Discretionary Clauses in ERISA Health and Disability Plans—Are They Still Viable?
Discretionary Clauses in ERISA Health and Disability Plans—Are They Still Viable?

(for Bloomberg BNA)Following the Supreme Court’s issuance of Firestone Tire & Rubber Company v. Bruch in 1989, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plan administrators, including insurers that underwrite health, life and disability insurance plans subject to ERISA, have been able to insulate their decisions…
Manitou takes a step to move city hall out of harm’s way
Manitou takes a step to move city hall out of harm’s way

Manitou Springs officials are trying to land a $25 million federal grant to move City Hall operations to a new building.Built in the laste 1800s, the exisiting facility is in a flood plain, the city’s flood recovery manager Shelley Cobau said Monday.A draft of the…
BOPs Are Like Hospital Gowns – They Don’t Cover You Fully
BOPs Are Like Hospital Gowns – They Don’t Cover You Fully

Businessowners Policies, traditionally referred to simply as “BOPs,” were introduced in 1976 and significantly revised in 1987. The BOP evolved gradually from the 1987 revisions to include risk classification and business sizes (sales and square footage) not contemplated in the original or “first revision” editions…
Keep the Faith New York!
Keep the Faith New York!

Much to our disappointment and not for lack of trying by a statewide alliance of dedicated advocates, the state legislature again recessed for the year without giving New York insurance consumers an important right that exists in most other states:  The assurance that if a…
Ruff and Ready?
Ruff and Ready?

Pet Insurance Check UP As treatment options for sick and injured animals improve, and new (expensive) medications and procedures can extend your pet’s healthy life, you may want to give pet insurance a second look. You can buy coverage for urgent care only, or broad…
The “running and gunning” flood claim adjuster life
The “running and gunning” flood claim adjuster life

Why would flood insurance adjusters underpay claims when they get paid a percentage of settlement amounts?  Doesn’t that give them an economic incentive to pay higher settlements to increase the fee they earn?  These questions come up after every flood disaster.  These questions have been…
Appeals process for flood insurance claims needs work: Senate probe
Appeals process for flood insurance claims needs work: Senate probe

The U.S. government’s appeals process for reviewing flood insurance claim disputes is riddled with flaws, but there is no evidence of systematic underpayments by insurers to flood victims, an investigation by U.S. Senate staffers has found.”Despite widespread concerns, it does not appear that systematic incentives…
Flaws but no abuse, Senate finds in Superstorm Sandy flood insurance study, Reuters reports
Flaws but no abuse, Senate finds in Superstorm Sandy flood insurance study, Reuters reports

The Senate Banking Committee will release a report that calls the appeals process for federal flood insurance claims after Super Storm Sandy badly flawed, but also that it found no signs of systematic underpayments to victims, Reuters reports.”Despite widespread concerns, it does not appear that…
FEMA re-opens claims, but some Sandy victims say ‘no thanks
FEMA re-opens claims, but some Sandy victims say ‘no thanks

A few weeks ago, FEMA sent out 146,000 letters to homeowners who were possible victims of Sandy-related flood insurance fraud, offering to reevaluate their damage awards and make them whole. That’s a lot of people with a lot of money at stake.FEMA is also offering…
We love New York
We love New York

We love New York.  That’s why we and our Superstorm Sandy survivor base are pulling out the stops to support legislative reforms this legislative session and are saying: Come on New York! Step up into the 21st century and give your citizens who spend their…
Flood program must focus more on needs of disaster victims, new chief says
Flood program must focus more on needs of disaster victims, new chief says

The newly appointed director of the National Flood Insurance Program said the organization needs to focus more on the welfare of disaster victims and rethink gaps in coverage that bedeviled homeowners after superstorm Sandy. Roy Wright, who takes over the federal program next week, said…
FEMA To Allow Superstorm Sandy Victims To Review Flood Claims
FEMA To Allow Superstorm Sandy Victims To Review Flood Claims

FEMA is mailing letters to more than 140,000 Superstorm Sandy victims. The letters ask if they want their flood insurance claim to be reviewed. This comes after months of scrutiny and accusations that the private insurance companies who help run the federal flood program shortchanged…
Shop so you don’t drop (more $ than you should)
Shop so you don’t drop (more $ than you should)

The quality of your insurance really does matter, but figuring out which policy will give you more protection is tricky. UP can guide you on what to look for and avoid, but getting the real scoop and comparing different options is very hard to do…
Letters go out to Sandy victims who want to reopen claims
Letters go out to Sandy victims who want to reopen claims

The National Flood Insurance Program began mailing letters to superstorm Sandy victims Monday to start the process of reviewing thousands of claims that may have been underpaid after the 2012 disaster.The first round of roughly 15,000 notices are going to homeowners whose properties were inspected…
Being A Loyal Auto Insurance Customer Can Cost You
Being A Loyal Auto Insurance Customer Can Cost You

Many companies reward their most loyal customers with incentives, discounts and freebies. But in car insurance, the opposite can actually happen. A driver can be punished with a higher premium just for being loyal to the company. It’s called price optimization, and it happens to…
Why Sandy Homeowners Were Left In The Lurch
Why Sandy Homeowners Were Left In The Lurch

Superstorm Sandy’s storm surge was so strong when it hit Long Island in October 2012 that it lifted up Dan Stapleton’s Long Beach home and then kicked in the corner of the foundation. It left a 30-foot hole around his house. Stapleton, unlike many Sandy…
UP suit seeks to fix the National Flood Insurance Program’s claim appeal process so it works for consumers
UP suit seeks to fix the National Flood Insurance Program’s claim appeal process so it works for consumers

In February 2015, UP filed a lawsuit in the Federal District Court in Washington D.C. to secure complete responses from the NFIP to the three Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) requests we filed in 2014. Our FOIA requests seek details of the appeals process that is offered to policyholders when…
Support UP for Silicon Valley Gives!
Support UP for Silicon Valley Gives!

Who can you trust for help getting a fair deal from your insurance company?  An expert non-profit with 23 years of experience…a consumer organization that doesn’t take money from insurers or sell insurance?  That’s United Policyholders!   Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to support our work…