Insurance News and Headlines
Insurance News and Headlines
Insurance Pulse
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Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
Hospitals experienced a 25% jump in net‑revenue leakage in 2025, with total losses climbing to roughly $48 billion versus $38.6 billion in 2024. The surge stemmed mainly from clinical claim denials, especially for missing prior authorizations and questioned medical necessity. Medicaid accounted for the highest denial rates, while Medicare Advantage plans saw denial frequencies more than twice those of traditional Medicare. Commercial insurers contributed disproportionately to revenue loss because of their higher reimbursement rates.
U.S. restaurants and bars are grappling with rising food, labor and insurance costs while liquor sales shrink as fewer adults drink. Insurers are softening rates for venues where alcohol is under 40% of revenue, yet premiums stay high for high‑alcohol...
Commercial real‑estate owners are facing unprecedented insurance cost spikes, with New York rent‑stabilized premiums up 150% since 2019 and national multifamily rates climbing more than 75% over the same period. Insurance now consumes roughly 8% of apartment‑building operating expenses, squeezing...
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a $3 million settlement with Georgia, compensating roughly 5,000 military service members and spouses whose out‑of‑state professional licenses were denied. The settlement stems from violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by 42 Georgia licensing...
As the Iran war enters its second month, Middle Eastern companies are scrambling for war‑risk insurance. Premiums have surged, with coverage for real‑estate now costing roughly 6‑8% of property value versus under 1% in peace. Insurers are tightening policy terms,...
Pharmacy bonds, mandated for wholesale drug distributors, function as financial guarantees rather than traditional insurance. Premiums are calculated as a percentage of the state‑required bond amount, with rates heavily influenced by the applicant’s credit profile, financial stability, and operational risk...
Montauk Point Ltd., a Bermuda‑based advisory firm for third‑party risk capital, has hired Dr. Gero Michel to lead its risk and analytics platform. Michel, a 35‑year veteran of insurance and reinsurance with senior roles at AIG, RMS, and Aon, will...
Crossroads Equipment Lease and Finance agreed to pay $1.64 million to settle California Attorney General claims that it misused the state’s Capital Access Program (CalCAP). The state alleged the lender deliberately undervalued repossessed trucks sold under CalCAP, counting on guaranteed reimbursements...
Insurance firms are rapidly adopting conversational AI to meet soaring customer expectations and tighten operational margins. By leveraging natural language processing, machine learning and voice recognition, insurers now offer 24/7 chatbots and voice assistants that handle policy queries, claim intake...
Indonesia’s motor insurance market is projected to grow at a 5% compound annual growth rate, expanding gross written premiums from roughly $1 billion in 2026 to $1.3 billion by 2030. Growth is fueled by digital distribution, AI‑enabled underwriting, and the emergence of...
Deferred maintenance across U.S. public infrastructure costs roughly $1 trillion, and the broader built environment faces even larger hidden exposure. Insurers are now building proactive maintenance engagement platforms, exemplified by HelixIntel, to connect directly with policyholder upkeep activities. This operational integration...
S&P Global Ratings warns that the Middle East conflict could linger into early April, threatening the Strait of Hormuz and disrupting global supply chains. Insurers and reinsurers are likely to see rising claims in specialty lines such as marine, aviation,...
The article warns CFOs that up to 40% of a Canadian company's assets sit in accounts receivable, yet fewer than 1% are protected by trade credit insurance. Insolvencies surged 41% in 2026—the sharpest rise in 36 years—exposing unprotected balances to...
A widening crisis is emerging as an increasing number of hospitals across the United States refuse to accept Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for oncology services. The trend is not limited to Florida; major academic and community hospitals nationwide are tightening...
UK insurer Covéa has selected Shift Technology as a strategic partner to overhaul its fraud detection and risk management across the entire insurance lifecycle. The AI‑driven platform will unify underwriting, claims and mid‑term policy adjustments, delivering explainable risk signals from...
On Jan. 1, 2026, the CPT Editorial Panel introduced three-tier radiation‑therapy billing codes, eliminating code 77014 and adding a professional‑component code. A survey of 160 ASTRO members shows more than two‑thirds experiencing payment drops of 10% or higher, with some cuts exceeding...
India’s group health insurance market is moving toward flexible, points‑based policies that let employees assemble personalized coverage from a menu of riders such as dental, vision, mental health and even pet insurance. Companies allocate a budget—about INR 15,000 (≈ $181) per employee—which...
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that a sole proprietor who is also the sole employee need only give a 120‑day workers’ compensation notice to the employer, not to the insurer. The ruling reversed a Commonwealth Court decision that had required...
ABL has signed a two‑year master services agreement with Maridive & Oil Services to provide marine assurance, risk support, and dynamic positioning (DP) services for its offshore fleet. The deal covers vessel inspections, audits, asset surveys, pre‑purchase assessments, DP assurance,...
Researchers examined Italy’s auto‑insurance market to gauge how equalising information across insurers affects competition and consumer welfare. Using a structural model, they compared three scenarios: full transparency, a centralised risk bureau, and a privacy‑limited regime. Full transparency and the bureau...
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey signed HB 4965, a law that lets members of the state workers’ health plan switch to an alternative, medically appropriate treatment of equal or lesser cost without filing a new prior‑authorization request. The change affects roughly...
Nineteen hospitals and health systems are terminating contracts with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans in 2026, citing chronic prior‑authorization denials and delayed reimbursements. The exits span major networks such as UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Aetna, and Anthem, affecting institutions from Mayo Clinic to...
Allstate has risen to tie with GEICO for the top mobile insurance app in Keynova’s Q1 2026 scorecard, marking its first appearance at the summit. Progressive and GEICO share leadership in the overall mobile user‑experience rating among the 12 largest U.S....
Senator Edward Markey’s Commerce Committee report uncovers a stark lack of transparency among autonomous‑vehicle makers about their use of Remote Assistance Operators (RAOs). The investigation revealed that companies such as Waymo employ overseas RAOs, often without U.S. driver’s licenses, and...
A.M. Best downgraded the financial strength rating of Cities and Villages Mutual Insurance, a Wisconsin municipal insurer, to B++ from A‑. The agency also cut its long‑term issuer credit rating to BBB+ from A‑, shifting the outlook for financial strength...
Spring brings a predictable surge in U.S. home‑insurance claims, driven by wind, hail, heavy rain, and thaw‑related plumbing stress. Mercury Insurance highlights five primary risks—roof damage, water‑related failures, clogged gutters, falling trees, and basement flooding—and offers a seasonal checklist to...
Elevance Health avoided immediate Medicare Advantage sanctions after CMS granted a deadline extension to May 30 to correct years of faulty risk‑adjustment data reporting. The regulator had warned that non‑compliance would trigger enrollment bans and communication suspensions for its MA...
April 1 renewals have extended the recent softening trend in the global reinsurance market, according to U.K.-based Howden Re. Risk‑adjusted property catastrophe rates‑on‑line have fallen back to levels last seen in the early 2020s. In Japan, reinsurers stayed disciplined, with...
U.S. remains the only OECD nation without a national paid family and medical leave (PFML) system, prompting many states to adopt either comprehensive PFML programs or voluntary private‑insurance models. While 13 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted universal PFML laws...
The Wet toekomst pensioenen (Wtp) reform has moved Dutch pension insurers into a decisive implementation phase, with regulators treating communication plans as binding operational commitments. Insurers possess strong actuarial and administration systems but lack a unified mechanism to translate approved...
PolicyStreet, a Malaysian InsurTech firm, closed a $21 million Series C round led by the Cool Japan Fund, bringing its total funding above $100 million and adding a second sovereign wealth fund investor. The capital will accelerate the company’s embedded insurance platform, targeting...
Morningstar DBRS confirmed that First West Credit Union, now operating as Tru Cooperative Bank, received a federal charter effective April 1 2026. The agency left its BBB (high) long‑term issuer rating and R‑1 short‑term rating unchanged, though both carry negative trends. The...
At the recent AIFA conference, analysts reaffirmed that insurance fundamentals remain solid, driven by disciplined underwriting, adequate pricing in key lines and favorable demographic trends in life and retirement products. However, they warned that the sector faces a more complex...
Commercial drone operators often assume they are covered, but most general liability policies exclude aerial work, leaving them uninsured for core operations. App‑based insurance products frequently fail to meet contract‑specific endorsements, while hull policies omit high‑value payloads such as cameras...
MSIG Asia has taken an undisclosed equity stake in Singapore‑based travel insurtech Ancileo, forming a regional partnership to accelerate travel‑insurance distribution across Asia‑Pacific. The deal pairs Ancileo’s B2B2C platform—designed for seamless integration with airlines, OTAs and other travel sellers—with MSIG’s...
Mortgage lenders are being urged to embed climate risk into underwriting as extreme weather events surge, threatening property values and insurance availability. In 2025, the United States experienced 23 billion‑dollar disasters, the third‑highest year on record, underscoring the financial stakes....
Artificial intelligence promises up to $1.1 trillion of annual value for insurers, reshaping how risk is quantified. Automation of routine calculations is freeing actuaries to focus on strategic risk insights, especially as pension annuity premiums surge to roughly $9.4 billion in 2025....
On 31 March 2026 APRA issued a response paper finalising amendments to the capital treatment of longevity products, introducing the optional advanced illiquidity premium (AILP). The regulator kept the proposed 45 % floor for the AILP and clarified terminology, referring to eligible contracts...
Nebraska will become the first state to implement the work‑requirement provisions of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, forcing certain Medicaid expansion enrollees to prove 80 hours of work or volunteer each month. Bluestem Health, a safety‑net clinic in Lincoln serving 21,000...
Alternative reinsurance capital surged to a record $136 bn in 2025, an 18% increase year‑over‑year and a 10% jump in the fourth quarter alone. Total global reinsurance capital rose to $785 bn, up 3% from the previous year, while traditional reinsurance grew...
Radiologists, backed by the RBMA and ACR, have asked Noridian Healthcare Solutions to exempt the professional component of CPT 74177 (CT abdomen/pelvis with contrast) and CPT 72148 (MRI spine without contrast) from a new pre‑payment review. Noridian instituted the review citing high...
Gallagher Re’s April 1, 2026 renewal data show Japanese property catastrophe programmes achieved loss‑free results, prompting risk‑adjusted rate cuts of 15%‑17.5%. Across the rest of the world, property cat rates fell between 7.5% and 25%, marking the steepest declines since...
Citi’s latest report warns that digital transformation, especially direct‑to‑consumer (D2C) models, is fundamentally reshaping the insurance industry. By leveraging AI, data analytics, and IoT devices, insurers can streamline underwriting, claims and pricing while cutting intermediary costs. The shift promises higher...
Morningstar DBRS announced that its credit ratings are now eligible for use by Japan‑based insurance firms under the country’s new insurance solvency framework, which aligns with the global Insurance Capital Standard. The approval enables insurers to incorporate DBRS ratings into regulatory...
CatIQ, Canada’s insured‑loss index provider, released its final estimate for the March 2025 ice storm that hit Ontario and Quebec, placing total insured losses at CAD $466 million (approximately US $345 million). This figure represents a 5% reduction from the September estimate of CAD $490 million,...
Dei Primus Holdings has launched LUCY Insurance, the first fully autonomous U.S. property‑casualty carrier. Built on a massive archive of claims and underwriting data from a distressed insurer, the AI‑driven platform handles underwriting, quoting, claims adjudication and payment without human intervention, except...
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has issued a nationwide data call to U.S. homeowners insurers, requiring ZIP‑code level information for policy years 2018‑2025. The request applies to carriers with at least $50,000 in relevant premium and covers policy...
Musculoskeletal disorders remain a major cost driver for U.S. employers, prompting a shift toward data‑driven ergonomic risk management. The Hartford leverages AI‑powered video analysis to generate numeric, color‑coded risk scores from short workplace recordings, offering a diagnostic tool that visualizes...
The Australian Parliament is set to pass legislation that will prohibit life insurers from using predictive genetic test results in underwriting, taking effect in about six months for all new life‑insurance contracts. The ban covers death, income protection, disability and...
Ukraine faces a massive reconstruction task estimated at $300 billion. McKinsey argues that unlocking private capital will require systematic risk‑reduction tools such as sovereign guarantees, insurance pools, and blended‑finance structures. The firm proposes a dedicated reconstruction fund, streamlined procurement, and a...
