When Rebekah Williams opened her homeowners insurance policy in September, she was shocked by the number she saw. Her rate had incrementally increased in recent years, but the latest jump seemed too high to clear.
“I knew that was going to go into my budget horribly,” said Williams, who has lived in her Sulphur home for 30 years. “And I instantly thought about the older consumers also, and how are they going to pay for this?
“And then I thought, well, maybe they won't because they can't.”
People entering their later stages of life came to mind first for Williams, who is an advocate for seniors. She works for the Southern Oklahoma Development Association’s ombudsman program, though she clarified to StateImpact that she was speaking of her own experience.
Williams’ new premium would have cost her more than $500 a month, up from around $300 in her last renewal. She said she hadn’t filed a claim in at least a decade and made no major renovations to her home.
“ It literally felt like I had somebody kick me in the stomach and just pull the breath out of me,” she said. “And if you have a mortgage, you don't really have a choice. You have to have insurance. And so it just really would've affected me very negatively.”
Williams is one of many Oklahomans grappling with pricey home insurance premiums. Rates have spiked nationally, according to data from the Consumer Federation of America. But the Sooner State consistently ranks high in analyses by organizations like the U.S. Census Bureau, National Association of Realtors and Nerdwallet.
Homeowners insurance is also going up because of extreme weather fueled by climate change, researchers say. A 2025 report from Harvard Business School states damaging weather events have become more frequent, prompting the need for more home repairs. A 2024 congressional report on insurance markets said climate-fueled disasters could inflict widespread economic damage, causing more financial troubles for consumers.
Yet critics and investigative reports from Oklahoma Watch have highlighted a lack of oversight of the insurance industry as the likely reason for the state’s expensive premiums.
According to state Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready, Oklahoma is one of 11 states operating with a use-and-file system, allowing companies to begin using new rates immediately. Several other states have file-and-use processes, meaning insurers notify regulators before sending out new premiums.
Mulready disagreed that the state’s high homeowners insurance premiums are due to its regulatory system. Instead, he said, weather events and the number of claims filed by homeowners are to blame. Inflation and rising home values are also contributors, he said.
“ I don't like the rates going up any more than they are, but it's about weather, it's about claims,” he said.
Homeowners and lawmakers call for statewide policy changes
For Oklahoma City homeowner Braden Hisey, the path to taming the state’s rising home insurance prices involves more oversight. The retired Marine Corps veteran said his annual rate increased by 204% from 2018 to 2024, translating to thousands of dollars.
“It's been financially painful,” he said. “And it just gives me a feeling like the hands are completely off the wheel and no one's in charge. That may not be the case, but that's what it feels like from my perspective.”
Hisey went through negotiations with his insurance company last year and was able to decrease his rate. Replacing his roof also brought the number down significantly, he said.
“ I would actually like to see a little more oversight instead of just a completely hands-off approach that we have right now,” he said.
Next year, the legislature is likely to consider tighter regulations on the insurance industry to relieve at least some of the financial burden of homeowners insurance.
Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt and House Democratic Floor Leader Andy Fugate held an interim study in the fall to examine the state’s skyrocketing rates. Kirt had received calls from constituents facing hefty homeowners insurance prices.
Ahead of the 2026 legislative session, Kirt said she plans to file several measures aimed at slowing the escalating rates of homeowners insurance in Oklahoma. Getting the bills heard could be a challenge, she said, because insurance companies will likely oppose them.
“But I think we need to put forward the things that would actually protect consumers well,” she said. “So, I'm going to file a measure that would limit profits for companies. Because we say it's a competitive market, but actually, people have to have insurance for their mortgages. They have to have insurance to renew their tax in the state.
“So it's not actually just a free market.”
Kirt also plans to introduce a measure to switch the state’s system from use-and-file to file-and-use. She said it could ensure more review from the state’s insurance department. The use of credit scores in the rate-making process will be the subject of another bill, she said.
“I was pretty shocked to find out that people's credit scores, actually, is factored in when they underwrite for insurance, so that our rates go up if we have worse credit scores,” she said. “So, honestly, it just feels like we're piling on to people who already might be having financial challenges.”
During the session, Mulready said he plans to request a bill that would shorten the number of years a company can look back at a homeowner’s claim history when setting rates. He also wants the legislature to consider a measure that would require companies to notify people at least 60 days in advance of policy cancellations, instead of the current 30-day rule.
Grant program could help bring down annual premiums
One program already in place could also remedy some of the high premium costs. The state implemented Strengthen Oklahoma Homes (SOH) this year, which gives up to $10,000 in grant funding to homeowners for roof replacements.
The program follows a model developed in Alabama that uses specific construction standards on roofs to withstand major storms. A 2025 report from the state’s Department of Insurance and the University of Alabama showed homes with those roofs had fewer damage claims after 2020’s Hurricane Sally than ones without them.
The researchers estimated that if all sampled houses met the program’s standards, deductible savings would have totaled $32.6 million, or 61%.
In Oklahoma, Mulready said about 80 people had taken part in SOH as of late November. The department has a total of $10 million to spend on the program.
“ We can't control the weather, we need to build more resiliently and mitigate those claims if we want to impact that number,” he said of high home insurance rates.
In the meantime, Mulready said homeowners who are seeking lower rates should shop around. Oklahoma has between 40 and 50 companies operating, though a small group of insurers take up 60% of the market, Fugate said.
Searching for a new policy can be complex and time-consuming. For Rebekah Williams, finding a new insurance company after receiving her last renewal took extensive research.
“It was coming down to where I had like three days before, I either had to re-up with my premium or change,” she said. “And when I found the lower cost, it was great because it's $345, $350 a month, somewhere in that area. However, it required a $1,200 down payment. How many people can do that?”
Williams said she was able to switch companies after making the payment with the help of a friend.
“My profession that I'm in isn't about making money,” she said. “It's about hopefully providing the best quality of life for people around Oklahoma.”
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