California insurance laws
What California has enacted on insurance, what each law requires, and what the bills still moving would do. California is one of 51 states that enacted an insurance law in the 2025 and 2026 sessions.
167 new California laws take effect in 2027, 30 on insurance
- Bills in scope
- 146bills in scope
- Past committee
- 113past committee
- Most recent action
- 30 September 2026most recent action
Insurance laws enacted in California
68 insurance laws enacted in the California Legislature in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, newest first. Each links to the legislature's own page.
What it requires: A financial institution that makes loans secured by one- to four-family residences in California or purchases such obligations and holds hazard insurance proceeds in a loss draft account must pay interest at a rate of at least 2 percent simple interest per annum, credited to the account or paid directly to the borrower annually or upon account termination, whichever is earlier.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: Life or disability insurers must not cancel, limit, deny coverage, or make adverse underwriting decisions based on genetic characteristics or genetic test results, except for life or disability policies with face value exceeding $1,500,000 where test results are in the medical record and not from direct-to-consumer tests. Insurers must not require, request, or use genetic information for insurance purposes.
Life insurance and annuities, AI and data in underwriting and claims
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers licensed in California must not exclude, deny benefits to, or discriminate against subscribers, enrollees, policyholders, or insureds based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, including sex characteristics, intersex traits, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex stereotypes. They must not deny, limit, or impose additional cost sharing on coverage based on sex assigned at birth, gender identity, or gender-affirming care.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Any person who willfully impersonates a licensed bail agent and solicits or attempts to solicit bail from any individual commits a misdemeanor. Bail agents and impersonators must not engage in unauthorized solicitation of bail to family members or known contacts of arrested individuals.
Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Insurers must renew residential property insurance policies for at least three annual renewal periods or 36 months from the date of total loss caused by disaster. Insurers must not cancel or refuse to renew such policies for properties in ZIP Codes within or adjacent to fire perimeters for two years after state of emergency declaration based solely on wildfire occurrence.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: The California FAIR Plan Association must post quarterly on its internet website the number of policies issued in each ZIP Code, the association's risk exposure, and the number of policyholders removed through the clearinghouse program. The association must maintain an internet website and toll-free number for applicants and insureds.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must reimburse complete claims within 30 calendar days of receipt or notify claimants in writing that claims are contested or denied within 30 days. Plans and insurers must accept electronic medical records through standard electronic submission methods and must not deny, pend, or delay claims solely because their systems cannot accept documentation that otherwise meets requirements.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: The Department of Insurance must review and update distressed areas on or before July 1, 2027, and yearly thereafter. The department must consult with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, consider ZIP Codes meeting the 10 percent threshold, hold at least one public meeting for suggestions, and publish a bulletin listing distressed area ZIP Codes by January 1, 2028, and yearly thereafter.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must allow providers 90 days from the plan's or insurer's most recent action to submit a corrected claim after a claim denial or overpayment notice based on a remediable defect. Plans and insurers must not deny corrected claims on grounds that the provider missed other applicable claim filing deadlines.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Pharmacists may select alternative biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with prescribed reference products if prescribers do not indicate "Do not substitute." Pharmacists must notify prescribers within five days of dispensing. Health care service plans and health insurers must not limit coverage for previously approved drugs if appropriately prescribed and safe and effective, but may require trial of AB-rated generics or biosimilars under specified conditions with 30 days' advance notice.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: An examined company must take corrective actions to remediate violations of applicable statutes, regulations, statutory accounting principles, and other legally binding rules identified in an examination report within a timeframe agreed upon by the commissioner. If the company fails to adopt necessary corrective action, it is subject to penalties.
Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Covered service providers must disclose to public agencies all direct and indirect compensation they expect to receive for brokerage or consulting services before entering into, extending, renewing, or materially amending contracts, if compensation exceeds $1,000. Covered service providers must not request, accept, or receive compensation unless disclosed, and must not structure arrangements to evade disclosure.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
- AB 2054Family temporary disability insurance program: covered active duty.Takes effect 1 January 2027
What it does: Expands the definition of 'covered active duty' under the family temporary disability insurance program to include training, non-foreign deployments, and state active duty calls for reserve components, allowing workers to receive up to 8 weeks of wage replacement benefits for these additional military service situations.
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers covering dental services must pay noncontracting dental providers directly for covered services upon written assignment of benefits from enrollees, provide predetermination or prior authorization, and reimburse at least that amount. Noncontracting dental providers must disclose they are noncontracting and may not charge enrollees more than estimated cost-sharing before plan payment.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: The California FAIR Plan Association must take corrective actions specified by the Insurance Commissioner to rectify violations of applicable statutes, regulations, accounting principles, the plan of operation, or other legally binding rules identified in examination or operational reports. All insurers licensed to write basic property insurance must participate in the association as a condition of authority to transact such insurance.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must provide coverage without cost sharing for cervical cancer screening tests ordered by in-network providers and consistent with nationally recognized clinical guidelines, including FDA-authorized or cleared self-collected cervical screening home test kits, for plans issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. Medi-Cal must cover cervical cancer screening tests and FDA-authorized home test kits ordered by health care providers without cost sharing on or after January 1, 2027.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Home protection companies must maintain insurance covering 100% of contractual obligations, issued by admitted insurers with AM Best rating B++ or better and $15,000,000 surplus. Home protection contract limited lines agents must license with the commissioner, maintain vendor registers, ensure vendor compliance, and submit training materials. Home protection contract vendors must provide required disclosures, act ethically, and comply with collection procedures.
Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: A personal vehicle sharing program must assume liability of the vehicle owner for bodily injury or property damage to injured third parties in amounts not less than $250,000 for bodily injury or death for one person, $500,000 for bodily injury or death for all persons, and $100,000 for property damage. The program must provide proof of compliance, maintain electronic records, and defend and indemnify the vehicle owner if named as defendant.
Auto insurance
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must annually verify and delete inaccurate provider directory listings, meeting accuracy benchmarks of 60% by July 1, 2026, increasing to 95% by July 1, 2029. They must provide coverage for services when enrollees reasonably relied on inaccurate directory information and reimburse providers the out-of-network amount.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: The California FAIR Plan Association must provide all policyholders with an annual notice about coverage options at initial issuance and renewal. On and after January 1, 2028, the association may share policyholder information with participating insurers in clearinghouse programs, who must simultaneously offer policies to agents or brokers of record and policyholders. Participating insurers must report quarterly on policies issued to FAIR Plan policyholders commencing May 1, 2027.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: Licensees must become inactive if dissolved, forfeited, terminated, canceled, or surrendered by the Secretary of State. Public adjusters must deposit fiduciary funds within 15 calendar days (or 7 days for catastrophic disasters) and remit settlement funds within 30 calendar days (or 15 days for catastrophic disasters). Licensees must promptly respond to commissioner inquiries within 21 days.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Life insurance and annuities, Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Beginning January 1, 2028, insurers must deliver renewal offers or nonrenewal notices to named policyholders at least 90 days before policy expiration, provide detailed plain language explanations of nonrenewals or coverage reductions, and allow policyholders at least 90 days to remedy remediable conditions. Insurers must submit annual reports to the Insurance Commissioner by April 1 each year.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Licensees, surplus line insurers, reinsurers, and third-party service providers must collect only personal information reasonably necessary for insurance transactions, provide clear privacy notices, obtain consumer consent for non-transaction uses, retain records per written policies, and prohibit retaliation against consumers exercising privacy rights.
AI and data in underwriting and claims, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Residential property insurers must offer extended replacement cost coverage of at least 50% above policy limits and extended additional living expenses coverage of at least 50% above policy limits. Insurers must assign a primary point of contact within 30 days for state of emergency claims. Insurers must submit disaster response plans and report losses within 30 days of emergency declaration.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Motor vehicle glass repair shops must notify customers before service whether the vehicle has an advanced driver assistance system and whether calibration is needed. Repair shops must not contract for insurance-paid repairs until a claim is made and a claim number received. Repair shops must not offer rebates or incentives for claims, submit false documentation, misrepresent coverage, or perform unnecessary work.
Auto insurance
- SB 1023Health care coverage: antiretroviral drugs, drug devices, and drug products.Takes effect 1 January 2027
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must not subject antiretroviral drugs, drug devices, or drug products medically necessary for HIV/AIDS prevention to prior authorization or step therapy, except that at least one therapeutically equivalent version must be covered without such restrictions. Contracts or policies issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, covering non-self-administered antiretroviral drugs approved by the FDA must also include them as outpatient prescription drug benefits.
Health coverage and plan regulation
What it requires: Farm labor contractors must deposit surety bonds with the Labor Commissioner based on annual gross receipts: $50,000 for gross receipts up to $500,000, $100,000 for $500,000 to $2,000,000, and $150,000 for gross receipts greater than $2,000,000. The Labor Commissioner must include bond information on the public farm labor contractor license database.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
- AB 1126Medi-Cal managed care plans: enrollees with other health care coverage.Takes effect 1 January 2027
What it requires: The State Department of Health Care Services must ensure that providers not contracted with Medi-Cal managed care plans do not face administrative requirements significantly exceeding those for billing the fee-for-service system. Providers participating in fee-for-service need not contract with managed care plans to bill for Medi-Cal allowable costs for enrollees with other health coverage, except managed care plans may require agreements for prior authorization or non-covered services.
Health coverage and plan regulation
What it requires: Insurers must not terminate additional living expenses coverage for residential property smoke damage claims until properties are cleared for habitation per California Environmental Protection Agency standards. Insurers must inspect smoke-damaged properties within 30 calendar days of claim notice, pay actual cash value within 30 days of inspection, and pay undisputed replacement cost within 15 days of receiving contractor contracts. Insurers must cover sampling and testing costs required by the standards.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: A receiver, rehabilitator, liquidator, or conservator must not void any transfer of money or other property arising under or in connection with any Federal Home Loan Bank security agreement with an insurer-member unless the transfer was made with actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud existing or future creditors. A Federal Home Loan Bank must not be stayed, enjoined, or prohibited from exercising or enforcing any right or cause of action against collateral pledged by an insurer-member under any Federal Home Loan Bank security agreement.
Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: An employer may deposit disability indemnity payments in a prepaid card account if the employee provides written consent. The prepaid card must allow full balance withdrawal without fees, provide reasonable ATM access, permit fee-free point-of-sale purchases, and prohibit credit links. Only specified fees are permissible.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
What it requires: Health plans must pay a managed care organization provider tax of $8.85 per countable enrollee per month for calendar years 2027, 2028, and 2029. The State Department of Health Care Services must not collect the tax until the Director certifies federal compliance or receives federal approval. Tax revenues fund Medi-Cal administrative costs and capitation payments.
Health coverage and plan regulation
What it requires: The Department of Insurance shall conduct a study of property, liability, and builders' risk insurance coverages available to affordable housing entities receiving grants, loans, or tax credits from specified state agencies. Insurers must provide information requested by the commissioner. The department must submit a report with policy and budget recommendations within one year of appropriation.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Health insurers must include essential health benefits in individual and small group health insurance policies issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, if the United States Department of Health and Human Services approves a new benchmark plan, including coverage for specified fertility services, durable medical equipment, and hearing exams and aids.
Health coverage and plan regulation
What it requires: Insurers issuing automobile liability insurance policies must not classify a motor vehicle as a common carrier, commercial vehicle, for-hire vehicle, permissive use vehicle, or livery solely because the named insured is operating or using the vehicle to provide public social services or social service transportation.
Auto insurance
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must limit cost sharing for insulin prescription drugs to $35 for a 30-day supply for large group plans issued after January 1, 2026, and individual or small group plans issued after January 1, 2027. They must not impose step therapy as a prerequisite to insulin coverage starting January 1, 2026, and must include at least one insulin per drug type on formularies.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Employers of peace officers and firefighters employed by cities, counties, fire protection districts, or city and counties must limit their recovery from third-party liability insurance to no more than one-third of the policy limits when the employee's total damages exceed net recovery and total insurance is insufficient. Employers must not assert credits or offsets against future workers' compensation benefits for these employees.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
What it requires: Health care service plans must include essential health benefits in individual or small group contracts issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, if the United States Department of Health and Human Services approves a new benchmark plan, including fertility services, specified durable medical equipment, and hearing exams and aids.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: The director may determine whether an uninsured employer or substantial shareholder conveyed real property after injury but before lien recording with intent to retain beneficial interest, creating a resulting trust. When the director makes such a determination, a certificate of lien shall attach to the property.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
What it requires: Full service health care service plans and health insurers, or their delegates, must subscribe to and use the CAQH credentialing form on and after January 1, 2028. They must make credentialing determinations within 90 days of receiving completed applications and notify applicants of receipt within 10 business days. Providers must be activated and notified within 10 days of approval.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: All interested parties must disclose in writing any financial interest in an entity providing services to a third-party payer or other entity when presenting a claim for payment. Interested parties other than claims administrators or network service providers are prohibited from referring persons for services or using services from entities in which they have a financial interest.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Pharmacy benefit managers must use passthrough pricing models, derive income only from pharmacy benefit management fees, and direct 100 percent of manufacturer rebates to payers. They must not require use of only affiliated pharmacies, discriminate against nonaffiliated pharmacies, conduct spread pricing, or impose reconciliation reductions on pharmacist services.
Health coverage and plan regulation
What it requires: Employers of deceased local firefighters, peace officers, and Sheriff's Special Officers of Orange County must continue providing health benefits to the deceased employee's spouse under prior terms, or to minor dependents until age 26 if no surviving spouse exists.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
What it requires: Insurers must not knowingly employ runners, cappers, steerers, or other persons to procure clients or patients for workers' compensation or insurance claims. Applicants and licensees must notify the commissioner within 30 days when background information changes, including administrative actions regarding professional licenses or unlawful conduct allegations.
Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: The Department of Insurance must develop and administer the California Safe Homes grant program to reduce wildfire losses and improve insurability. When awarding grants, the department must prioritize roof replacement and noncombustible zones per Safer from Wildfires regulations, then communitywide mitigation projects. The department must collect performance data and publish reports by January 1, 2027, and every two years thereafter.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Applicants for insurance agent licenses must complete 12 hours of study on ethics and the Insurance Code, including one hour on insurance fraud. The curriculum board must develop and approve the ethics course curriculum, which the commissioner must approve. Providers must obtain certification for 12-hour ethics courses.
Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it does: Establishes the Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation Program to fund universities developing a public wildfire catastrophe model and creates the Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation Account within the Insurance Fund for these purposes.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: Admitted insurers in a group with prior year written premiums of $50,000,000 or more from specified insurance lines must submit annual reports to the commissioner by March 1, 2026, and March 1 each year thereafter, containing reinsurance program placement data and probabilistic catastrophic model information. Insurers must promptly respond to commissioner inquiries. Insurers must not require proof of loss less than 100 days after losses relating to declared states of emergency and must provide advance personal property payments of 60 percent of policy limits up to $350,000 for furnished residences.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Insurers shall not cancel or refuse to renew a policy of commercial property insurance for a property in any ZIP Code within or adjacent to a fire perimeter for one year after a state of emergency declaration, based solely on wildfire occurrence, except for willful or grossly negligent acts by the insured, unrelated losses rendering the risk ineligible, or physical changes making the property uninsurable.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: The Department of Insurance must consider whether to update the Safer from Wildfires regulations on or before January 1, 2030, and every five years thereafter to include additional building hardening measures for property-level mitigation efforts and communitywide wildfire mitigation programs. The department must consult with specified agencies and stakeholders and develop a public participation process including at least one public meeting and public comment periods.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: The California FAIR Plan Association, if granted prior approval from the Insurance Commissioner, may request the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to issue bonds to finance claims costs or increase liquidity and claims-paying capacity. If the association cannot timely meet repayment obligations, it must assess members in necessary amounts and at necessary times to pay all obligations in full.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: The Speaker of the Assembly and the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Rules shall serve as nonvoting, ex officio members of the California FAIR Plan Association governing committee, and each may name a designee to serve in their place.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: The California FAIR Plan Association must create an automatic payment system and accept automatic payments for premiums from policyholders on or before April 1, 2026. The association must not cancel or nonrenew a FAIR Plan policy solely because the policyholder is not enrolled in automatic payments.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: The California FAIR Plan Association must offer basic property insurance for manufactured homes and mobilehomes under the same terms and conditions as basic property insurance sold for other residential dwellings.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: Licensed contractors must file a current and valid Certificate of Workers' Compensation Insurance or Certification of Self-Insurance with the Contractors State License Board before issuance, reinstatement, reactivation, renewal, or continued maintenance of a license. Sole owner licensees, partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies, and tribal business licensees found to have employed workers without maintaining workers' compensation coverage are subject to minimum civil penalties of $10,000, $20,000 respectively, with additional penalties up to $30,000 per occurrence.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
What it requires: For injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2026, active firefighting members of fire departments providing fire protection to commercial airports regulated by the FAA and trained and certified by the State Fire Marshal must be covered under workers' compensation presumptions for hernia, heart trouble, pneumonia, cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, tuberculosis, blood-borne infectious diseases, biochemical substance exposure, and meningitis.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must report prior authorization statistics by December 31, 2026. By January 1, 2028, they must cease requiring prior authorization for covered health care services approved at rates of 90 percent or higher, as identified by their respective departments. They may reinstate prior authorization only for specific providers based on clear and convincing evidence of fraud or clinically inappropriate care.
Health coverage and plan regulation
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must include qualified autism service providers, qualified autism service professionals, and qualified autism service paraprofessionals in provider directories with accurate, current information. Plans must update online directories weekly and printed directories quarterly, investigate reported inaccuracies within 30 business days, and allow providers to verify directory information.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: The State Department of State Hospitals must treat heart trouble that develops or manifests during employment of a peace officer as defined in Penal Code Section 830.38 as an injury arising out of and in the course of employment, presumed compensable unless controverted by other evidence.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
What it requires: The administrative director shall develop and make available a template qualified medical evaluator report form including all necessary statutory and regulatory requirements. The administrative director shall develop and make available a medical evaluation request form for communicating with panel qualified medical evaluators in advance of evaluations. The Division of Workers' Compensation shall adopt regulations to implement these provisions by January 1, 2027.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
What it requires: Commencing July 1, 2026, institutions of higher education must terminate student health insurance coverage within the same calendar month if feasible, but no later than the last day of the calendar month in which a 30-day notice period ends, when a student certificate holder requests termination due to graduation, leave of absence, or no longer being enrolled. Students must receive notice of premium liability if they choose not to terminate.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Transportation network companies shall provide uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage in the amount of sixty thousand dollars per person and three hundred thousand dollars per incident, solely as the transportation network company's obligation, from the moment a passenger enters until the passenger exits the vehicle.
Auto insurance
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must pay annual assessments determined by the Department of Managed Health Care and Department of Insurance in consultation with the University of California. Total annual assessment shall not exceed three million two hundred thousand dollars for fiscal years 2026–27 to 2032–33, inclusive. Assessments must be paid by August 1 each year.
Health coverage and plan regulation
What it requires: Manufacturers of baby food must test representative samples of each production aggregate at proficient laboratories for toxic elements (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury) at least monthly beginning January 1, 2024. Manufacturers must disclose test results on their websites and include QR codes on product labels linking to results and FDA guidance.
What it requires: Pharmacists may dispense mifepristone and medication abortion drugs without standard labeling requirements (patient name, prescriber name, pharmacy name and address) if a prescription number identifies the prescription, and must maintain a log of such dispensations. Healing arts practitioners and licensed clinics cannot be subject to criminal, civil, disciplinary, or licensing action for prescribing, furnishing, or transporting mifepristone or medication abortion drugs lawful in California.
What it requires: A financial institution that makes loans on one- to four-family residences or purchases obligations secured by such property and holds hazard insurance proceeds in a loss draft account pending rebuilding or repair must pay at least 2 percent simple interest per annum on those funds and may not impose fees that would result in less than 2 percent interest being paid.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
What it requires: Health care service plans and health insurers must not require enrollees or insureds previously diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder or autism to receive a rediagnosis to maintain coverage for behavioral health treatment, effective for contracts issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. Treatment plans must be made available upon request. Plans and insurers must not discontinue or delay existing treatment while awaiting rediagnosis.
Health coverage and plan regulation, Licensing, solvency and market conduct
What it requires: Skilled nursing facilities must have an alternative power source for at least 96 hours during power outages, complying on or after January 1, 2026 when the State Department of Health Care Services publishes notice of sufficient legislative appropriation. Pharmacy benefit managers must obtain a Department of Managed Health Care license by January 1, 2027 or when the licensure process is established, whichever is later.
Licensing, solvency and market conduct
Insurance in California, by topic
Licensing, solvency and market conduct
72 bills, 34 enacted. Enacted in 47 states.
Health coverage and plan regulation
58 bills, 21 enacted. Enacted in 47 states.
Property, catastrophe and climate risk
45 bills, 21 enacted. Enacted in 31 states.
Workers' compensation, surety and specialty lines
22 bills, 11 enacted. Enacted in 45 states.
Auto insurance
7 bills, 4 enacted. Enacted in 29 states.
AI and data in underwriting and claims
4 bills, 2 enacted. Enacted in 12 states.
Life insurance and annuities
3 bills, 2 enacted. Enacted in 24 states.
Insurance bills in California
The bills not yet law, furthest along first, with what each would do.
68Enacted
16Cleared both chambers
29Past committee
33Introduced or inactive
146 bills in scope
Cleared both chambers
16
What it would do: Requires Medi-Cal managed care plans to submit annual reports on pharmacist services to the department, which must compile and submit a consolidated report to the Legislature by March 1 each year, with enforcement authority for noncompliance.
What it would do: Redefines 'unreasonable rate increase' for health plans and insurers to mean rates the Director or Commissioner determines are excessive, unjustified, unfairly discriminatory, or otherwise unreasonable. Requires plans and insurers to demonstrate how health care cost targets impact rate development and to conduct enhanced affordability reviews.
What it would do: Expands the definition of claim-related documents that insurers must provide to claimants within 15 calendar days to include all preliminary and final valuation, measurement, and loss adjustment calculations relating to loss amount, covered damage, and repair costs.
What it would do: Codifies insurance claim response deadlines for residential property insurance: acknowledgment within 15 days, acceptance or denial within 40 days, and payment within 30 days. Requires interest accrual on late payments and extends replacement cost collection timelines to 12 months or 36 months for state of emergency losses.
What it would do: Requires health care service plans and health insurers to keep prior authorizations valid for at least one year from approval or throughout prescribed treatment if less than one year.
What it would do: Adds pregnancy as a triggering event allowing individuals to enroll in or change individual health benefit plans outside regular enrollment periods for both health care service plans and disability insurers.
What it would do: Requires health care service plans, health insurers, and Medi-Cal to cover up to a 12-month supply of FDA-approved prescription hormone therapy. Prohibits discrimination in health coverage based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, and intersex traits.
What it would do: Establishes the Community Hardening Commission within the Department of Insurance to develop wildfire community hardening standards and guidelines by July 1, 2027, and requires the Department of Insurance to develop guidelines for a wildfire data sharing platform.
What it would do: Requires large group health care service plans and health insurers to cover up to 12 behavioral health visits for enrollees or insureds living in counties with declared wildfires who experienced loss, trauma, or displacement, effective January 1, 2026, without utilization review.
What it would do: Modifies how permanent disability is measured for subsequent workers' compensation injuries occurring after January 1, 2005, using whole person impairment ratings without occupation or age adjustments. Requires substantial evidence of prior disability, establishes a 5-year filing deadline for claims, and transfers payment authority from SCIF to the Director of Industrial Relations as trustee of the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund.
What it would do: Until January 1, 2031, creates a disputable presumption that heat-related injuries to farmworkers in agriculture arise from employment if the employer fails to comply with heat illness prevention standards, and establishes a $5,000,000 Farmworker Climate Change Heat Injury and Death Fund.
What it would do: Shortens prior authorization decision timelines for health care service plans and disability insurers to 3 business days for electronic submissions or 5 business days for non-electronic submissions, and to 24 hours or 48 hours respectively for urgent cases, while excluding Medi-Cal managed care plans from these changes.
What it would do: Prohibits health care service plans and health insurers from subjecting antiretroviral drugs, devices, or products for HIV prevention to prior authorization or step therapy, except when therapeutically equivalent alternatives exist. Requires coverage without cost sharing for FDA-approved preexposure prophylaxis drugs and includes non-self-administered versions as prescription drug benefits.
What it would do: Prohibits health care service plans and health insurers from requiring prior authorization for the initial 12 physical therapy visits for a new condition in contracts issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. Requires physical therapy providers to verify coverage, disclose costs, and obtain written consent for potentially uncovered services.
What it would do: Requires health care service plans and health insurers that impose prior authorization to publicly report prior authorization data on their websites and submit annual claims and prior authorization data to regulators, with regulators posting disaggregated information online.
What it would do: Requires health care service plans and health insurers to provide meaningful language access to individuals with limited English proficiency, including qualified interpreters and translators at no cost, and prohibits requiring individuals to provide their own interpreters. Establishes administrative penalties up to $10,000 for willful violations.
Past committee
9 of 29 shown
What it would do: Requires title insurers to file rate schedules with the commissioner and make them publicly available via internet links for at least 40 days before use. Modifies filing requirements for underwritten title companies and controlled escrow companies, and authorizes the commissioner to object to new or modified rates.
What it would do: Establishes the Fee Schedule Intensive Technical Support for Onboarding Program to help small, rural schools and other entities bill for behavioral health services to children and youth under age 25 through the state fee schedule, with a lead entity providing technical assistance to up to 25 participating entities over three years.
What it would do: Requires health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, to cover followup screening or diagnostic services for lung cancer without copayment, coinsurance, deductible, or other cost sharing, except as permitted for high deductible health plans under federal requirements.
What it would do: Requires health care service plans and health insurers to annually report treatment denials and modifications by type of care, diagnosis, and age starting June 1, 2026. Imposes administrative penalties of $25,000 to $500,000 on plans or insurers with 10+ independent medical reviews annually where more than 50% result in overturned or reversed denials in any single care category.
What it would do: Requires individual and group health care service plans and health insurance policies that provide outpatient prescription drug coverage and are issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, to cover intensive behavioral therapy, bariatric surgery, and at least one FDA-approved antiobesity medication for obesity treatment.
What it would do: Requires insurers to notify the Employment Development Department of suspected premium fraud in workers' compensation claims. Allows insurers to submit wage records to EDD for discrepancy identification and authorizes EDD to provide detailed payroll information to insurers for fraud investigation purposes, with insurers reimbursing EDD's costs.
What it would do: Requires the California Earthquake Authority to provide its annual report to the Senate and Assembly Insurance Committees and post the certified examination report on its website. Requires a working group to incorporate hazard mitigation projects into risk transfer recommendations by January 1, 2028.
What it would do: Reduces the timeframe for insurers to provide free copies of fire insurance policies to insureds after a covered loss from 30 calendar days to 15 calendar days of receiving a request.
What it would do: Requires the Department of Managed Health Care to maintain a public internet website displaying legal name, license number and status, initial licensure date, and license expiration date for each licensed pharmacy benefit manager.
Showing the 25 furthest along of 78. Subscribers see all of them, filtered and searchable. Bill titles link to the California Legislature's own page.
What counts as insurance legislation
In scope: Health coverage and plan regulation; auto; property and catastrophe; life and annuities; aI and data in underwriting; workers' compensation and specialty lines; and licensing, solvency and market conduct.
Questions
Does California have an insurance law?
Yes. California enacted 68 insurance laws in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, among them AB 1278, AB 1798 and AB 1876. Each is listed on this page with what it requires.
When do California's insurance laws take effect?
AB 1278 on 1 January 2027, AB 1798 on 1 January 2027, AB 1876 on 1 January 2027, AB 1927 on 1 January 2027 and AB 2038 on 1 January 2027. The others have no single date in their text.
Which insurance bills are moving in California?
45 bills not yet law have passed a committee or a chamber, the furthest along AB 2565 (vetoed), SB 1037 (vetoed) and SB 877 (vetoed).
What does California legislate on most in insurance?
Licensing, solvency and market conduct (72 bills), Health coverage and plan regulation (58 bills) and Property, catastrophe and climate risk (45 bills).
Are these summaries reviewed by a lawyer?
No. Which bills count as Insurance bills, and the line on what each law requires or each bill would do, are drafted by software from the bill's own text and not reviewed by an attorney. Every bill links to the legislature's own record: read the text before relying on it. The list covers bills from the 2025 and 2026 sessions.
Other practice areas in California
- AI in California78
- Alcohol in California31
- Cannabis in California18
- Children's Online Safety in California21
- Cybersecurity in California9
- Data center and energy in California16
- Data Privacy in California50
- Employment in California196
- Healthcare in California246
- Intellectual Property in California10
- Packaging and PFAS in California36
- Payments and fintech in California15
- Rental housing in California44
- Tobacco and nicotine in California8
- Transportation in California30
- All jurisdictions
Insurance legislation in other jurisdictions
52 more currently hold bills in this tracker
- New Jersey539
- New York481
- Texas314
- Massachusetts246
- Connecticut230
- Louisiana214
- Maryland208
- Missouri197
- Hawaii190
- Rhode Island188
- Mississippi187
- Florida185
- West Virginia175
- Illinois174
- Virginia158
- Montana155
- Oklahoma152
- Pennsylvania152
- Michigan137
- Iowa127
- Georgia112
- Kentucky109
- Tennessee99
- Indiana93
- Arizona91
- South Carolina86
- North Carolina80
- Minnesota78
- Oregon74
- Ohio70
- Utah70
- Arkansas68
- Washington67
- Kansas66
- Maine66
- New Hampshire63
- Nebraska60
- New Mexico59
- Colorado56
- Nevada54
- Congress48
- Wisconsin48
- Idaho47
- Alaska38
- Alabama32
- Delaware30
- North Dakota29
- Vermont29
- South Dakota21
- District of Columbia8
- Puerto Rico6
- Wyoming4
Know when California's insurance law changes
An alert when a bill moves, and one report a month on what changed in every state and Congress.