In this new reality of overlapping interests, brokers on both sides are keeping an eye on new ideas, regardless of which market adopts them first. 

Over the years, the once-separate worlds of property and casualty insurance and employee benefits have, if not collided, at least moved closer together. As consolidation reshapes the market, it's become more common for firms to sell both books of business, and innovations and strategies from one area have often bled into the other.

In this new reality, brokers on both sides are keeping an eye on new ideas, regardless of which market adopts them first. Here are some areas of the P&C world that benefits brokers are watching carefully.

Marijuana—P&C finds a market while benefits abstains

The legal issues around marijuana have probably never been more complicated. Cannabis products are legal in some states, illegal in others, with differing types of legality for medical usage. The federal government currently still classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, but has so far declined to prosecute companies in states that have legalized commercial marijuana businesses. The uncertainty and potential legal liability is keeping most benefits carriers and health plans on the sidelines for now as the marijuana industry continues to grow.