California bill targets insurer hurdles for rare disease drugs
California lawmakers advance bipartisan bill to bar prior authorization and step therapy for FDA-approved rare disease treatments
🇺🇸 US Insurance News
Marine insurers halt Gulf war risk cover as premiums near 1%
Marine insurers cancel war risk policies in the Gulf after tanker strikes push premiums toward 1% of hull value and strand 150 vessels
War insurance risk cover pulled as Hormuz conflict jolts shipping
Marine insurers are cancelling war risk cover for vessels operating in the Middle East Gulf as the United States–Israel–Iran conflict disrupts tanker traffic
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch settles $8.5 mn suit against Pacific Life
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch resolves $8.5 mn lawsuit alleging Pacific Life and agent misled him on indexed universal life projections
Moody’s: US life insurers post uneven Q4 2025 as rate tailwind fades
Moody’s says US life insurers saw mixed Q4 2025 profits as spreads tightened and claims rose, with steady 2026 outlook and strong PRT demand
S&P sees reinsurance capital steady despite Middle East shock
S&P says reinsurers enter 2026 with strong capital buffers despite expected losses from Middle East conflict across marine, aviation and specialty lines
McKinsey says AI could add $70 bn to insurance revenue
McKinsey outlines how AI, from predictive models to agent systems, is reshaping brokers, MGAs, TPAs and software, with $50 bn–$70 bn revenue upside
Kennedys flags multi-line insurance threat from US-Israel-Iran conflict
Kennedys warns escalating US, Israel and Iran hostilities threaten simultaneous losses across political violence, marine, aviation, energy and trade credit lines
California family accused of staging Porsche crash for $39K in insurance claims
Pasadena trio charged with felony insurance fraud after alleged staged Porsche crash netted $38,932 in claims, say California regulators
Trump weighs tanker insurance plan as oil surges on Iran strikes
Trump reviews options to curb oil spike after Iran strikes, including federal tanker insurance and possible SPR use as Hormuz shipments stall
California auto insurance rates in 2026 jump over 30% since 2023
California drivers face auto premium hikes exceeding 30% in two years, driven by repair costs, heavier vehicles and inflation pressures
Aetna fined $550k in Pennsylvania mental health insurance parity case
Pennsylvania Insurance Department orders Aetna to pay $550,000 penalty and reimburse members with interest after mental health parity violations
Georgia advances insurance reform bills as Kemp signs budget with $2 bn
Georgia House sends insurance cost bills to Senate as Gov. Kemp signs amended budget with $2 bn in tax relief and public worker bonuses
Iowa House backs bill ending prior auth for mental health crisis care
Iowa lawmakers approve measure barring insurers from requiring prior authorization for mental health crisis stabilization service
Texas businesses sue over Historically Underutilized Business program overhaul
Four companies and a trade group challenge Texas comptroller’s emergency rules that narrowed the Historically Underutilized Business program
EEOC sues Mid-Michigan Home Health over race bias
EEOC files Title VII lawsuit alleging Mid-Michigan Home Health denied assignments and fired Black CNA in Michigan due to race
Louisiana Department of Insurance partners with NICB to target litigation funding ads
Louisiana Insurance Department teams with NICB and 4WARN to curb third-party litigation funding ads steering policyholders into costly lawsuits
CMS backs catastrophic health insurance plans with high deductibles
CMS proposes expanding multi-year catastrophic plans and HSA use on ACA exchanges, prompting debate over coverage gaps and financial risk
Nebraska bill targets Alzheimer’s insurance coverage gaps
Nebraska proposal would require insurers to cover FDA-approved Alzheimer’s tests and treatments, aiming to reduce step therapy barriers and out-of-pocket costs
Arkansas Insurance Department updates gold card appeal rules under Act 511
Arkansas Insurance Department issues Bulletin 4-2026 detailing new independent review timelines for insurer and PBM gold card rescission appeals
California bill targets wildfire non-renewals, adds 6-month notice
California lawmakers propose requiring insurers to give six months’ notice and specific reasons before dropping homeowners over wildfire risk
Louisiana auto insurance premiums fall 5.8% as 2025 rates stabilize
Louisiana insurance rates dip 0.4% overall in 2025, driven by a 5.8% drop in private passenger auto, while homeowners premiums rise at a slower pace
Connecticut weighs LTCI tax relief as insurance premiums surge
Connecticut lawmakers propose tax deductions and hearing rules for long-term care insurance hikes as seniors report premium increases of 50% to 400%
Nevada state workers push back on projected PEBP insurance increases
Nevada state workers and retirees push back on projected PEBP insurance increases, warning of staffing losses as deficit estimates and premium models face scrutiny
Apartment fire highlights renters insurance gap in North Carolina
Camden Westwood Apartments fire displaces 70 residents, underscoring low renters insurance uptake and replacement cost risks for tenants
Progressive issues $1 bn in Florida auto insurance refunds
Progressive returns nearly $1bn to Florida drivers after litigation reform and lower loss costs, with average rebates around $300 per policyholder
AI adoption rises to 82% as data protection risks persist: Gallagher
Gallagher survey finds 82% of businesses report positive AI impact, yet data protection, hallucinations and legal risk remain leading concerns.
Insurtech Kin lifts GWP 28% to $635 mn as renewal base expands
Insurtech Kin reports 28% GWP growth to $634.4 mn, rising renewal premiums and improved operating margin despite softer insurance market conditions
Texas sues TP-Link over router security and China ties
Texas alleges TP-Link misled consumers on router security and supply chain origins, citing exploited firmware flaws and links to Chinese components
Agentic AI governance moves to board level as autonomy expands
Agentic AI systems introduce execution risk beyond model output, forcing enterprises to redesign governance, privilege controls and runtime oversight
AI-powered actor breaches 600 FortiGate devices in 55 countries
Financially motivated hacker used commercial AI tools to compromise 600 FortiGate devices via exposed ports and weak credentials, no new exploits involved
Low-growth economy tops emerging risk list in 2025, Gartner says
Gartner reported that a low-growth economic environment remained the top emerging risk in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking the second consecutive quarter in which economic conditions
The Cayman Islands’ reinsurance sector has expanded sharply
The Cayman Islands’ reinsurance sector has expanded sharply, according to 2025 insurance statistics released by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and highlighted by Cayman Finance
US Labor Department probes California unemployment insurance program
The US Department of Labor announced formal steps to examine fraud and improper payment risks within California’s Unemployment Insurance program
Health Savings Accounts draw scrutiny as costs rise for ACA marketplace enrollees
Health Savings Accounts sit at the center of a renewed policy debate as health coverage costs climb for millions of Americans purchasing insurance on Affordable Care Act marketplaces
Insurtech Titan Flood launches private residential flood program with Nationwide
Titan Flood, an AI-enabled flood insurance platform, has launched a private residential flood program in partnership with Nationwide E&S/Specialty
Yale New Haven Health sues Ironshore over $4 mn transplant insurance claim
Yale New Haven Health filed suit in US District Court in Connecticut seeking roughly $4.1 mn from Ironshore Indemnity, alleging the insurer refused to reimburse costs
Are autonomous vehicles from companies such as Waymo and Tesla making roads safer? Insurance research
Are autonomous vehicles from companies such as Waymo and Tesla making roads safer? The insurance industry’s research community is watching closely, and the answer remains unsettled
GEICO faces class action over added drivers and insurance premium hikes
GEICO faces a proposed class action in Florida federal court alleging the insurer added unrelated drivers to policyholders’ auto coverage without consent, triggering higher premiums
Vistria acquires Dallas MGA Lumen to expand specialty platform
The Vistria Group acquired Lumen Holdings, a Dallas-based managing general agent underwriting commercial and personal lines across more than 30 states
Global property insurance rates fall 9% in 2025
Global commercial property insurance rates declined 9% in Q4 2025, according to the latest market update from Marsh. The drop marks an acceleration from the 8% decline recorded in Q3
Nevada approves 21.6% hike in workers insurance comp loss costs
The Nevada Division of Insurance approved a 21.6% increase in workers compensation loss costs effective March 1, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance
Allstate files RICO suits over alleged New York no-fault DME fraud
Allstate filed two federal RICO lawsuits in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, alleging coordinated no-fault auto insurance fraud involving durable medical equipment suppliers
Oklahoma insurance reform advances as profit oversight House Bill 2933 fail
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready’s policy package cleared its first legislative hurdle after the House Civil Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced House Bill 2933
Oklahoma senator files bills targeting insurer profits and rates
An Oklahoma state senator introduced a package of insurance reform bills aimed at addressing rising premium costs across the state
NAIC weighs closer review of insurers’ mortgage loan exposure
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is examining insurers’ expanding exposure to residential mortgage loans, with potential additional scrutiny ahead
US property re/insurance market softens as capital surges and rates fall
US property re/insurance market has shifted decisively into soft territory over the past year. Pricing pressure reflects capital inflows and the absence of major landfalling hurricanes
Insurity expands billing-as-a-service for P&C insurers and MGAs
Insurity announced enhancements to its Billing-as-a-Service platform, stating the outsourced model now delivers a lower total cost than internally managed billing for property and casualty carriers
Startup World Labs secures $1 bn to scale spatial AI models
World Labs raised $1 bn to advance spatial intelligence systems designed to generate and reason across immersive 3D environments
Fintech Vestwell raised $385 mn Series E to scale US savings tech
Vestwell, a digital savings platform, secured $385 mn in Series E financing, doubling its valuation and reinforcing its standing inside the US savings infrastructure market
Fintech Fluz launched embedded finance platform for software firms
Fintech Fluz entered embedded finance with the launch of Fluz Platform, opening its payments infrastructure to software companies seeking in-product financial services
FlashLabs rolls out FlashAI 2.0 enterprise voice AI
Enterprise voice platform targets latency, speech quality and deployment drag with proprietary stack and human escalation
Riverside closes $200 mn software growth lending fund at hard cap
The Riverside Company has closed its Riverside Acceleration Capital Growth Lending Fund III at $200 mn, reaching its hard cap
Fintech Capitolis to acquire 20 Gates’ U.S. secured financing platform
Capitolis has agreed to acquire the U.S. Secured Financing Platform from 20 Gates Management, expanding its Capital Marketplace footprint in North America
Jump raises $80 mn Series B to expand AI for financial advisors
Jump, a US-based financial services AI company, closed an $80 mn Series B round led by Insight Partners, lifting total funding to $105 mn
Insurtech Kettle, RLI launch wildfire-focused commercial property cover
Kettle has formed a strategic partnership with RLI Corp. to launch a multi-peril commercial property product that includes dedicated wildfire coverage
Ancient Financial to acquire F&G Life Re, launch as Bermuda reinsurer
Ancient Financial has signed a definitive agreement to acquire F&G Life Re from a subsidiary of F&G Annuities & Life
Insurtech Qumis raises $4.3 mn seed to scale attorney-trained coverage AI
Commercial insurance platform backed by MTech Capital, American Family Ventures as total funding reaches $6.75mn
Gradient AI launched ClaimVector for workers’ comp claims benchmarking
Insurtech Gradient AI, a enterprise software provider of artificial intelligence solutions in the insurance industry, has introduced ClaimVector for Workers’ Compensation
Spanish Tuio launched first insurer-built AI app approved on ChatGPT
OpenAI has approved the first insurance provider-built AI application to operate inside ChatGPT, clearing the way for real-time insurance distribution within a conversational interface
Clyde & Co’s 2026 survey shows how geopolitical volatility, AI and regulation are reshaping business risk, resilience and operational decision-making
Over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027, due to escalating costs, unclear business value or inadequate risk controls
Insurers enter 2026 with longer settlement cycles, rising volumes, and slow AI adoption, increasing costs and operational risk, AutoRek finds
How insurers use AI, parametric models and data to close the global protection gap, support climate finance, and strengthen resilience amid regulatory fragmentation