Opinion: FAIR plan was meant to insure against racism, not wildfires
Briefly

With Southern California's wildfires contained, scrutiny of the state's fire insurance system, particularly the FAIR Plan, has intensified. Created to tackle racial discrimination, the FAIR Plan now serves as a controversial safety net as private insurers withdraw from high-risk wildfire zones. It possesses only $377 million in reserves, raising fears of potential bailouts for catastrophic losses. History shows a shift from providing equitable insurance access to incentivizing risky developments in fire-prone areas, highlighting a critical failure in addressing wildfire risk amidst changing insurance market dynamics.
FAIR Plan was created to combat discrimination but has inadvertently incentivized building in fire-prone areas, leading to increased risks of catastrophic losses.
The underlying issue is that with growing fears of needing a bailout, many private insurers refuse to cover homes in wildfire-susceptible zones.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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