Insurance Hour

Unveiling California's Insurance Mysteries: Assemblyman Tom Lackey and Karl Susman Call for Honesty, Leadership, and Real Reform California's homeowners insurance crisis has reached a breaking point. Premiums are skyrocketing, carriers are retreating, and consumers are running out of options. While the debate often focuses on rate filings, reinsurance costs, and market dynamics, one underlying tru...

Understanding Adam Schiff's Federal Reinsurance Proposal: A National Approach to Disaster Coverage and Market Stability The growing crisis in California's insurance market — with insurers pulling back, rates climbing, and coverage disappearing — has become a national conversation. But what if the solution didn't come from Sacramento, but from Washington, D.C.? That's exactly what Representative Ad...

Understanding Insurance Fairness: Why Living in a High-Risk Area Costs More — and Why That's Reasonable When it comes to insurance, few topics spark as much debate as fairness. Homeowners living in wildfire zones, earthquake-prone regions, or rural communities often feel penalized by higher premiums and limited options — while their urban counterparts pay far less. But is it unfair that riskier ar...

alifornia's FAIR Plan Expansion: Relief or Risk? Breaking Down the Latest Changes and Industry Concerns California's insurance market continues to be one of the most volatile in the country. Homeowners, landlords, and businesses alike are struggling to find — or afford — coverage. As major insurers scale back or exit the state, the California FAIR Plan , once a last-resort safety net, has become t...

Navigating Fairness: Assemblyman Tom Lackey and Karl Susman on California's Insurance Reality Check California's insurance market is in the middle of one of the most consequential shifts in decades. Insurers are leaving. Homeowners are panicking. Regulators are scrambling to restore balance between what's fair for consumers and what's sustainable for companies. In this latest Insurance Hour conver...

Reviving California's Insurance Market: Assemblyman Tom Lackey on the Challenges of Reform and the Road Ahead California's homeowners are facing a crisis of confidence — not just in their insurance companies, but in the system itself. Carriers are retreating from the state, rates are skyrocketing, and millions are being pushed into the California FAIR Plan , once considered a last-resort option. A...

Legislative Insights: Assemblyman Tom Lackey on California's Insurance Reforms and Road Safety Challenges California's insurance system is at a crossroads. Homeowners across the state are grappling with soaring premiums, disappearing coverage options, and a marketplace teetering on the edge of dysfunction. Meanwhile, the state's roadways are seeing a surge in distracted driving accidents and risin...

Unlocking Homeowner Insurance Savings: Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil and the Future of California's FAIR Plan California's homeowners are facing one of the most challenging insurance markets in decades — with premiums surging, coverage shrinking, and millions of residents forced onto the California FAIR Plan , the state's "insurer of last resort." In this episode of Insurance Hour , host Karl Susman...

Allstate's 34% Rate Hike Request: What It Means for California Homeowners and the Future of the Market California homeowners are bracing for yet another jolt to their wallets — this time from one of the nation's largest insurance companies. Allstate has officially requested permission from the California Department of Insurance (CDI) to raise its homeowners insurance rates by an average of 34.1% ,...

California's Insurance Shake-Up: Why State Farm and Allstate Want 30% Rate Hikes—and What It Means for Homeowners California's insurance market has been in crisis mode for years — and the pressure is only mounting. Now, two of the state's biggest players, Allstate and State Farm , are asking regulators for permission to raise homeowners insurance rates by an average of 30% or more . For the 7.5 mi...

When Your Insurer Drops You—and Your Premium Doubles After One Accident Navigating Insurance Nonrenewals and Rate Shocks You've paid your premiums on time for decades, never filed a claim, and suddenly—your insurance company drops you. Or maybe, after one minor fender-bender in 40 years, your rate doubles overnight. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Californians across the state are exper...

Why Your Insurance Agent Doesn't Call Back—And Why Your Dog Might Be Raising Your Premiums In the often confusing world of insurance, a little communication—and a lot of understanding—can make all the difference. That was the message from Karl Susman , host of Insurance Hour , who tackled a range of listener questions in this episode—from frustrated policyholders whose agents won't return calls to...

Navigating California's Insurance Challenges: Deductibles, Bundling, and the Rise of Cyber Coverage In today's turbulent insurance market, especially in California, homeowners, business owners, and everyday drivers are feeling the strain. Premiums are rising, coverage options are shrinking, and even long-time policyholders are facing unexpected nonrenewals. Amid these challenges, many people are a...

How to Handle Persistent Insurance Agents, Rising Premiums, and the Mystery of the "Policy Jacket" Every insurance customer has been there — your agent keeps calling to "check in," offer new policies, or "review" your coverage. It's easy to feel like you're being sold more than you need. At the same time, your car's getting older, yet your auto premiums keep climbing, and your policy documents see...

Do Insurance Companies Really Make Money by Denying Claims? And Why Some Parents Buy Life Insurance for Their Babies Insurance is often described as a promise — a contract that exists to protect you when life goes wrong. But for many consumers, that promise comes with skepticism. Do insurance companies actually make money by not paying claims ? And if so, how can consumers trust that their insurer...

Insurance Hour Q&A Finale: The Truth About Auto and Life Insurance That Most People Don't Know As Insurance Hour wrapped up its final segment, host and insurance expert Karl Susman fielded some of the most unusual — yet surprisingly common — listener questions. From whether it's legal to drive without car insurance, to what really happens when someone dies soon after purchasing a life insurance po...

State Farm Requests Major Rate Hike: What California Homeowners Need to Know About the 30% Increase Proposal For millions of Californians, the fireworks of Independence Day came with a dose of unsettling financial news: State Farm , the state's largest homeowners insurer, has filed for yet another significant rate increase — 30% for homeowners, 36% for condo owners, and a staggering 52% for renter...

State Farm's Proposed Rate Hikes: What They Mean for California's Insurance Market California homeowners are once again bracing for higher insurance costs — this time from one of the state's biggest players. State Farm , which insures roughly 27% of all residential properties in California , has filed for significant premium increases across multiple policy types. According to recent reports, the...

California's Insurance Market in 2025: Fire Maps, Ordinance & Law Coverage, and What's Next for Homeowners If you're a California homeowner, you've likely noticed your insurance costs rising, your options shrinking, and your patience wearing thin. Between wildfire exposure, regulatory hurdles, and major insurers cutting back, the state's property insurance landscape is in turmoil. In this episode...

Understanding FAIR Plan Discounts and Home Hardening Rules: What Every California Homeowner Should Know As California's wildfire crisis intensifies, homeowners across the state are turning to the California FAIR Plan — the state's insurer of last resort — for coverage that many traditional insurers no longer offer. But even as more people join the FAIR Plan, confusion remains about how its discoun...

Why Home Hardening Still Isn't Rewarded in California — And How the Sustainable Insurance Strategy Could Change That It's the most frustrating paradox in California's insurance crisis: homeowners are doing everything right — upgrading their roofs, clearing defensible space, installing ember-resistant vents — and yet, their insurance rates are climbing or their policies are being canceled. "We cut...

When You Become the Risk: Understanding How Insurers Evaluate You — Not Just Your Property — in California's Insurance Market California's homeowners are facing a crisis unlike anything the state has seen before. Between wildfire losses, soaring reinsurance costs, and rigid regulations, many insurers have stopped writing new business or are non-renewing policies altogether. For consumers, that's l...

Understanding California's Fire Maps and Risk Ratings: Why Your Neighbor Pays Less for Insurance It's one of the most common — and frustrating — questions homeowners in California are asking right now: "Why is my home suddenly uninsurable when my neighbor's policy is still affordable?" As insurance expert Karl Susman explained in a recent Insurance Hour listener Q&A, it often comes down to how fir...

Family Drivers and Auto Insurance: Why Failing to Add a Household Driver Can Cost You Everything When it comes to auto insurance, one of the most common — and dangerous — mistakes drivers make is failing to add all household members to their policy. It might seem like a harmless oversight. Maybe you've heard from a friend that your teenage son or daughter is automatically covered, or that your ins...

California's Insurance Commissioner Answers the Tough Questions: What Homeowners Need to Know About the State's Insurance Reform As California's insurance crisis continues to spread, homeowners across the state are desperate for answers — and this week, they finally got a chance to ask them. In a virtual town hall hosted by ABC 10 Sacramento on July 2, 2024, California Insurance Commissioner Ricar...