Coastal Disaster Insurance in the Era of Global Warming : The Case for Relying on the Private Market

Recent hurricanes and other severe coastal weather have caused substantial property damage, which, in turn, has increased insurance rates and made insurance difficult to obtain in some locales. This Report suggests that subsidizing the cost of insurance by creating a federal wind insurance program is the wrong way to ensure that property owners can find insurance because subsidies will only increase the intensity of development and, as a result, future losses. Instead, the Report suggests that allowing insurance companies to establish market rate premiums will provide the right price signals to prevent excess development along the coast