insurance

As Washington state reels from a devastating wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes in Spokane last weekend, experts say the disaster has cast newfound uncertainty over a property insurance market that had just begun to stabilize.

California's insurers of last resort took a massive $1 billion hit in 2025. They want to pass the losses on to all customers — even those unlikely to be affected by wildfires or other natural disasters.

Wildfire-related home insurance cancellations and declinations — refusals to insure applicants — have skyrocketed in pockets of Nevada, and insurance regulators couldn’t give state lawmakers a solid explanation as to why.

PacificSource Health Plans, one of Montana’s three primary health insurance providers, will cease its Montana operations and exit the marketplace by the end of the year.

The State Auditor’s office is clamping down on what it called “a troubling and deceptive business practice” regarding “misleading” health insurance plans from companies that offer poor coverage and bad customer service.

In October, BCBSMT – the largest health insurance provider in Montana – said that up to 462,000 of its members’ data may have been exposed by a “cyber incident.”

Property insurance rates in Montana are increasing, advocates and insurance companies say, and the legislature has been tasked to figure out why.

The proposal comes in light of rising property insurance premiums and policy cancellations or nonrenewals across the country and much of the West.

Michael DeLong writes, "By conducting a complete and transparent study on insurance costs, the Montana Legislature can get better information on rising insurance premiums and non-renewals, inform consumers, and develop strong long-term strategies that will bring down costs."

A Bozeman woman is still fighting a surprise medical bill from Bozeman Health.