The Ticker

Issues bulletin making clear that any decisions made by regulated entities using artificial intelligence (AI) must comply with existing regulation, i.e., they are not inaccurate, arbitrary, capricious, or unfairly discriminatory. The bulletin also outlines the expectation that insurers doing business in the state develop a written program that includes how the insurer will manage the risk associated with the use of AI systems, such as data governance and protection, as well as how the insurer will supervise the use of the AI systems in their decision-making. >> Reports that 313,579 Wisconsinites enrolled in health coverage through the Affordable Care Act individual marketplace during the latest open enrollment period. According to the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, this is an 18% increase over the previous enrollment record set in 2024.

Fails to pass Substitute Senate Bill 5331 out of the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee. The bill would have allowed the state insurance commissioner to order an insurance company or person to pay restitution to consumers if that company or person is found to be in violation of state insurance laws, rather than paying a fine into the state general fund.

Announces that 388,856 Virginians have enrolled in health insurance for 2025 through the commonwealth’s marketplace. That encompasses 69,000 new enrollees, representing a 21% increase from 2024 open enrollment numbers, according to Virginia’s Insurance Marketplace.

Is advising Oklahomans enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans that the cost of those plans could increase significantly should the existing federal premium subsidies for families or individuals purchasing insurance through the ACA expire at the end of this year. According to Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready, the subsidies led to a 75% increase in ACA plan enrollment in the state, for a total of approximately 300,000 Oklahomans. Without an extension of the subsidies, the monthly price tag for a benchmark Silver plan would rise from $58 to $153, Mulready said in a press release. >> Expands ZIP codes eligible to apply to the pilot launch of OKReady, the Strengthen Oklahoma Homes program, after a successful first month of applications, bringing the total to 10. Besides this initial launch, the Oklahoma Insurance Department is planning additional test launches throughout 2025, with a stated goal of 1,000 grants.

Wins summary judgment from a state court blocking insurance rate increases for approximately 371 North Dakotans who have policies with the Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania. After the Pennsylvania insurance commissioner took control of the financially struggling insurer’s operations in 2021, Senior Health Insurance imposed rate increases, allegedly bypassing North Dakota’s prior approval laws; North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread then sued the Pennsylvania insurance commissioner in 2022 to prevent those increases.

Suspends temporarily the enforcement of several health insurer requirements. Carriers in the state for this year’s filing period are not required to produce annual reports on plan complaints, claim denials, and prior authorization statistics, among other documentation. The state said it would provide guidance on filing expectations in 2026 and afterward. The pullback on filing enforcement is intended to provide time for “a reassessment of regulatory obligations that impact health carriers, licensed entities offering group health plans, and medical utilization review organizations,” the New Hampshire Insurance Department said in a statement.

Added 10 licensed homeowners insurers to its rolls from March 2024 to March 2025, as the state attempts to repair its property insurance market. The Louisiana Department of Insurance tied the improvement to legislative passage of Commissioner Tim Temple’s reform package. Among other developments, the state agency also noted reductions in the number of requested rate increases in 2024 from previous years in the homeowners, commercial multiperil, and fire and allied lines. The state had also signed off on seven rate decreases from residential insurers by the end of February.

Formally names Morgan Winters as director of the state health insurance marketplace, Get Covered Illinois, following his confirmation by the state Senate. Get Covered Illinois is scheduled to be a fully independent marketplace in time for the 2026 plan year. Winters was previously deputy director and chief operating officer for the Minnesota state marketplace, MNsure.

Added nine captive insurers in 2024, a 17% boost from 2023 and marking five consecutive years of growth in the captive market. The nine encompassed seven pure captives and individual association and sponsored captives. In addition, the state authorized 17 new captive protected cells last year, up 64% from 2023.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has approved a five-fold increase in the per-location coverage limits for California FAIR Plan Division I Commercial Property insurance. The prior limit of $20 million per location for building, business personal property, and associated coverages is “insufficient to meet the needs of Californians,” according to an order from Lara. In approving a commercial filing from the California FAIR Plan Association, Lara has increased the coverage limit to $100 million per location, with a $20 million limit for any one structure. >> The California State Assembly is considering legislation that would require insurers to provide 30 days’ notice before taking aerial images of a property. Assembly Bill 75, from Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D), would also mandate that insurers provide the images to the client if requested. The notice requirement is lifted if a claim has been filed or is being prepared, “provided any aerial images taken of the insured property are used only for the purpose of evaluating the submitted or pending claim,” according to the bill, which was filed in December 2024 and referred to the State Assembly Committee on Insurance, which Calderon chairs.