site banner

Small-Scale Question Sunday for August 27, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

3
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I'm seeing articles about insurance companies withdrawing from Florida and California because of wild fires. Why are they exiting the market entirely instead of just raising prices to account for the higher risk?

I know that California at least has a state fund that serves as an insurer of last resort, I don't know much about it but I suspect that either there are regulations related to it that prohibit raising prices that much, or that everyone would use it instead of if prices were raised that much.

Also note that there's a lot of overhead involved in calculating what the rates should be and advertising them and offering them, if you expect that no one can afford the rates you would have to charge and you will get very little business, it may save money to shut down rather than pay the overhead to keep offering them.