Public Comment

In California, the FAIR Plan is an insurer of last resort that provides basic property insurance when coverage cannot be obtained in the normal market. A 2026 California Assembly background document describes the FAIR Plan’s purpose as maintaining availability of basic insurance during market failure while encouraging use of the normal insurance market where possible. The policy dispute is how to keep coverage available without making premiums unaffordable, overloading public backstops, or hiding the real cost of wildfire and climate risk. People cannot just go without home insurance, but they also cannot absorb unlimited rate hikes. I want a plan that keeps families covered while being honest about fire risk.

How should states keep home insurance available in high-risk areas?

Overall results

1
59% support · excluded by 6%
7

If rules make the market impossible, insurers leave and everyone ends up worse off.

2
59% support · excluded by 9%
7

Rates should reflect risk, but homeowners need a clear path to lower premiums by reducing that risk.

3
45% support · excluded by 14%
7

Insurance reform cannot solve repeated rebuilding in places where losses are becoming predictable.

4
42% support · excluded by 11%
7

If private insurers will not serve a community, the state needs a reliable backup that actually pays claims.

5
41% support · excluded by 17%
7

Insurance is part of housing stability. Companies should not be able to take safe-area premiums and abandon risky communities.

About the author