March 23, 2011 Accidental Death Becomes Suicide When Insurers Dodge Payouts Jane Pierce spent nine years struggling alongside her husband, Todd, as he fought cancer in his sinus cavity. The treatments were working. Then, in July 2009, Todd died in a fiery car crash. He was 46. That was the beginning of a whole new battle…
March 23, 2011 New Zealand earthquake preparedness: Authorities battled complacency Wellington, New Zealand New Zealanders have received a violent wake-up call: It’s past time to be prepared for the “Big One” – the long-feared major earthquake authorities have been warning about for years.As this small island nation picks up the pieces from the 6.3-magnitude earthquake…
February 24, 2011 Ignore Ads When Buying Insurance “I would encourage people to completely ignore the marketing materials you receive from the insurers. The information is geared to persuade people to buy the product. It doesn’t explain the benefits clearly,” says former industry insider Wendell Potter in a recent New York Times interview. Potter’s advice…
February 21, 2011 A Health Insurance Insider Offers Words of Advice WENDELL POTTER is a 20-year health insurance veteran who served in top public relations jobs at such firms as Cigna and Humana. Now a senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity, Mr. Potter has written “Deadly Spin,” a tell-all about practices of the health…
February 20, 2011 Forged MetLife ‘Checks’ Show Retained-Asset Account Risks After her mother died, Jasmine Williams was assured by MetLife Inc. that her $101,819 in life insurance benefits were safe and was sent what the company called a guaranteed money market “checkbook” in 2002. The next year, Williams, then 19, told New York-based MetLife that…
February 2, 2011 Shopping resources for insurance consumers To: Interested Parties From: Amy Bach, Executive Director, United Policyholders , amy@uphelp.org Re: Shopping resources for insurance consumers Date: February 23, 2011 Through a “Roadmap to Preparedness” (R2P) program, non-profit United Policyholders is working hard throughout the United States to educate consumers on the importance…
February 1, 2011 Here’s to a Healthier New Year As pieces of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act go into effect, UP will continue to explain new options and rules. In our June 2010 Tip of the Month we touched on the new protection that went into effect for parents who want to put their children…
January 25, 2011 Questions and Answers on Enrollment of Children Under 19 Under the New Policy that Prohibits Pre-Existing Condition Exclusions
January 5, 2011 Insurers’ Black Box: Now-Secret Claims Denial Rates Could Tell Consumers a Lot About Their Insurance Company
December 29, 2010 P-U! Is sewage backup covered? Stinky sewage back-up and overflowing drains are a very common cause of damage to homes and businesses, especially those located in flat areas or near the bottom of slopes. Many policies now exclude coverage for the clean-up and repairs, but for a mere $20 a…
December 29, 2010 Take advantage and share the wealth Take advantage of the wealth of information at www.uphelp.org and our network of professional insurance consumer advocates throughout the United States. We add new content to our website every week. ‘Tis the season to share: Tell your friends, relatives and colleagues about UP – let them…
November 2, 2010 San Diego County Roadmap to Preparedness Outreach and Education Preparedness in the News: Resolutions to keep your family safe Insurance Commissioner: Time to Prepare for Wildfires Neighborhood Watch Meeting Draws Dozens Of Residents Disaster Preparedness Workshop Set Be “insurance assured” as wildfire season approaches Guest Speaker Shares Insurance Buying Tips With RB Community Council…
