But others don't see a five-alarm-fire scenario.
Many of the bigger buyers are well-capitalized firms and not all deals are inherently bad, according to some analysts. Policyholders may benefit from potentially higher investment returns in an environment of low interest rates.
"I don't know if I'd say [they're] unfounded," Dafina Dunmore, lead analyst for alternative investment managers at Fitch Ratings, said of the fears. "I'd say they're overplayed."
'Watch closely'
The pace of acquisitions has accelerated since 2014, according to Refinitiv, which tracks financial data.
There were 191 private-equity-backed insurance deals last year in the U.S., beating the prior record of 154 set in 2019.