2026 Excess and Surplus Lines Law Manual
Troutman Pepper Locke released the 26th edition of its Excess and Surplus Lines Law Manual, updating the 2026 regulatory landscape for all 50 states and U.S. territories. The firm also launched an interactive online portal that delivers weekly updates on statutes, regulations, departmental bulletins, and industry guidance. The portal flags state data‑call requirements and offers analysis of enforcement actions relevant to surplus lines insurers and brokers. The manual and portal together serve as a comprehensive compliance toolkit for market participants.
CMS Delays Part D Portion of BALANCE Model on Expansion of GLP-1 Access
On April 21, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the Medicare Part D component of the Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive Health (BALANCE) Model will be delayed until 2027 pending additional evaluation and data collection....
AHA Releases Q1 2026 Health Care Plan Accountability Update
The American Hospital Association’s Q1 2026 Health Care Plan Accountability Update bundles several pivotal Medicare developments. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D rate announcement and a final rule reshaping policy and technical...
Highlights From the NAIC Spring 2026 National Meeting
The NAIC’s Spring 2026 National Meeting in San Diego highlighted a wave of regulatory initiatives across investment, technology, and life‑insurance domains. Regulators flagged a surge in Securities Valuation Office filings in 2025, prompting plans to boost staffing and address a growing...
Legislative Efforts to Curb Prescription Drug Prices Gain Momentum Across the U.S.
Virginia’s General Assembly is holding a special session to vote on the Affordable Medicine Act, a bipartisan bill that would extend Medicare‑negotiated drug prices to state‑regulated health plans. The legislation follows successful price‑cap measures in Maryland and Colorado, which have...
State Legislatures Consider Oversight of Artificial Intelligence in Health Insurance Decisions
State lawmakers across six states are introducing bills that tighten oversight of artificial intelligence in health‑insurance decisions such as prior authorization and utilization review. The proposals generally allow AI as an assistive tool but require a qualified healthcare professional to...
Chubb's Earnings Blew Past the Street. Here's Why the Stock Is Falling
Chubb reported first‑quarter earnings that topped expectations, posting EPS of $6.82 versus the $6.60 consensus. The beat was accompanied by multiple analyst upgrades and higher price targets. Despite the strong numbers, the stock slipped as investors flagged a softening property‑insurance...
Prices Rose After No Surprises Arbitration for some Care: Analysis
New Brookings research shows that prices set through the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution (IDR) arbitration are dramatically higher than pre‑law in‑network rates. In 2024, imaging costs after arbitration were 767% above Medicare benchmarks, far exceeding the roughly 200%...
CVS Claims It’s on the Verge of Losing All Its Pharmacies in Tennessee
CVS Health warns that the Tennessee Fair Rx Act, now passed by the state Senate, would force it to shut down all more than 100 retail pharmacies and 25 MinuteClinic locations in the state. The bill bars companies that own...
Evolving Flood and Drought Patterns Are Reshaping Global Re/Insurance Risk: Aon
Aon’s 2026 Climate and Catastrophe Insight report warns that intensifying flood and drought events are reshaping global re/insurance risk. In 2025, worldwide flood losses exceeded $42 billion, while drought accounted for about $13 billion in damages. In the United States, pluvial‑flood risk...
Rising Hail Risk Poses Growing Threat to Solar Farm Insurability
A new white paper from Gallagher Re and AXIS warns that rapidly expanding solar photovoltaic farms are increasingly vulnerable to hail damage, which now accounts for 27% of global solar PV catastrophe losses. In 2025, severe convective storms generated $60 billion...
Supply-Demand Softening Property at a Pace “I’ll only Describe as Dumb” – Chubb CEO Greenberg
Chubb’s CEO Evan Greenberg warned that property insurance pricing is softening at a "dumb" pace, with rates in North America and London down 25‑30% in Q1. The insurer responded by non‑renewing a sizable share of layered and shared property business...
IPipeline Partnerships Expand Its Annuities Reach Among Advisors
iPipeline announced two technology integrations to broaden digital distribution of annuities and life insurance. The IX Express platform, built with FIDx, delivers a ready‑to‑use annuity workflow for small‑ and mid‑size broker‑dealers, cutting implementation time to weeks. Luma Financial Technologies launched...
Powerful Forces Driving the Evolution of the TPA Industry
A DCIIA/TRAU study of 18 senior TPA executives reveals a rapid industry transformation driven by a surge of new retirement plans, heightened client expectations, and fee compression. Simultaneously, a tightening labor market—boomers retiring and Gen Z demanding higher wages—forces TPAs...
PERILS Launches 2026 IED, Showing $150tn in Global Nat Cat Exposures
PERILS has released its 2026 Industry Exposure Database, quantifying $150 trillion of insured property assets exposed to natural catastrophes across 21 countries. The database shows a 4.7% year‑on‑year increase on a constant‑USD basis and a 15.2% rise at current exchange rates,...
House Bill Would Allow Hospice Patients to Receive Dialysis
U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly and Suzan DelBene introduced the Concurrent Care for Comfort Act, a bipartisan bill that would let hospice patients continue dialysis under Medicare. The legislation clarifies coverage and creates separate reimbursement for palliative dialysis provided by qualified...
Restrictions on Obesity Drug Coverage Force Patients to Pivot
Insurance giants CVS Caremark and other carriers are pulling popular GLP‑1 obesity drugs such as Zepbound and Wegovy from many formularies, leaving millions of patients without coverage. GoodRx data shows 12 million people lost Zepbound and another 12 million lost Wegovy between...
A $440,000 Breast Reduction: How Doctors Cashed In on the No Surprises Act and Arbitration
The No Surprises Act, passed in 2020 to shield patients from unexpected out‑of‑network bills, created a government‑run arbitration system that insurers must honor. Plastic surgeon Dr. Norman Rowe has leveraged that system to secure $440,000 payments for a single breast‑reduction surgery,...
Shared Platform and Unified Data Layer the Foundation for Reinsurance/ILS Alignment: Korra’s Rasool
Insurance‑linked securities (ILS) and reinsurance have long relied on fragmented, PDF‑based contracts that create interpretation gaps among insurers, MGAs, reinsurers and investors. Umair Rasool, GM of Korra, argues that a shared platform and unified data layer can standardize contract data,...
Lilly, Novo Dip as Proposed Medicare Coverage for GLP-1 Pilot Thrown Off Balance
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has indefinitely postponed its BALANCE financing model, a pilot intended to expand Medicare coverage for GLP‑1 obesity drugs. The delay triggered a roughly 2% drop in Eli Lilly’s share price and a 4%...
2026 Top Business Risks for Construction and Engineering Companies
The 2026 Allianz Risk Barometer, based on 3,338 risk professionals, places natural catastrophes as the leading threat for construction and engineering firms, with insured losses projected at $107 billion. Climate change climbs to the second spot, highlighting how extreme weather and...
Kyrgyz Republic & Tajikistan Parametric Cat Bonds From the ADB Could Upsize Slightly
The Asian Development Bank is upsizing its first parametric catastrophe bonds for the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan to between $75 million and $80 million each. The earthquake sub‑limit will rise to $65‑70 million while the extreme‑precipitation cover remains at $10 million. Investor risk margin...
Employers Face ‘Patchwork’ of Heat Regulations for Workers
Virginia has become the latest state to mandate heat‑illness prevention rules, directing its Safety and Health Codes Board to finalize regulations by May 1, 2028. The new law requires water, rest breaks, training and emergency protocols for indoor and outdoor...
Acrisure Re Integrates Capital and Captives Division to Form Alternative Risk Solutions Platform
Acrisure Re has merged its Capital and Captives division into a new platform called Acrisure Re Capital and Captives, creating an end‑to‑end alternative risk solutions offering. The unit consolidates more than 275 captive specialists in North America and Bermuda under...
Medicare Obesity Drug Pilot Extended After Insurer Pushback
The Trump administration has pushed back the start of the Medicare GLP‑1 Bridge pilot by a year after insurers fell short of the 80% enrollment target. The federal government will continue to cover drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, Eli Lilly’s...
How Earnix Elevate Data Accelerates Pricing and Underwriting Decisions
Earnix introduced Elevate Data, a modern data‑management layer that centralizes and automates data preparation for insurers and banks. The platform connects to enterprise sources like Snowflake, Amazon S3, and Databricks, delivering automated profiling, transformation, and governance. By refreshing datasets in...
How Insurers Can Identify Tariff Gaps and Improve Pricing Strategy
Insurance pricing in Brazil is shifting from intuition‑based methods to data‑driven, actuarial modelling. Akur8 highlights tariff‑gap analysis as the bridge between raw data and profitable pricing, comparing current premiums to expected loss. The article outlines a four‑step process—mapping tariffs, calculating...
Allianz Turkiye Uses Nettle AI to Speed up Risk Engineering Reports
Allianz Turkiye has partnered with Nettle to automate its commercial‑property risk engineering workflow. A pilot showed the AI platform can process inspections up to three times faster, delivering same‑day structured reports, risk scores and underwriting guidance. The mobile app, built for...
Abaxx Exchange Lists World’s First Solar Irradiance Futures Contract
Abaxx Exchange will list the Enwex Germany Solar (GSM) futures contract on April 23, marking the world’s first exchange‑cleared solar irradiance product. Developed by German energy exchange Enwex, the contract lets participants hedge Germany’s solar irradiance risk in a standardized,...
ING Launches MGA Insurance Model Powered by Qover
ING has transformed into a managing general agent (MGA), allowing the bank to accept insurance applications, collect premiums and manage claims directly for its 800,000 policyholders. The new model is powered by InsurTech platform Qover, which provides an orchestration layer...
Twelve Securis “Cautious, but Optimistic” About El Niño’s Influence on Hurricane Season Risk
Twelve Securis, a specialist ILS manager, says a potentially record‑strong El Niño will likely suppress Atlantic hurricane activity in the 2026 season. Early forecasts point to below‑average storm numbers—about 12 named storms, five hurricanes and two major hurricanes—yet warm sea‑surface temperatures...
Australia’s 2025 Extreme Weather Insured Losses Climb to AUD $4.8bn: ICA
The Insurance Council of Australia reports that insured losses from extreme weather surged to AUD 4.8 billion (≈US$3.2 billion) in 2025, a 727% jump from the prior year. Claims exploded to 294,000 – six times 2024 – with Queensland alone responsible for over...
Alignment Health Plan CEO: Sometimes When MA Plan Is Pulling Out, the Provider Is to Blame
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are retreating from markets as hospitals demand excessive reimbursement, prompting a "fundamental reset" in the sector. Alignment Health Plan CEO Dawn Maroney argued that hospital systems, not insurers, are the primary cause of plan pull‑outs, citing...
Adjusters: Why the Indemnification Clause Should Stay Top of Mind
The article explains that an indemnification clause in construction contracts determines which party bears defense costs and liability, but its enforceability hinges on precise drafting and state law. Anti‑indemnity statutes, such as Texas’s 2011 act, can nullify overly broad clauses,...
Why Do Rideshare Drivers Need Special Car Insurance?
Rideshare driving remains a popular gig, but personal auto policies typically exclude commercial use, leaving drivers exposed. Uber and Lyft only provide limited liability when drivers are logged in, creating a coverage gap that can force out‑of‑pocket expenses. Specialized rideshare...
War Risk Insurance Costs Surge for Middle East Offshore Projects
Rising war‑risk insurance premiums for vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz are inflating costs on critical offshore oil and gas projects across the Middle East. The surge follows recent attacks that have heightened geopolitical tension and disrupted logistics. Contractors now...
Amerisafe Inc (AMSF) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Amerisafe Inc. posted a 20.5% return on average equity and a 90.6% combined ratio for the quarter, underscoring strong underwriting profitability. Voluntary premiums surged 10.6% while gross written premiums rose 7.2% to $80.3 million, driving a 6.2% increase in net earned...
RLI Corp (RLI) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
RLI Corp posted Q1 2026 operating earnings of $0.94 per share and GAAP earnings of $0.99, driven by stronger underwriting, lower storm activity and higher investment income. The combined ratio improved to 82.6, and the company celebrated its 30th consecutive...
CMS Orders Medicaid Audits in Data-Driven Fraud Crackdown
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ordered all 50 states to submit a provider revalidation plan within 30 days, aiming to verify Medicaid providers and target high‑risk areas for waste, fraud and abuse. Administrator Mehmet Oz emphasized data‑driven...
State Farm Paid a ‘Hail’ of a Lot of Claims in 2025
State Farm reported $5.6 billion in hail‑related claim payments for 2025, a 12% rise from the prior year, with Texas alone accounting for $1.4 billion after a 27% jump. The top ten states contributed about 75% of the total payouts, a slight...
UnitedHealth to Expand Rural Payment Acceleration Pilot Program
UnitedHealth Group announced the expansion of its Rural Payment Acceleration Pilot, targeting faster Medicare Advantage reimbursements for rural hospitals. The initiative will extend accelerated payments to additional independent facilities in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia immediately, and aims to...
The Case for Cyber Insurance in State Government
State governments handle massive volumes of sensitive data, making cyber risk a top priority. More than half of the states (53%) already carry commercial cyber insurance, supplementing mandatory supplier coverage. Effective policies require coordinated input from CIOs, CISOs, procurement and...
Medicare Indefinitely Delays Pilot Plan to Cover Weight Loss Drugs
Medicare’s Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced an indefinite postponement of its pilot program to cover prescription weight‑loss medications. The pilot, originally slated to test coverage for drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound, was halted after participating insurers raised...
Your Insurance Renewal Is Going to Be Worse Than Last Year. Here Is Why — and What You Can Actually...
Trucking insurers have faced 14 straight years of losses, forcing market‑wide premium hikes and tighter underwriting. Insurance costs rose to a record $0.102 per mile in 2024, translating to over $12,000 per truck annually. A surge in "nuclear" verdicts—135 cases...
STAT+: Insurers Refuse to Join Medicare Pilot Offering Weight Loss Drugs to Seniors at Steep Discount
The Trump administration negotiated a $245‑per‑month price with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk for obesity drugs, intending to offer seniors a $50 monthly copay through a Medicare pilot called BALANCE. Insurers refused to join, arguing the program would strain their finances. Consequently,...
Court Rules Micro-Captives Not Listed Transactions
A Texas federal judge struck down the IRS’s designation of micro‑captive insurance as a “listed transaction,” eliminating the presumption of tax shelter abuse and the associated $200,000 penalties. The court retained the “transaction of interest” label, which still requires limited...
Insurers Eyeing AI Risk at CPA Firms
Professional liability insurers covering CPA firms are increasingly flagging artificial intelligence as a nascent risk that requires formal governance. While no substantive AI‑related claims have emerged, underwriters are beginning to ask firms about AI policies, data security, and oversight procedures....
CMS’ Chris Klomp, Stephanie Carlton Talk Affordability, Prior Authorization, Drug Pricing
CMS Deputy Administrator Chris Klomp and Chief of Staff Stephanie Carlton outlined the agency’s recent policy agenda, emphasizing four pillars—fraud reduction, affordability, health‑initiative programs, and AI‑driven streamlining. They highlighted a voluntary agreement to overhaul prior‑authorization processes and a 2025 most‑favored‑nation drug‑pricing pledge...
Alabama Governor Signs New Captive Law That Could Help End DOI Moratorium
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed House Bill 415, a comprehensive overhaul of the state’s captive insurance framework. The law raises the minimum capital for pure captives to $250,000 and sets a $1 million floor for risk‑retention groups, while granting the insurance...
The Cyber Insurance Conundrum
Cyber insurance premiums have slipped 5‑7% over the last 11 quarters, with some policies 22% cheaper than their 2022 peak, even as ransomware attacks surged 34% in 2025, accounting for 44% of breaches. The average cost of a data breach...