The reality about Florida’s property insurance coverage market requires sincere dialogue, even when it means acknowledging legitimate factors from all sides. Nevertheless, this candor solely reinforces the troubling actuality dealing with Florida’s policyholders. I used to be studying an article, Insurance coverage Group CEO Michael Carlson Tackles Business’s ‘Sizzling Matter’ in Florida, which acknowledged partially:
Reviews that Florida carriers wrongfully deny policyholders’ claims — and that some could have even dedicated fraud — to keep away from paying householders after catastrophic storms dominated headlines in current weeks. However Carlson stated trade critics have spun up that narrative.
There are numerous official causes for why a declare could be denied, he stated, from easy explanations just like the declare is just not lined by the house owner’s coverage to extra technical causes, say, if the prices of injury don’t attain a coverage deductible restrict.
Carlson heads the Private Insurance coverage Federation of Florida, which is a lobbying and commerce group for Florida’s insurance coverage trade.
Is There a Flood Protection Denial Smokescreen?
Insurance coverage trade representatives steadily level to flood claims as justification for top denial charges. That is technically right. I don’t know why a few of my colleagues fail to level out that all-risk insurance policies don’t sometimes cowl floods, together with storm surge from a hurricane, when reciting these statistics. Many claims statistics are logically, correctly, and actually skewed greater with denials as a result of all-risk insurers correctly denied flood claims following hurricanes.
That is very true following Hurricane Helene, which was largely a flood occasion besides in areas near landfall. Many critics and the media wrongly fail to state that all-risk insurers are doing so legitimately, elevating mistrust within the insurance coverage claims trade when none is warranted on this level. Michael Carlson is right on this side of claims statistics.
This statistic obscures one other and deeper downside: the flood insurance coverage product is flawed and outdated. I’ve made the case for Modernizing the Nationwide Flood Insurance coverage Program: A Name for Increased Protection Limits.
The NFIP’s remedy of policyholders additionally wants enchancment. One important change ought to be an anti-technicality provision in order that kind over declare substance permits policyholders to be paid what they’re absolutely owed with out having to be nit-picked to loss of life concerning the wording of particulars. This was mentioned in Hurricane Helene Nationwide Flood Insurance coverage Proofs of Loss Deadline Prolonged for 120 Days From 60 Days.
Lastly, is Residents Property Insurance coverage’s requirement that policyholders buy flood protection sound public coverage? If we are attempting to extend protection for flood threat, making this protection necessary by different all-risk insurers is definitely foreseeable. Loads of Residents policyholders had been pleased to have had flood protection this hurricane season. This concern is essential as a result of 8 out of 10 Florida households lack flood insurance coverage protection. Whereas I used to be initially a critic of this Residents requirement as a result of some properties won’t ever have a flood, it definitely has public coverage features that appear sound.
Is There a Declare Denial Smokescreen Created By Excessive Deductibles?
Most insurance coverage insurance policies in Florida now have a excessive deductible within the occasion of a hurricane or named storm. Because of this, claims that lead to no cost as a result of the injury is lower than the deductible logically skew the claims statistics about claims with no cost greater. Michael Carlson is right on this level as properly. Once more, I feel it’s dishonest for others to not admit this when attempting to make the insurance coverage trade appear to be a demon.
Nonetheless, there’s a giant value related to permitting for or buying insurance coverage with such excessive deductibles. Current laws has allowed insurers to dramatically enhance hurricane deductibles. The beforehand required $500 deductible possibility has been eradicated by laws. As an alternative, proportion deductibles of two%, 5%, or 10% have develop into normal, which means a $500,000 dwelling might face a deductible of as much as $50,000 earlier than insurance coverage pays a dime. Policyholders naturally marvel what good insurance coverage does them if the coverage doesn’t pay after important injury.
The difficulty of claims being lower than the deductible additionally raises points concerning the product which is being bought. Some Florida insurance coverage firms win by promoting junk insurance coverage, which makes the losses lower than the deductible. Florida insurance coverage firms write insurance policies with vanishing protection advantages. The erosion of protection consists of, however is just not restricted to, pool cage exclusions, extreme restrictions on water injury claims within the quantity of protection paid or the flexibility to assert protection, beauty injury endorsements, restricted quantities paid for matching, and better restrictions on alternative value protection for roofs.
Mixed with excessive proportion deductibles, it’s no marvel that claims are under the deductible. Once more, many policyholders should marvel why they pay a lot and get nothing or so little in return.
Not Each Disputed Declare Represents Legal Exercise, Fraud or a Lack of Good Religion
I beforehand famous the CBS 60 Minutes exposé in CBS 60 Minutes Exposes Alleged Insurance coverage Firm Fraud: Adjusters Reveal Altered Hurricane Injury Estimates by Claims Administration. The operative phrase within the title is “alleged” as a result of the complete investigation and numerous details from all of the changes will not be identified. The flood, deductible, and Swiss cheese protection filled with protection gaps are logical causes for the claims with out cost. Altered stories and estimates of injury from the sphere could or might not be official and may solely be decided with extra transparency within the claims course of. Carlson has didn’t make this level clear.
Claims exercise hardly ever leads to legal prosecution. Everybody has a proper to the presumption of innocence. Prosecutors should show a case past an inexpensive doubt, and that’s not simple when coping with a claims adjustment, the place errors and variations of opinion are routine.
I help the efforts of the American Policyholders Affiliation (APA) with my money and time. It’s towards all varieties of fraud however particularly permits for an avenue of investigation of fraud dedicated towards policyholders. Whereas Doug Quinn and the APA could present the authorities with info, they aren’t chargeable for figuring out guilt or innocence and which instances are worthy of prosecution. Nonetheless, the insurance coverage trade is definitely not attempting very onerous to search out after which disclose its wrongful conduct. The APA is a crucial useful resource for attempting to degree the taking part in discipline when fraud and wrongful conduct by insurers happens.
Many Florida insurance coverage firms have claims processes and departments that aren’t working in good religion. I famous what constitutes good religion in What Is Good Religion Insurance coverage Claims Dealing with:
To offer a enough variety of correctly skilled and motivated claims adjusters with enough sources and authority to promptly and absolutely examine protection and consider injury in order that the policyholder promptly receives all advantages contemplated beneath the insurance coverage product.
This isn’t occurring with many insurance coverage carriers following hurricanes in Florida. Most of the discipline adjusters will not be being adequately skilled, and nearly none have the authority to pay something or determine any quantity of the declare. The estimates are revised with out rationalization to the policyholder.
If there was one level that everybody realized from the CBS 60 Minutes documentary, the sphere adjuster estimates and findings are being altered by these undisclosed individuals who have by no means been to the loss web site or have spoken with the policyholders. The explanations for the adjustments or modifications will not be disclosed to the policyholders in a clear method, if in any respect. When adjusters alter and modify estimates, policyholders deserve detailed explanations—not opaque changes buried in paperwork.
So, whereas I admit that the overwhelming majority of changes don’t characterize any legal exercise or fraud by Florida’s insurance coverage firms, adjusters, and their distributors, Florida’s insurance coverage claims trade has an extended option to go to revive belief from its prospects. The civil fines for conduct famous in Understanding the Implications of the Heritage Market Conduct Research and $1 Million Consent Order Penalty, don’t imply that each one actions that represent a scarcity of fine religion have ceased by all carriers.
The Backside Line
Whereas we should acknowledge official trade issues, the present “market stabilization” comes at an unconscionable value. Florida now leads the nation in providing the weakest protection whereas making it practically unimaginable for policyholders to struggle again when claims are wrongfully underpaid or denied. This isn’t market reform—it’s a scientific dismantling of shopper safety disguised as progress. Insurance coverage charges will fall as a result of the insurance coverage product bought is much lower than it as soon as was. It is sort of a meals producer retaining the worth the identical or barely decrease as a result of the identical dimension field you buy on the grocery retailer has a 3rd much less product. Then, once you complain about getting lower than what you thought you paid for, you be taught that the meals producers teamed up with politicians to vary any shopper safety legal guidelines.
Michael Carlson, as a lobbyist, and the insurance coverage trade could have fun these adjustments as crucial reforms, however let’s be clear: promoting stripped-down insurance policies whereas eliminating accountability isn’t an answer. It’s give up, and Florida’s policyholders are paying the worth.
Thought For The Day
Don’t piss down my again and inform me it’s raining
—Clint Eastwood, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”
