Root Insurance Company received approval in Arizona for a new endorsement tied to “Premium Assistance & Benefit Programs” for its private passenger auto business. The filing was submitted on May 8, 2026, and approved on May 12, 2026, with a requested effective date of June 8, 2026.

The endorsement allows Root to offer programs where third parties may pay part of a customer’s insurance premium, as well as promotional benefits including rewards, gift cards, memberships, educational offerings, merchandise, coupons, and other items of value.

According to Root, the premium assistance programs are being developed with partners that would contribute toward customer premiums without reducing the filed premium amount itself. The insurer stated in its response to regulators that “there will be no discounting of the premium that the combination of what the partner contributes plus what customer pays.”

Arizona regulators initially objected to the filing, questioning the broad language around who would provide the assistance and whether the program complied with state anti-rebating and inducement laws. Root subsequently narrowed the endorsement language and clarified that the form was intended specifically for premium assistance and promotional benefit programs.

The filing notes that participation in the programs is optional and that Root may share customer information with affiliates and participating third parties “solely as necessary to verify eligibility and administer the program.”

In an explanatory memorandum, Root said the endorsement could include “goods and services, other items of value, or premium assistance programs where a third party pays a portion of the customer’s insurance premium.”

* A similar filing was submitted in Illinois.