More people are making claims on their homes in Florida than in any other state. Unfortunately, The Sunshine State leads not only in population growth but also in soaring homeowners insurance rates and claims litigation. Those trends have combined to create widespread turmoil in Florida’s property insurance market that the State is now seeking to quell with a reform package. On Dec. 14, 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed property insurance reform bill Senate Bill 2-A into law. The new law seeks to cut down on lawsuits while mandating that insurers process and pay claims faster, but property owners will also have to take a more active role. This means partnering with knowledgeable wholesale brokers able to provide guidance on how the reform law impacts property owners will be more important than ever.

When utilized appropriately telemedicine can enhance interactions among providers to improve patient care, support provider-to-provider training, expand service capacity, and enable physicians to manage patients with multiple chronic conditions from a distance by remotely monitoring patient health and activities (source 7). Telemedicine is not new, but with the emergence of COVID in 2020 the utilization of telemedicine exploded. The trend lines indicate that the use cases will continue to expand as will the patient base that has grown accustomed to the delivery model.

It comes as no surprise to employees or business owners that healthcare costs are on the rise. Many have felt the pinch of premium increases, higher deductibles, and soaring prescription drug prices. Unfortunately, those changes also serve to increase the total cost of Workers’ Compensation (WC) claims, making mitigating WC claim costs and controlling losses a primary concern for companies as claims get pricier and severity increases (source 2).

Not sure what to expect when it comes to premium or terms and conditions? Interested in which lines of business may be seeing limited capacity or markets? Learn what to expect in the 2023 marketplace with our annual easy-to-read quick reference guide.

A special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, is a company without commercial operations formed solely to raise capital through an initial public offering (IPO) or to merge with or acquire an existing company. Sometimes called “blank check companies,” SPACs have been around for decades, but their popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2020, 247 SPACs with $80 billion invested were created, and 2021 saw a record 613 SPAC IPOs. By comparison, 2019 saw only 59 SPACs hit the market. During the 2020-2021 SPAC boom, the business model attracted well-known names including Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Credit Suisse as well as many retired or semi-retired senior executives (source 2). However, while SPACs are still happening, their popularity is likely cyclical, as evidenced by the wind-down of many SPACs at the end of 2022 (source 8). Whether a SPAC completes a deal or not, there are still risks to be carefully considered.