Who Actually Pays—When Insurance Companies Keep Cashing In

Insurance Reform or DeSantis Corporate Bailout?

By Florida Night Train

06/30/25

Imagine this: You’ve faithfully paid your auto or home insurance premium for years. You’ve watched prices creep upward—but when disaster strikes, your protection feels shallow. No relief. No justice.

Now look at the numbers:

• Property and casualty (P/C) insurers reported $88 billion in profits for all of 2023, jumping from $39 billion in 2022—and have already posted $130 billion through Q3 2024 on the heels of a $60 billion industry run in 2021–22. These aren’t small gains—these are massive windfalls for insurance companies and their shareholders.
• The surge aligns with A.M. Best’s Q3 2023 data: premiums climbed 8.5% to $213 billion; underwriting profits changed from –$6.3 billion in Q3 2022 to + $4.1 billion; net income jumped from $2.8 billion to $15.6 billion—a fivefold increase. The combined ratio improved from 102.3 to 99.9, and policyholder surplus is a record $1.04 trillion.

This isn’t temporary or cyclical—it’s structural. Despite legislative reforms like HB 837/SB 236 and the PIP one-way fee change, premiums haven’t dropped. The insurers’ profits soar, while your wallet stays lighter.

Florida’s government claims lawsuit reform will bring down rates. But the facts tell another story:

• In 2023, insurers remained profitable after major tort-limiting reforms—without any bailout or forced consumer recompense. Premiums didn’t dip in response to reduced litigation risk and fewer lawsuits.
• Florida Chamber, State Farm, and others are backing sweeping new protections like HB 837/SB 236, which could strip your “one-way attorney fee” right and eliminate coverage if you’re found even 51% at fault.

Those reforms protect them, not you—and here’s the kicker: the industry donated heavily to lawmakers, including Gov. DeSantis, during and after the passage of these bills. Policies that protect corporations over people become easy when legislators listen more to donor checks than voters.

Who Isn’t Protected: The “Free Kill Law”

Beyond premiums, Florida stands alone in allowing the medical industry—and insurers—to sidestep accountability when adult, unmarried children die. Known grimly as the “Free Kill Law,” this legislation shields negligent medical providers and insurers behind gamblers’ interests: they won’t be held responsible for non-economic damages when an adult child dies. In such cases, you’re limited to medical bills—no justice for your emotional or mental suffering.

• HB 6017 sought to repeal this unjust cap, passing 104–6 in the House and 33–4 in the Senate. But Governor DeSantis has vowed to veto it, preserving the status quo.
• That mismatch—legislative consensus vs. unilateral executive resistance—raises a critical question: Is DeSantis governing for Floridians… or for corporate donors who benefit from these caps?

If DeSantis truly puts people first, why side with insurers and corporate interests over grieving parents and suffering adults?

Auto Insurance Reform: HB 1181’s Promise vs. Industry Pushback

Another front is on roads: HB 1181, championed by Rep. Danny Alvarez and supported across party lines—and by grassroots advocates like George Colella of Born to Ride for 45.
What the bill does:

• Repeals the personal injury protection (PIP) mandate under Florida’s no-fault law.
• Raises minimum bodily injury liability coverage from $10K to $25K per person / $50K per incident, with $10K property damage liability.
• Restores full tort liability for injury victims, including non-economic damages and punitive damages—moving us closer to national standards.

George Colella, national president of Born to Ride for 45, issued this warning:
“We the people – regular Floridians – are going up against a corporate insurance industry that’s been protected by a bureaucracy that coddles the rich and powerful… And what’s at stake? Our ability to afford to live in Florida.”

Wealthy insurers argue HB 1181 would increase litigation, push premiums even higher, and hurt low-income motorists. The APCIA interjected: “Efforts to repeal Florida’s no fault auto insurance system could result in higher auto insurance costs and increased litigation at a time when the state’s insurance market is in recovery.”

But let’s be frank: insurance companies have enormous surplus and profits. They’re the ones cashing in, while using arguments like “litigation will bankrupt us” as cover for preserving high margins. Their profits show they’re more than equipped to absorb reasonable legal accountability.

Questions Around Leadership & Loyalty

Governor DeSantis played a pivotal role:

• He backed the one-way fee repeal and broader tort protections for insurers.
• He’s vowed to veto HB 6017, blocking the repeal of the “Free Kill Law.”
• He continues to oppose HB 1181, citing fears of rising insurance costs—despite data showing the opposite.

Given the overwhelming legislative support for both HB 6017 and HB 1181—104–6 and 33–4 for the former; a broad coalition behind the latter—DeSantis’s unilateral blocking posture begs the question: whose side is he on?

• On one hand: Floridians—millions who pay high premiums; families grieving adult children with no closure; everyday riders and drivers priced out or left stranded.
• On the other: Insurance industry interests, protected in no-fault privilege, litigation shields, and corporate-backed policymaking.

Which side feels realer to you?

Data Doesn’t Lie: Premiums Don’t Drop When Industry Profits

Since the 2023 reforms to limit corporate liability:

• Premiums stayed high—no relief to consumers, even with insurers’ record earnings.
• Now insurers report 130 billion in profit in just 9 months of 2024.
• Meanwhile, your premiums haven’t dropped one cent.

It’s no coincidence. That profit spike coincides neatly with legal shields and caps passed during DeSantis’s tenure. It’s not about safeguarding consumer premiums—it’s about protecting bottom lines.

Where to Go From Here

1. HB 1181 (Auto Insurance Reform):
   • Scraps PIP’s failure, raises liability limits, and restores full tort rights.
   • More accountability = more competitive market + better driver behavior = potential for lowered costs.
   • Removes no-fault fraud and misuse, benefiting consumers long term.
2. HB 6017 (Medical Wrongful Death Reform):
   • Repeals jarring omissions that block parents from seeking justice after losing adult children.
   • Restores non-economic damages for grieving families.
3. Roll back existing tort shields (HB 837/SB 236-style reforms):
   • Restore one-way attorney’s fees
   • Reform comparative-fault limits
   • Give people back their constitutional right to access the courts.
4. Ensure transparency in political contributions from insurance companies to lawmakers and DeSantis—and demand accountability for policymaking that financially advantages donors while disadvantaging voters.

Final Take

The narrative that “litigation is driving premiums” falls apart under scrutiny. Instead, we see:

• A massive profit engine beneath inflated costs
• Strategically-timed legal shields passed in Tallahassee
• A Governor vetoing reforms demanded by the legislature and citizens
• A public stuck between rising bills and shrinking protections

That’s not public service—that’s protectionism for corporate interests over Floridians.
People of Florida: we deserve better. We deserve transparency, fair accountability, and protection—not profit-driven mailers and legislative cover-ups.
Ask yourself:

• Are our lawmakers representing us, or their donors?
• Will you stand up for families denied justice under the “Free Kill Law”?
• Can we reshape Florida’s insurance market to serve people instead of profits?

Now is the time. This is our state—and our stories matter more than their balance sheets.

Conclusion: We’re Taxpayers, Not Suckers

So let’s get this straight: after gouging us at the pump, the grocery store, and every renewal notice from our “beloved” insurance providers—Governor Ron DeSantis thinks we should also say “thank you” while they cash another billion-dollar check? We’re supposed to believe that gutting our legal rights with HB 837 is somehow a win for the people? Funny—President Donald J. Trump didn’t think so. He publicly blasted HB 837, calling it “very unfair to people who have been seriously hurt or killed” and rightly accused DeSantis of doing the bidding of big insurance donors instead of standing up for American families.

Here’s a newsflash for Tallahassee: we are not stupid.
We see the profits.
We feel the premiums.
We know the difference between “reform” and “corporate welfare dressed up as policy.”

So let this serve as a final warning from the very people who fund this government—Florida taxpayers:

We’re watching. We vote. We remember Mr. DeSantis, and if you keep siding with lobbyists and donors over grieving parents, over injured drivers, over honest citizens just trying to live—you will be replaced. At the ballot box. In the court of public opinion. And in the history books as the Governor who chose gold over justice.

We don’t want your prayers. We want your spine. And if you’ve lost it somewhere between the Capitol steps and a State Farm fundraising dinner, don’t worry—we’ll help you find it.
After all, this is still a government by the people… not bought by insurers.

Sources

• P/C profits data for 2023 and Q3 2024; A.M. Best Q3 2023 underwriting report and net income
• George Colella’s op-ed & quotes in support of HB 1181
• HB 1181 details & implications
• APCIA opposition commentary
• Legislative votes: HB 6017 (104-6, 33-4); DeSantis veto threats