Other Insurance

With average premium rises taking effect from April 1, many households are weighing whether to absorb the increase, change cover, or cancel. Before you drop your policy, experts say a structured phone call—backed by a little homework—can help you reshape your cover and potentially reduce costs without taking unnecessary risks.

Pet insurance can reduce the shock of unexpected veterinary bills, but policies vary widely in what they cover, how they handle preexisting conditions, and how quickly they pay. Here’s a practical framework for comparing plans—and what six insurers do particularly well.

Public frustration with insurers has intensified amid high-profile controversy and everyday claim disputes across health, homeowners and auto coverage. An insurance law scholar argues that the path forward is less about outrage and more about practical regulation: clearer information for consumers, minimum coverage standards and stronger remedies when companies act unreasonably.

A major insurer’s decision to exclude sport-related concussion and head trauma from certain disability policies for elite footballers highlights a broader shift: brain injury risk is increasingly seen as difficult to price and hard to insure. The change raises questions about how players are protected, what alternatives exist, and whether community sport could eventually feel the knock-on effects.

Flood damage is excluded from standard homeowners’ insurance, leaving many households dependent on the National Flood Insurance Program. With coverage limits that have not changed since 1994 and premiums that often fail to reflect true risk, the program has accumulated substantial debt and faces renewed pressure to overhaul pricing and participation.

As storms, droughts and floods become more frequent across Africa, economists argue that affordable, technology-enabled insurance—ranging from picture-based claims to flexible coupons—could help small-scale farmers manage risk, invest with more confidence and recover faster after shocks.

As extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe, insurance premiums are climbing and more households are being pushed into underinsurance or going without cover. A federal plan centred on a reinsurance pool may not deliver meaningful relief, while targeted support and mitigation remain central to any long-term solution.

The Los Angeles County wildfires have highlighted a widening gap between insured and uninsured losses and intensified pressure on insurers and reinsurers. Because reinsurance is priced in a global market, large wildfire losses in California can flow through to higher costs elsewhere, including Australia—where many households already face severe insurance affordability stress.

After disasters, many households discover their cover is missing, inadequate or misunderstood. Research and lived experience suggest underinsurance is often accidental, shaped by cost pressures, complexity and distrust—raising questions about how insurance can work better for people and how governments should share responsibility for recovery.

Wildfires and other catastrophes are pushing private insurers to limit coverage and raise premiums, leaving more homeowners uninsured or underinsured. Without easy answers, the debate turns on three foundational questions: what insurance is meant to achieve, who should be included in the risk pool, and how risks should be classified and priced.