Phoenix, AZ | On October 30 and November 2, 2026, Governor Katie Hobbs issued emergency declarations following extreme weather, including heavy rains, high winds, and tornadoes impacting areas in Arizona. The storms caused financial challenges for individuals and businesses in those areas. The Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (“Department”) is issuing this call to action to insurers providing coverage in the affected areas.
The Department requests that all insurers providing any insurance coverage including life and health, property, casualty, and other types of insurance for individuals, groups, and businesses operating in storm affected areas of the State assist affected policyholders and be mindful of the difficulties individuals and businesses are experiencing. The Department encourages insurers to work with their insureds during this time so that coverage continues and claimants have adequate time to file claims and use their insurance benefits. We urge insurers to consider offering these and other types of relief:
Life and Health Insurers:
For policyholders who live in the impacted areas, the Department encourages health insurers to provide the following for the next ninety (90) days:
- Provide a grace period for payment of insurance premiums;
- Postpone cancellations and non-renewals;
- Waive early-refill time limits on active prescriptions;
- Allow replacement for lost or damaged medication;
- Permit one eyeglass or contact lens replacement and one hearing aid replacement;
- Permit one replacement for dentures or other prosthodontic devices;
- Permit replacement of covered disposable medical supplies and durable medical equipment (DME); and
- Waive additional fees, charges, referrals, eligibility and prior authorization requirements for medically necessary services, whether emergent or not. This applies to benefits and services obtained from both in- and out-of-network providers.
Property and Casualty Insurers:
For policyholders whose residence or business is in the storm-impacted areas, the Department encourages insurers to provide the following for the next ninety (90) days:
- Provide a grace period for payment of insurance premiums;
- Waive deductibles;
- Postpone cancellations and non-renewals;
- Quickly address requests for Additional Living Expenses (ALE);
- Extend reporting requirements for claims submissions or requests for additional information relating to claims;
- Extend the time for insureds to replace damaged or destroyed property subject to full replacement coverage;
- Provide a copy of the policy upon request by the policyholder;
- Suspend late payment, reinstatement or insufficient funds fees, along with any other fee, penalty, or interest charge resulting from the insured’s temporary inability to submit premium payments; and
- Extend accommodations to those with challenges in providing proof of loss.
Customer relief programs implemented during the emergency period will not be considered violations of the Unfair Trade Practices Act, including A.R.S. § 20-452 Prohibited Inducements, as long as the insurer administers its customer relief programs uniformly and consistently, without resulting in unfair discrimination between eligible customers. Insurers must continue to handle
claims in accordance with regulatory timeframes.
