After two years of devastating storms throughout the U.S., many states are wondering if the insurance industry is taking the proper steps to prepare for what the future may hold. Legislators and regulators in California, Washington and New York are now pressuring insurers for answers on what they are doing to adapt to climate change. This marks one of the first times state officials have clearly identified climate change as an issue, something the insurance industry has been doing for years now. Next month, numerous insurance executives, experts and regulators…
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Hiscox report shows that “super losses” are becoming more common in the U.S.
A new report from Hiscox, a specialist health insurance company in the U.S., shows that so called “super losses” are having an impact on the country’s health insurance industry. Super losses is a term that refers to claims that exceed $50 million. The report notes that these costly claims are becoming more common in the health care sector. Because these claims hold such a large price tag, they often find their way to courts. Juries often side with consumers in these cases and in the past two years have awarded…
Read MoreHealth insurance analysis suggests that insurance may be completely unaffordable by 2031
Two leading medical professionals have published a new analysis of the future of health insurance in the latest issue of Annals of Family Medicine. Richard A. Young and Jennifer E. Devoe have taken a look at the Affordable Care Act and how it will affect the health insurance industry from when it is fully enacted in 2014 to the state of the industry in 2037. The study assumes that the federal health care law is successful in its goal of lowering health insurance premiums. Despite this supposed success, the study…
Read MoreA.M. Best report on Saudi Arabia insurance market shows a promising future for the country
A.M. Best, a global ratings and financial services firm that serves the insurance industry, has released a new report concerning the insurance market in Saudi Arabia. Over the past decade, the Saudi Arabian market has been inundated with its fair share of complications. Political turmoil and international pressures have stressed the market significantly in this time, but the market has shown profound resiliency to such factors. The report shows that the market’s ability to adapt to dramatic change has paved the way to a promising future. The report notes that…
Read MoreNorth Korea establishes its first international investment insurance firm
A surprising development in the global insurance industry: North Korea has established its first investment insurance firm. The firm’s aim is to attract foreign investments to the troubled country. It is expected that the North Korean firm will purchase reinsurance policies from international companies and offer this coverage to companies looking to do business within its borders. The firm is being built to mimic an insurance system in South Korea, which has served as a way to help business owners recover from financial losses due to risky investments. Because of…
Read MoreFlorida PIP reform a point of contention amongst lawmakers, special session may be necessary
Though Florida lawmakers have been working toward making changes to the state’s personal injury protection (PIP) insurance regulations, reform efforts have run into trouble. Legislators have been arguing over House Bill 119, which would have required accidents victims to be treated in emergency rooms rather than clinics. Since the bill gained resounding support earlier in the months, over a dozen amendments had been added one its way to the Senate. The amendments have been a source of chaos, as some legislators have expressed confusion regarding what the bill will actually…
Read MoreAudit puts Illinois lawmakers in hot water with the state’s insurance companies
Illinois lawmakers and insurers are coming under fire for an insurance deal that was brokered last year. A new report released this week from the state’s Auditor General, William Holland, has highlighted some serious problems with the insurance deal the state made with Blue Cross Blue Shield. The deal saw more than $7 billion worth of insurance policies held by state employees transferred to the major insurance company. One of the problems is that many of the policyholders caught up in the plan lived in one of 24 counties where…
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