The insurance industry is pushing back against Vice President Kamala Harris after she claimed that insurance companies have canceled the policies of California wildfire victims, calling her statement “false, wrong, and dangerous.” During a press conference regarding the ongoing wildfires on Thursday, Harris said, “Many insurance companies have canceled insurance for a lot of the families who have been affected and will be affected, which is only going to delay or place an added burden on their ability to recover.”
“I think that is an important point that must be raised,” she continued, “and hopefully there can be some way to address that issue, because these families — so many of them — otherwise will not have the resources to recover in any meaningful way, and many of them have lost everything.” But David Sampson, president and CEO of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), told FOX Business, “It is false, wrong and dangerous to even insinuate that insurers are abandoning their customers, and it’s especially concerning coming from a former California statewide elected official who should know the law.” He added, “Insurers are committed to protecting the safety of those affected and providing expedited relief to their policyholders for the covered losses.”
Sampson pointed out that California law strictly prohibits insurers from canceling a policy during its term, except under very limited circumstances, such as non-payment of premiums or fraud. “So the implication that people who have insurance coverage effective on January 7th are being canceled — just to leave that impression with people and to create that fear — is irresponsible, in my view,” he said.
Even before this week’s wildfires, California was grappling with an insurance crisis, as many residents struggled to obtain homeowners insurance — mostly because of the insane cost of doing business in the Democrat-run state. The issue has been exacerbated by several carriers either reducing their exposure in the state or withdrawing entirely in recent years, citing significant losses and restrictions under California’s regulations that limit their ability to raise premiums or accurately assess risk.
Sampson says he has been warning California regulators for years about the vulnerability of the insurance market in the state. He explained, “Over the last almost decade now, for every dollar of homeowners premium that we have collected, we have paid out $1.09 in claims — and that’s not sustainable.” Harris’ remark is even more dangerous given that it was made in the wake of the murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in December, which — unforgivably — far too many Americans applauded.