With health insurance costs continuing to climb, many employers are finding that standard medical coverage alone doesn’t offer enough financial protection for their staff. Rising deductibles, higher out-of-pocket maximums and the soaring cost of care are pushing workers to look for other ways to fill the gaps. Employers can step in to meet that need…
Commercial auto insurance companies continue to post steep losses for liabilities like third-party injuries and property damage, which is driving continued rate hikes for businesses, particularly fleet operators, according to a new report from A.M. Best. The line posted its 14th consecutive year of underwriting losses in 2024, with liability coverage alone accounting for $4.5…
If you view annual open enrollment as a simple box-checking exercise, you’re likely missing out on helping your staff get the most out of the benefits you provide. Instead, if you approach open enrollment as a chance to strengthen employee engagement, control costs and help your workforce understand the full value of your benefits program,…
An insurance agent has filed papers with the state of California to qualify an initiative for the 2026 election that would repeal Proposition 103, a landmark insurance measure that has tightly regulated property and auto insurance rates since 1989. Since 1989, Prop. 103 has required insurance companies to submit requests for rate changes to the…
With employers bracing for another steep rise in health care expenses, many are preparing “disruptive” changes, according to a new report. Employers surveyed for the “WTW 2025 Best Practices in Healthcare Survey” said they anticipate their health care costs will increase by 9% in 2026. They told researchers they can’t absorb the increases or pass…
In an effort to bring more insurers back into California’s homeowner’s and commercial property insurance market, the state Department of Insurance (DOI) has approved a system that will allow insurers to use forward-looking wildfire risk models to price policies in areas susceptible to wildfires. The DOI hopes this and other measures it’s been taking, will…
At some point, the odds are that a company will be affected by some form of employee theft or outright fraud. Fraud can severely crimp a company’s finances and put the firm in a serious bind if the theft is large enough. With technology, fraud has in some ways become easier, but at the same…
The Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services announced that they will no longer enforce a 2024 rule limiting short-term health insurance to three months. The decision leaves the door open for insurers to once again issue these policies for up to three years, as they were permitted under rules implemented during President…
Construction defect lawsuits, a constant presence in the building industry, are on the rise, and legal observers expect the trend to continue over the next few years. There are several factors driving the increase, including a continuing construction industry labor shortage, contractors working on tight schedules to rebuild properties in areas devastated by natural disasters…
Employers are preparing for what could be the steepest annual increase in health care costs in more than a decade, and many are considering plan design changes, including cost-shifting, to buffer the impact, according to a new report. The “2026 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey,” conducted by the Business Group on Health, found that business…