regional reinsurance experience. The platform will initially focus on property, financial...
Will ACCESS Move the Needle on Tech-Enabled Chronic Care?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will launch the Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions (ACCESS) model on July 5, 2026, a ten‑year voluntary payment experiment for fee‑for‑service Medicare beneficiaries with hypertension, diabetes, chronic musculoskeletal pain or depression. The...
NPHI Calls for National Moratorium on New Provider Medicare Enrollment
The National Partnership for Healthcare & Hospice Innovation (NPHI) has urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to impose a temporary, nationwide moratorium on new hospice provider enrollments, citing a rise in fraudulent operators. The organization’s letter also...
AI Helps Discovery Life Thwart Fraudulent Claims
Discovery Life, the JSE‑listed insurer, has embedded in‑house artificial intelligence and machine learning into its claims operation, enabling rapid identification of the less than 0.5 % of claims that appear fraudulent. In 2025 the company paid roughly $605 million in claims, of...
Market Prices Known Risks, Misses Hidden Threats
Widely discussed risks are often priced in. The real threats tend to be overlooked. #RiskManagement #MarketInsight https://t.co/PWgmCJwWDp
States Award $45.6 M to Deloitte, Accenture, Optum to Enforce One Big Beautiful Bill Act
State governments have signed contracts worth at least $45.6 million with consulting firms Deloitte, Accenture and Optum to re‑engineer eligibility systems under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The changes are expected to push 7.5 million people off Medicaid by 2034 and...
Zenkyoren Targets Mid-Guidance Pricing for $100m Nakama Re 2026-1 Japan Quake Cat Bond
Zenkyoren, Japan’s agricultural mutual insurer, is pursuing mid‑guidance pricing of 2.1% for its $100 million Nakama Re 2026‑1 catastrophe bond, a slight reduction from the original 1.9‑2.4% spread range. The bond provides fully‑collateralized earthquake reinsurance covering losses from an attachment point...
5 Critical Post-Flood Environmental Risk Assessments
The article outlines five essential post‑flood environmental risk assessments—mold and fungal testing, indoor air quality analysis, Legionella and other waterborne pathogen testing, fecal contamination tracking, and asbestos/lead surveys. It explains how targeted testing documents damage, safeguards occupants, and satisfies insurance...
How to Protect Your Site & Building Works From Day One
Getting a self‑build or renovation underway brings excitement, but the early phase is the most vulnerable to risk. Open sites, unfinished structures, and multiple trades increase chances of accidental damage, theft, weather‑related loss, and liability claims. Standard home insurance typically...
Best of Artemis, Week Ending March 29th 2026
Artemis released its weekly "Best of Artemis" roundup for the week ending March 29 2026, highlighting the ten most‑read articles on catastrophe bonds, insurance‑linked securities (ILS) and reinsurance capital. The pieces spotlight a proposed secondary reinsurance market to improve capital efficiency, the...
Depreciation on ACV Is OK, Court Says in Knocking Down Class Action Vs. Cincinnati
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a property insurer's right to apply depreciation to actual cash value (ACV) payments, confirming that clear policy language governs such deductions. The ruling dismissed a proposed class‑action by Florida‑based Schoening Properties, which...
HLDI: Safety Benefits Stack up From Driver Assistance Features
A new Highway Loss Data Institute study shows driver‑assistance technologies are cutting insurance claims on Mazda models from 2015‑2023. The simplest bundle—front automatic emergency braking—reduced property‑damage liability claims by 13% and bodily‑injury liability claims by 9%. More comprehensive bundles that...
Australia Amends Policies to Ensure Commodity Security
The Australian government is amending the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Act to give Export Finance Australia (EFA) new authority to underwrite, guarantee and finance additional cargoes of fuel, fertilizer and other strategic commodities. The legislation also creates a $823 million...
Shipping Self‑insures Hormuz Risk via P&I Clubs
"Insurance companies won't write Hormuz policies" is complicated by the fact that a lot of underwriting for the ship is actually written by mutual associations (P&I Clubs) As companies they are "buying insurance" but as an industry the shipping sector is...
U.S.-Iran Conflict Cripples Strait of Hormuz Oil Flows, Driving Brent to $113
U.S. and Iranian hostilities have slashed daily tanker transits through the Strait of Hormuz by up to 95%, pushing Brent crude above $113 per barrel and inflating marine insurance to double‑digit percentages. The disruption fuels market anxiety while regional diplomats...
Taxpayer-Backed Loans Inflate Healthcare Costs, Bankrupt Patients
The point is that we spend taxpayer money to guarantee or fund loans that don’t matter a fraction as much as paying for your health. Most people can’t afford their deductible. We should guarantee the amounts patients can’t afford...
StreetVision Now Analyses Intersection-Level Risks
Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) has upgraded its AI‑driven StreetVision platform to deliver intersection‑level risk analytics across the United States. The new StreetVision Intersections module combines federal and state crash records with telematics data—speeding, hard braking, phone distraction and aggressive cornering—into...
Marine Insurers Reaffirm Support for Middle East Trade
The International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI) reports that the global marine insurance market remains resilient despite heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Cargo, hull, liability and offshore energy coverage continue to be widely available, though insurers are adjusting...
Insurers' AI Denials Delay Life‑saving Cancer Care
The mother of an angiosarcoma patient reached out this weekend to see if I could help her daughter get a second opinion at Dana-Farber after it was rejected by her insurer. I'll do what I can. Dana-Farber has made a...
Robot Drivers Are Nine Times Safer than Humans
Tesla's FSD autopilot: 5.3 million miles between accidents. US human driving average: 660,000 miles between accidents. The robot drivers are 9x safer than humans. And it's only getting better. How long before it will be too expensive to insure human drivers because they are...
Doula Care Shifts From Luxury to Mainstream as Employers and Insurers Expand Access
Doula services, once a niche luxury for affluent families, are now being offered through employer benefits and Medicaid programs, raising the proportion of births with doula support from about 2% a decade ago to roughly 10% today. The shift promises...
Insurers and Reinsurers Over‑leveraged, Not Subprime‑style
Insurers and reinsurers are 30x+ leveraged. If your conclusion is "leverage is nothing like with subprime" then you are missing the point. Completely.
Nearly 3 Million Seniors Dropped From Medicare Advantage Plans, Sparking Coverage Crisis
Insurers withdrew Medicare Advantage plans from thousands of counties, forcing nearly 3 million seniors to leave the private program and seek alternatives. The churn, the highest on record, hits rural states hardest and raises questions about the sustainability of the privatized...
Jio Financial Services Expects to Begin Life, General Insurance Biz in 2026
Jio Financial Services (JFS) announced it aims to launch both life and general insurance operations in 2026, contingent on regulatory clearance. The rollout will be executed through a joint venture with global insurer Allianz, building on JFS’s recent entry into...
Insurers Worry Transformers, Contractor Errors Spark BESS Fires
Why BESS insurers are sweating transformers and contractor errors over battery fires #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/qk5y3I0eVO
U.S.-Iran War Slashes Hormuz Traffic, Pushes Brent Above $110
The U.S.-Iran war has driven daily tanker transits through the Strait of Hormuz down 90%‑95%, sending Brent crude above $113 a barrel and inflating marine insurance to as much as 10% of a vessel’s value. Analysts warn the chokepoint could...
Kansas Legislature Pushes Tax Breaks for Christian‑Only Health Plans, Veto Overridden
The Kansas Senate voted 30-9 to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto, allowing participants in Christian‑only health‑care sharing ministries to deduct up to $5,000 per individual or $10,000 per couple from state taxes. The fiscal note estimates 11,000 Kansans will benefit,...
‘Several Hurricanes Have Come Close’: I’m 73 and Live in a Mobile Home In...
A 73‑year‑old single woman living in a 2016 double‑wide mobile home 10 miles from Florida’s Gulf Coast pays $2,400 a year for homeowner’s insurance with a $5,000 deductible that covers total loss. She is one of the few residents in...
Health In Tech Secures $7 Million Private Placement to Accelerate AI‑Enabled Insurance Platform
Health In Tech, the Nasdaq‑listed AI‑focused InsurTech, closed a $7 million private placement, selling 5.6 million shares at $1.25 each. The capital will fund sales expansion, technology upgrades and new product development, underscating strong investor appetite for AI‑driven insurance solutions.
Medicare Advantage Pullout Leaves 77,000 New Hampshire Seniors Without Coverage
Medicare Advantage insurers have exited New Hampshire, stripping roughly 77,000 seniors of private Medicare coverage and leaving about 30,000 with no viable alternative. The exodus reflects a broader retreat of private Medicare plans from rural markets as profit margins shrink.
Premium Hike Despite Zero GST
A recent customer complaint highlights that health‑insurance premiums in India have surged despite the government’s GST waiver. The policy cost rose from Rs 21,996 (≈$265) in March 2021 to Rs 34,409 (≈$415) in March 2024 – a 24.86% increase after GST removal. Insurers cite...
Third DCA Finds Two‑Year Delay in Reporting Property Damage Violates Prompt‑Notice Obligation
Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal held that an insured’s two‑year delay in reporting Hurricane Irma property damage breached the policy’s prompt‑notice requirement. The insured had observed roof tiles, water stains, and installed a tarp shortly after the September 2017 storm...
Low-Income ACA Enrollees Shifted Heavily From High-CSR Silver to Bronze in 2026
In 2026, low‑income ACA marketplace enrollees dramatically shifted from high‑CSR silver plans to bronze, accelerating a multi‑year trend. The average actuarial value (AV) for HealthCare.gov states fell from about 80% in 2025 to 76% in 2026, while total enrollment dropped...
Why Hospitals Should Develop a Billable Supply Policy
Hospitals face billing ambiguity for medical supplies under IPPS and OPPS, where many items are bundled into procedure payments. A clear billable supply policy distinguishes routine from non‑routine items, preventing inconsistent patient charges and aiding charge capture. The article outlines...
Final 2026 Open Enrollment Report: Broker/Agent Assistance (Part 10)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its first dataset showing how many ACA Open Enrollment participants received help from certified brokers, agents, or other assisters. The data, limited to the 30 states that use the federal HealthCare.gov exchange,...
China Expands Long‑Term Care Insurance to 45 Million Seniors in Three Years
China announced a three‑year plan to extend its long‑term care insurance system to 45 million seniors with disabilities or dementia. The move builds on a pilot that has enrolled 310 million people since 2016 and already helped over 3.3 million disabled citizens. Insurers...