New Actuary CPD Tracker · all of your CPD in one app actuarycpd.com →
Live /The Daily Actuary · No. 287 /Wednesday, October 14, 2026 /
Featured Analysis · Reinsurance

Isaias Lands as 2026's First Hurricane and Reinsurers Hold January 1

By Sam Editor · October 14, 2026 · 6 min read

Hurricane Isaias hit near Destin at 105 mph with insured losses put at $4B to $6B by BMS, yet Gallagher Re says January 1 renewals will not move. OIR carrier exposure data shows why the loss stays with cedents.

Read the analysis →

This Week’s Analysis

One a day, Monday to Friday
  1. MonP&CCAS Tort Paper Finds $43.8B Excess as Its Two Methods Split 3x
  2. TueHealthCMS 2027 Stars Put 37% of Contracts, 71% of Enrollees at 4-Plus
  3. WedReinsuranceIsaias Lands as 2026's First Hurricane and Reinsurers Hold Jan 1

Today's Original Analysis

7 pieces in today's edition
Life & Annuities

AG 49-A Explained: How the Benchmark Index Account, the 25-Year Lookback and the 145% Earned-Rate Test Set the Maximum Illustrated Rate on Indexed Universal Life

AG 49-A caps an indexed universal life illustration at the lesser of a 25-year S&P 500 lookback and 145% of the insurer's net earned rate. A 9.5% cap backcasts to 6.10%; an insurer earning 4.0% may show only 5.80%. Oct 14
9 min
ReinsuranceOct 14 · 4 min

Hannover Re Asks 2.7x Expected Loss for Kaiser's Workers' Comp Quake Bond as Cat Bond Spreads Fall 9.5%

Acorn Re 2026-1 seeks $200M of parametric earthquake cover for Kaiser Permanente's workers' comp captive at a 2.00% to 2.25% spread, a 2.7x multiple, while market cat bond spreads fell 9.5% in September. HealthOct 14 · 4 min

UnitedHealth Cuts Its Expense Ratio 70 bps as the AI Gains It Quantifies Stay in Clinician Workflow

UnitedHealth's Q3 operating cost ratio fell to 12.8% from 13.5% and it credits AI, but every AI figure it gives sits in chart review and appeals, not in the automated claim decisions under discovery. P&COct 13 · 4 min

Arkansas Court Orders Walmart's Insurers to Defend 2,400 Opioid Suits, Splitting From Delaware on Bodily Injury

Arkansas's Court of Appeals held Walmart's CGL and excess insurers must defend more than 2,400 opioid suits, reading 'damages because of bodily injury' to reach government and hospital claims Delaware excluded. HealthOct 13 · 6 min

CMS 2027 Star Ratings: 188 Contracts at Four Stars, 71% of Enrollees, and a 6.3-Point Slide Out of the 70% Rebate Tier

CMS's 2027 Star Ratings put 188 MA-PD contracts (37%) at four stars or better, down from 229, while the enrollee share rose to 70.7%; the 4.5-star tier lost 6.3 points of enrollment, moving rebates from 70% to 65%. HealthOct 13 · 4 min

North Carolina State Health Plan Sues Atrium as Copay Waivers Undercut a $135 Million Tiered-Network Bet

North Carolina's State Health Plan sued Atrium Health after it promised copays below the plan's own Preferred tier. The 2027 tiered network, counted on for $135 million of savings, needs members to switch. Technology & AIOct 12 · 4 min

Six Trade Groups Ask NAIC to Pull GLMs From Its AI Supplement as Its Actuarial Panel Rejects the Line

The NAIC's AI Risk Evaluation Supplement v5.0 drew 33 comment submissions. Six insurer trade groups want GLMs out of scope; actuaries on the regulators' July panel said the GLM-versus-AI line does not hold.
“ AG 49-A caps an indexed universal life illustration at the lesser of a 25-year S&P 500 lookback and 145% of the insurer's net earned rate. A 9.5% cap backcasts to 6.10%; an insurer earning 4.0% may show only 5.80%. — Sam, in today's edition

Earlier This Week

Browse all 893 insights →

The Daily Actuary, in your inbox

One short email each morning: today's top original stories and the wire feed by line of business, with our 'Why It Matters' read on each.