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:
HIMSSCast: 2026 Could Be the Most Challenging Year yet for Medicare Advantage Payers
Medicare Advantage insurers are confronting a perfect storm of rising medical costs and a flat payment increase of less than 1% announced by CMS for 2026. The new risk‑adjustment formula and stagnant reimbursement fall below the medical‑cost trend, compressing margins and prompting many payers to consolidate or exit the market. Executives say plans must pivot toward improving clinical outcomes and member experience rather than relying on documentation tactics. Competition remains intense, with digital engagement and data‑driven services emerging as differentiators.
Telefónica Tech Promotes Digital Identity Management in the Insurance Sector in Spain
Telefónica Tech is launching a unified digital identity platform for Spain’s insurance sector, enabling secure, self‑sovereign access to digital services. The initiative builds on a 2023 European trial and integrates cloud, IoT, big‑data and blockchain capabilities. Partnering with the insurance...
Active Employer Involvement Can Cut Workers’ Compensation Costs
Employers who actively manage workers’ compensation claims can dramatically lower expenses, according to Kinetic Insurance’s new guide. Reporting injuries within 24‑48 hours reduces medical utilization and litigation risk, while delayed reporting can increase costs by 30‑40 percent. The guide identifies...
Gallagher Appoints Hassan Ashtari as Senior Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi ARM Offering
Gallagher has appointed Hassan Ashtari as senior executive officer of its joint venture with Artex, delivering alternative risk management (ARM) solutions in the Abu Dhabi Global Market. Ashtari will spearhead the expansion of the ARM offering, cultivate key client relationships,...
IAG Sees Pricing Pressure After Bushfires, Storms
Insurance Australia Group (IAG) warned Australian policyholders of upcoming premium increases after a wave of severe weather events strained its loss portfolio. Over four months, 17 storms and bushfires across Queensland triggered A$800 million in claims for RACQ Insurance, which IAG...
Brasil Re’s Net Income Jumps 35%, Premiums Tumble 12%
IRB Brasil Resseguros SA reported a 35% jump in net income to 505 million Brazilian reais ($97 million) for 2025. Underwriting profit surged 64% year‑over‑year to 741 million reais, while written premiums fell 12% to 5.8 billion reais. The premium decline reflects a wave...
Mapfre Re to Open India Branch
Spain‑based Mapfre Re Compañía de Reaseguros SA has secured regulatory approval to open a branch in Gujarat, India. The reinsurer plans to commence operations within weeks after completing pre‑opening procedures with local authorities. This marks Mapfre Re’s first dedicated presence...
MS Amlin’s Premiums Surge 380%
MS Amlin reported a 380% jump in gross written premiums, marking a dramatic turnaround for the Lloyd’s syndicate. The surge stems from robust growth in specialty underwriting and reinsurance contracts across Europe and Asia. The company also highlighted improved loss...
Insurance Revolution Partners CM.com to Power WhatsApp Service
Insurance Revolution has teamed with CM.com to embed WhatsApp into its broker workflow via the Mobile Service Cloud. The move has driven a 50‑fold rise in message volume, cut email traffic by 22% and reduced calls per agent by 11%....
Editorial: Time to Find a Fix for Poaching Suits
The editorial highlights a surge of insurance‑broker poaching lawsuits, ignited by Howden’s aggressive hiring of hundreds of producers from rivals. It exposes a broken industry approach to employee mobility, where firms cling to proprietary data while brokers argue their client...
Insurance Broker M&A Stabilizes After Surge
Insurance brokerage M&A activity has settled into a lower‑than‑peak but sustainable level. Total reported transactions fell 12% in 2025 to 691, aligning with a ten‑year average of 686 when the 2021‑22 surge is excluded. Private‑equity‑backed (PE‑hybrid) firms continue to dominate,...
Mixed-Use Mega Venue Projects Create a Whole New Ball Game for Insurers
Mixed-use mega venues such as SoFi Stadium and The Sphere are expanding beyond traditional sports arenas to include retail, dining, residential, and high‑tech features. This diversification creates broader, more complex liability exposures, prompting owners to purchase higher limits and layered...
View From the Top: Manny Padilla, RIMS
Risk & Insurance Management Society (RIMS) has elected Manny Padilla, a veteran risk executive at MacAndrews & Forbes, as its 2026 president. Padilla, who transitioned from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Auxiliary to insurance, emphasizes that risk management is...
Suits Arise as Tariff Questions Raise D&O Risk
Securities class-action lawsuits are emerging as tariff uncertainty under the Trump administration creates new D&O exposure. Although overall federal securities filings fell 10.7% in 2025, four suits specifically cited tariff‑related misstatements, targeting companies such as Dow, CarMax and Tronox. Insurers...
BI, Litmus Partner on Composite Insurer Ratings
Business Insurance has partnered with Litmus Analysis to publish a composite rating table for North American commercial‑line insurers. Litmus uses its proprietary Litmus Composite Score (LCS) to blend A.M. Best, Fitch, Moody’s and S&P ratings into a single numerical outcome,...
Younger Workers Least Likely to Protect Income
Shepherds Friendly surveyed 1,500 workers and found that younger employees are the least likely to have income protection and have the lowest awareness of policy coverage. Six in ten respondents don’t realize the policy can cover mental health, and 69%...
CMS Posts Proposed NBPP 2027. Be Afraid; Be Very Afraid (Part 1)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its proposed 2027 Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameters, a 577‑page rule outlining changes to ACA implementation. Key proposals include stricter marketing restrictions, removal of the gender‑identity definition of sex, lowering the...
Grants for Hail‑Resistant Roofs Aim to Cut Colorado Insurance Costs
Working together to lower homeowners insurance rates in Colorado: I’m proposing grants for hail-resistant roofs as part of the solution to reduce homeowners insurance costs. Smart, resilient homes mean lower costs for everyone. https://kdvr.com/news/local/gov-polis-insurance-industry-working-to-reduce-impact-of-hail-on-insurance-costs/
CMS Provides More Leeway to Medicaid State-Directed Payments Before New Limits Kick In
CMS issued new guidance that widens the grandfathering window for Medicaid state‑directed payments (SDPs), allowing states to lock in higher rates through business‑day calculations. The expanded windows—Oct 11 2024 to July 3 2025 and July 7 2025 to March 27 2026—let providers preserve rates above the caps that...
Oklahoma Plans Decentralized State-Based Exchange
Oklahoma’s insurance commissioner announced that the state will abandon the federal health‑insurance marketplace and launch a decentralized, state‑run exchange beginning in the 2028 plan year. The new platform will rely on web‑based brokers to handle enrollment, giving the state greater...
ACA Subsidies Expired. Open Enrollment Ended. But It Will Still Take Awhile To Register the Results.
Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act closed in February, revealing the first impact of the December 31, 2025 expiration of enhanced premium subsidies. While total sign‑ups exceeded some analysts' forecasts, enrollment was still 1.2 million lower than the same period...
Hims Jumps Into Cancer Detection Market, Awaits Medicare Coverage
Telehealth and wellness brand Hims & Hers Health announced it will enter the multi‑cancer early‑detection market. The move comes as the company’s GLP‑1 weight‑loss segment slows and it seeks new growth avenues. Hims is leveraging the current regulatory gap for...
Denmark Records 292 Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tankers Passing Through Danish Straits
New data from the Danish Maritime Authority shows that 292 EU‑sanctioned Russian tankers sailed through the Øresund, Great Belt and Skagerrak in 2025, confirming the Danish straits as a critical gateway for Russia’s shadow fleet. The fleet has expanded since...
Jim Marcoulier Promoted to Director of Underwriting at A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies
Jim Marcoulier has been promoted to director of underwriting at A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies, a workers’ compensation carrier based in Burlington, Massachusetts. Previously a senior underwriting manager, he will now oversee underwriting operations across New England and report directly to...
Awais Farooq Appointed Chief Claims Officer at Venbrook Group
Venbrook Group LLC announced the appointment of Awais Farooq as chief claims officer, effective immediately. Farooq arrives with nearly two decades of experience leading claims transformation at firms such as Crawford & Company, State Farm, Chubb, and Berkshire Hathaway GUARD....
James Crask Named Global Supply Chain Practice Leader at Marsh Risk
Marsh Risk has created a new global supply chain practice and appointed James Crask as its leader. The role merges the firm’s supply‑chain insurance and risk‑consulting capabilities with advanced analytics, notably the AI‑driven mapping platform Sentrisk. Crask, based in London,...
Joe Peiser Named CEO of Risk Capital at Aon
Aon PLC appointed Joe Peiser as CEO of Risk Capital, overseeing Commercial Risk and Reinsurance Solutions and reporting to Andy Marcell, Global Solutions CEO. Peiser brings more than 30 years of experience across North America, the UK and Bermuda, having served as...
Voya Raised Employer Stop-Loss Rates an Average of 24%
Voya announced an average 24% increase in stop‑loss premiums for employers renewing on Jan. 1, citing strong demand and limited supply. The company’s loss ratio improved to 96% from 115.4% a year earlier, though it still exceeds its 77‑80% target. Stop‑loss...
RenRe’s New Stratos Fund Is a Managed Cat Bond Account for a Single Institutional Investor
RenaissanceRe launched the Stratos Fund, a $260.4 million catastrophe‑bond segregated account managed exclusively for a single institutional investor. The capital was transferred from the co‑mingled Medici cat‑bond strategy, making Stratos a fund‑of‑one rather than a multi‑investor vehicle. It is the second...
New Cyber Insurance CFO Enters a ‘Soft’ Market
Cyber‑insurance veteran John Botros has been hired as CFO of insurtech Cowbell to steer the company through a soft market marked by falling premiums. Global cyber rates dropped 7% and U.S. rates 3% in Q4 2025, tightening pricing pressure. Cowbell plans...
Domicile Wars: Isle of Man Latest Insurance Regs to Boost Domicile’s Competitive Edge
The Isle of Man released its 2025 insurance regulations on June 30, streamlining the licensing of captive and other insurance vehicles. The amendments give insurers greater flexibility to design innovative products while reducing administrative burdens. A proactive regulator and an...
Microinsurance Network’s Genazzini: Big Carriers Find Opportunity in Tiny Policies
The episode explores the rise of microinsurance, focusing on how large carriers are tapping into the market for low‑value, high‑volume policies. It highlights the Microinsurance Network’s Genazzini platform as a case study, detailing its technology‑driven approach to underwriting and distribution....
Live Maps, Smarter Risk: Inside TomTom’s Insurance Playbook
In this episode, Vinod Poomalai of TomTom explains how insurers are moving from static territory models to live location, map, and traffic intelligence to sharpen risk pricing, claims validation, and telematics programs. He details how mobility patterns and traffic data...
Aon Appoints Joe Peiser as CEO of Risk Capital
Aon has named Joe Peiser as CEO of its Risk Capital division, where he will oversee the firm’s commercial risk and reinsurance capital capabilities. The role places him at the nexus of solution‑line, regional, and Aon Business Services teams to...
Payers Pledge To Launch Digital Health Payment Models Like CMS’ ACCESS
On Feb 12, HHS announced that health insurers covering roughly 165 million Americans have pledged to implement digital‑health reimbursement models modeled on CMS’s ACCESS program by Jan 1 2028. The ACCESS model adjusts payments based on measurable patient‑outcome impact, shifting from volume‑based to value‑based...
Gold Surge Signals Capital Shift, Not Risk‑On Rally
Record gold prices + a weakening dollar don’t scream “risk-on.” They signal global capital reallocation and rising demand for insurance amid lingering policy uncertainty. Hedging behavior is increasing even as equities grind higher.
SEC Enforcement Division Director Assures of Continued Vigilance
SEC Enforcement Division Director Margaret “Meg” Ryan addressed concerns about a perceived lull in enforcement during a February 11, 2026 speech. She reaffirmed the division’s commitment to vigorously enforce securities laws, emphasizing transparent processes, a focus on case quality over...
Private Insurance Is Seeping Into Every Public Health Program: Warning Signs From the Veterans Health Administration
The episode examines how private insurance is infiltrating the Veterans Health Administration via the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) and the proposed Community Care Network (CCN) Next Generation, a move that could channel up to $1 trillion of taxpayer money into...
ElevenLabs Insures Agents, Targeting Enterprises' Fears
ElevenLabs announced it has achieved the Artificial Intelligence Usage Certification‑Level 1 (AIUC‑1), enabling insurers to underwrite a policy that covers the actions of its AI voice agents. The move follows growing enterprise anxiety about AI‑driven errors, data breaches, and regulatory fallout....
Delaware Supreme Court Affirms D&O Coverage in Merger Settlement Despite ‘Bump-Up’ Exclusion
The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed that Harman International’s $28 million merger settlement is covered under its directors‑and‑officers (D&O) policy, despite the insurers’ reliance on a “bump‑up” exclusion. The court applied a two‑step test, accepting that the underlying securities claim alleged inadequate...
French Gov: Resilience Reserve Created “Unprecedented Wave” Of Reinsurance Captives
France’s 2023 resilience reserve has sparked an unprecedented wave of reinsurance captives, now underwriting more than €200 million in gross premiums. The government’s provision mirrors Luxembourg’s successful equalisation model but offers slightly less generous terms, creating a tax‑efficient, regulated pathway for...
Runaway Jury Awards: The Rise of Nuclear Verdicts
In this 1:47 Expert Viewpoints clip, Claims Journal’s Allen Laman interviews Pragatee Dhakal, Director of Product Strategy and Enablement at CLARA Analytics, about the surge of "nuclear verdicts"—jury awards that dwarf economic damages. They explore how social inflation, emotionally charged...
CBO: Medicaid Spending Increases Will Slow Due To OBBBA But Expected To Continue
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the 2025 reconciliation bill’s Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBBBA) will trim roughly $1.2 trillion from Medicaid spending over the next decade. Despite this sizable reduction, overall Medicaid outlays are expected to keep rising because...
E&C Health Panel Determined To Rein In Remaining PBM Business Tactics
On February 11, the House Energy & Commerce health subcommittee signaled it will keep pressuring pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) after a recent FTC settlement involving Cigna’s Express Scripts. Chair Rep. Buddy Carter asked the new head of the traditional PBM...
Proposed CMS Rule Upholds Exclusion of Nursing Home Custodial Care From Essential Benefits
CMS issued a Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027 proposing to keep long‑term nursing‑home custodial care outside the list of essential health benefits required for ACA marketplace plans. The rule maintains that custodial stays are not mandatory coverage,...
Senate Aging Committee Holds Hearing on Physician Burnout
The Senate Special Committee on Aging convened a hearing on Feb. 11 to address the growing physician burnout crisis. The American Hospital Association (AHA) urged Congress to act on three bills: the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act to simplify...
The Growing Coverage Gap: Why Safety Nets Matter
A growing share of U.S. homeowners and commercial property owners are going uninsured as premiums rise and availability shrinks, with recent estimates putting the uninsured homeowner rate at roughly 13.6 percent, or 11.3 million homes. Mortgage‑free households, owners of manufactured or...
Insurance Is Now Pricing Politics
In 2025 U.S. property and casualty insurers are hitting profitability peaks with combined ratios in the high‑80s, yet long‑tail casualty severity is rising sharply, especially in homeowners and bodily‑injury lines. The industry faces mounting political pressure on pricing, illustrated by...
Guest Post: Fiduciary Duty, Governance, and Minor League Baseball
The Third Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Sports Enterprises’ fiduciary‑duty claim against Marvin Goldklang, holding that Florida nonprofit statutes impose duties only to the organization, not to individual minor‑league clubs. The court emphasized that the league’s bylaws require directors to...
Novo Nordisk CEO Sees 15 Million Patient Opportunity in Medicare Coverage for Obesity Drugs
Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar said the firm aims to capture roughly 15 million new patients once Medicare begins covering obesity drugs later this year. The coverage, part of a "most‑favored‑nation" pricing deal with the Trump administration, could expand the market...