Traditional Insurance is Rigged: How Carriers Profit While You Overpay
September 15, 2025

How Traditional Insurance is Rigged

Traditional Insurance is Rigged: How Carriers Profit While You Overpay 

If you’ve ever felt like you're paying more and getting less from your insurance provider, you’re not imagining things. The truth is, the traditional insurance model is built to benefit carriers, not customers. While your premiums keep rising, insurance company margins and executive bonuses are hitting all-time highs. This disconnect highlights the deep-rooted traditional insurance problems that leave businesses overpaying for coverage with little to show in return. In this post, we’ll break down how the insurance industry profits at your expense, why the current model is broken, and how captive insurance advantages offer a smarter, performance-based alternative. If you're comparing captive vs commercial insurance or looking for ways to regain control over your risk costs, this is the information traditional carriers don’t want you to see. 

 

The Problem with Traditional Insurance 

Here’s the hard truth: traditional insurance isn’t built to protect policyholders, it’s built to generate profits for shareholders. The big commercial insurance carriers collect your premiums, invest that money to grow their returns, and then work to pay out as little as possible in claims. The less they pay, the more they keep, and that money goes straight to executive bonuses and shareholder dividends, not back to the people actually carrying the risk. 

This is one of the core traditional insurance problems. Even if your company improves its safety record or reduces risk, your premiums rarely go down. You’re given little to no transparency in the underwriting process, so you’re left guessing how your rates are even determined. And when it comes time to file a claim, you may face delays, scrutiny, or outright denials, all aimed at protecting the insurance company’s bottom line. 

What makes it worse is that you still end up footing the bill for industry-wide losses, even if your individual performance has been exceptional. That’s the rigged nature of the system: insurance industry profits continue to rise while responsible businesses like yours get stuck paying more for less value. 

 

The Truth is in the Numbers 

Let’s be real, when you follow the money, the picture becomes clear. Traditional insurance companies are doing just fine… in fact, they’re thriving. The average insurance company profit margin in the U.S. property and casualty space has stayed strong, usually landing between 8% and 10%, even during tough economic times. 

In 2023 alone, the top 10 insurers pulled in a staggering $70 billion in combined net income. And while those profits keep climbing, claims payouts have been shrinking. Some major carriers are now paying out less than 60 cents for every dollar in premiums they collect. At the same time, executive pay continues to skyrocket. One CEO of a top U.S. insurance company took home over $20 million last year, even as policyholders faced rising premiums and slower, more difficult claims processes. 

This isn’t just a flawed system, it’s one designed to put shareholders first. The gap between what you pay and what you get has never been wider. And that’s exactly why more businesses are exploring captive insurance advantages, where performance drives cost, not profit margins. 

 

How Captive Insurance is Making a Change 

Captive insurance turns the traditional insurance model on its head. Instead of paying into a system that exists to benefit shareholders, a captive lets you form or join your own insurance company, one that covers your specific risks and puts you in control. Unlike traditional carriers, captives offer real transparency. You know exactly how your premiums are set, and your costs are tied directly to how well you manage risk. If your performance is strong, you pay less, simple as that. You also control how claims are handled, which means faster decisions that work in your favor. And rather than watching profits disappear into someone else’s pocket, any underwriting gains or surplus stay with you. When you look at captive vs commercial insurance, the difference is clear: captives align incentives, reward good performance, and give you ownership over your insurance strategy. 

 

What Kind of Business Owners Should Look into Captive Insurance? 

Captive insurance isn’t just for massive corporations anymore. Today, more mid-sized companies, especially in industries like construction, healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing are turning to captives as a smarter way to manage risk and cut unnecessary insurance costs. If your business is paying $500,000 or more annually in premiums, or if you've been hit with premium increases that don’t reflect your actual risk, it’s probably time to explore your options. Captives offer the transparency and control that traditional insurance models simply don’t, putting your performance at the center, not the insurance industry’s profits. 

 

At the end of the day, the traditional insurance model is built to serve the wrong people. While you're doing everything right, managing risk, staying compliant, keeping your business protected, you’re still stuck paying rising premiums with little return. Meanwhile, insurance industry profits keep climbing, executive bonuses get fatter, and you're left holding the bill. It doesn't have to be this way. Captive insurance offers a better path. It’s a model based on performance, transparency, and control, something traditional carriers just can’t offer. If you're tired of the same old traditional insurance problems, and you’re serious about reducing costs and taking ownership of your risk strategy, it’s time to look at the difference between captive vs commercial insurance. 

At KT Black, we help businesses break free from the rigged system and take control through smart, performance-based insurance solutions. Captives aren’t just for big corporations anymore, they’re for companies like yours that are ready for something better. 

If you're paying too much and getting too little, let's talk about how a captive can work for you. 

 


September 5, 2025
If you're like most business owners, you’re tired of rising insurance premiums, confusing policy changes, and feeling like just another number to your carrier. You work hard to manage risk and control costs, so why does it seem like your efforts never pay off when renewal season rolls around? That frustration is exactly why more companies are turning to group captive insurance and staying for the long haul. With a captive insurance retention rate hovering around 98%, it’s clear something is working. But what’s behind that loyalty? It’s more than just numbers. The answer lies in a combination of financial control, customized coverage, and a community-focused approach that traditional insurance simply can’t match. Add in powerful group captive benefits like profit-sharing and ownership, and you start to see why this model is changing the game. So, what makes captive insurance so sticky, and why do members never want to leave? Let’s dig into the mindset behind it. Why Captive Members Think and Act Like Owners One of the biggest reasons behind the sky-high captive insurance retention rate is because members stop being just policyholders and start thinking like owners. In a group captive, you’re not just handing over a premium and hoping for the best. You’re actively involved in how risk is managed, how claims are handled, and even how profits are shared. It’s a complete shift from the passive role most businesses play in traditional insurance. This ownership mentality changes everything and increases: Accountability : When it’s your money on the line, you make smarter decisions. Captive members are more focused on safety and loss prevention, because fewer claims can lead to real financial returns. Transparency : Unlike the black box of traditional insurance, captives offer full visibility into claims data, reserves, and performance metrics. Engagement – You’re not just buying insurance. You’re helping to run a risk management program that can actually improve your bottom line. With traditional carriers, it often feels like you’re throwing premiums into a void, with little control and even less reward. But in a group captive, you’re building something sustainable. That’s not just insurance, it’s a long-term business strategy. Financial Return  One of the biggest reasons businesses stick with group captives? The chance to get money back. Unlike traditional insurance, where premiums keep climbing no matter what, group captive insurance offers a refreshing and rewarding approach. When claims are well managed, any surplus premiums aren’t just pocketed by an insurer. Instead, they’re shared back with the members. This profit-sharing model directly rewards businesses that prioritize safety and smart risk management. With traditional insurance, your premiums can go up year after year, even if you have few or no claims. It feels like you’re paying more just to stay insured. With a group captive, fewer claims mean you don’t just avoid premium hikes, you may actually see a check in the mail. This shift in how incentives work is one of the most valuable group captive benefits out there. It turns insurance from a never-ending expense into potential profit, which is a game changer for member satisfaction and retention. Customizable Coverage to Satisfy Any Industry Another one of the standout group captive benefits is the ability to tailor insurance coverage specifically to your business’s needs. Whether it’s workers’ compensation, general liability, or auto liability, members get the flexibility to shape their policies based on their unique industry and risk profile. That’s a big contrast to traditional insurance, where you’re often stuck with one-size-fits-all solutions. These cookie-cutter policies don’t account for the nuances of your business, leaving you either overpaying or under protected. Group captives offer a level of customization and responsiveness that growing businesses desperately need. You get coverage designed around your reality, making risk management smarter and more effective. So, Why Choose Captive Insurance Over Traditional Insurance? Group captives are member-owned, giving businesses real control over their premiums, which are based on their own performance, not market swings. Members enjoy full transparency into claims and reserves, unlike traditional insurance where information is often limited. Profit-sharing is a major group captive benefit, rewarding safe and efficient operations, while it’s rarely offered in conventional plans. Plus, captives provide highly customized coverage tailored to each member’s specific risks, while traditional insurers tend to offer rigid, one-size-fits-all policies. Finally, the collaborative community within a group captive fosters ongoing engagement and shared success, something that’s minimal in traditional insurance relationships. When you consider these advantages, it’s no wonder the captive insurance retention rate stays so high, business owners quickly realize that captive insurance isn’t just a policy, it’s a smarter way to manage risk. In an insurance landscape where rising premiums and limited control have become the norm, group captive insurance stands apart. The exceptional captive insurance retention rate of 98% speaks volumes about the unique group captive benefits that keep members loyal year after year. From the empowering ownership mentality and transparent risk management to the rewarding profit-sharing and highly customized coverage, group captives deliver an experience that far exceeds traditional insurance. This model isn’t just about buying coverage, it’s about partnering with a community that values collaboration and long-term success, driving unmatched insurance member satisfaction. If you’re ready to move beyond the limitations of traditional insurance and discover why so many businesses ask why to choose captive insurance, KT Captive Insurance offers the expertise and support to help you take control of your risk and reap the financial and strategic rewards of this innovative approach.
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