April 1, 2020 SIPping lemonade -TCB* We all know the bad news. The good news is you may have time to take care of tasks that have long been pushed to the bottom of your “to do” list. Getting your insurance records in order and inventorying your property are two of…
March 1, 2020 Oh baby…insurance and maternity care What to expect (from your insurance company) when you’re expecting When you bring your new baby home, the last thing you should have to worry about is the hospital bill. So before your due date, find out your health plan’s rules on delivery care costs.…
January 1, 2020 How to Get Your Insurer to Cover Treatment for an Eating Disorder If you or a member of your family are suffering from an eating disorder, your insurer may balk at covering treatment by claiming it’s “not medically necessary” or that coverage is limited by plan terms. Knowledge is power when dealing with insurance companies. Their opinion…
November 1, 2019 Thanks for giving! It’s time to give thanks. We are so grateful to all our supporters who generously give their time, experience, expertise and dollars to help United Policyholders be where we are needed. A special thank you to the volunteers that helped UP tell our story in…
October 1, 2019 Spooky Language Hiding in Your Insurance? Getting a notice from a home insurer that they’re dropping you is scary, and UP works hard to help people in that situation. Read our latest tips on shopping for affordable home insurance when your options are limited. Just as scary is hearing your insurer…
July 1, 2019 Dropped by your home insurer? What to do… In some parts of the country, home insurance is not as available and affordable as in the past, so UP is working hard to help consumers shop for asset protection. Avoid wasting energy being angry or scared when your insurer “breaks up” with you… Don’t…
May 1, 2019 Shaking Your Assets? If you own property in an area that’s prone to earthquakes, chances are your insurance excludes coverage for repairs and rebuilding due to quake damage. Insurance companies carved out coverage for this risk decades ago, and you have to shop and pay to add it…
March 1, 2019 Your assets – Your flood risk? After insurers began excluding coverage for flood damage in the 1960’s, most people’s homes became unprotected for that risk. The federal government and the lending and insurance industries created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and a requirement that homes with mortgages in high flood…
October 1, 2018 Trick or treat…what’s in yours? Make sure your policy has more treats than tricks! The only thing scarier than how devastating the last year has been with wildfires, lava, flooding and hurricanes is language we’ve been finding buried in some of the insurance policies that impacted people have been showing…
July 1, 2018 Mind the gap – Fill the holes Any time the topic of insurance catches your attention is a good time to check on yours. Exclusions and high deductibles cause major protection gaps. Once again a UP R2R survey documented that 2/3 of wildfire survivors don’t have enough insurance to pay for their…
April 1, 2018 The Results Are In… The bad news: Inadequate insurance and loss valuation disputes are slowing recovery from the devastating 2017 wildfires in Northern CA, according to UP’s most recent Roadmap to Recovery survey. A full 6 months after losing their homes, 80% of survey respondents have NOT settled the…
February 1, 2018 Climate Change…an insurance wild card Wondering what you can do to keep your home insurance affordable in the face of extreme weather events? Improving your property so it’s less likely to be destroyed in an earthquake, flood, hurricane or wildfire makes economic sense, and we think your insurance company should…
January 1, 2018 A Super Search Box Need to know what exclusions to avoid when buying Directors and Officers insurance for your company? Looking for a good argument to get your insurance company to cover the cost of “matching” (restoring your property to a uniform and consistent, not patchwork quilt appearance)? Want…
December 1, 2017 People Power Helping people get a fair deal from their insurance company is the heart of United Policyholders’ mission. Our tips and tools include strategies for getting insurers to pay benefits quickly and be flexible where appropriate. Strategies based on our volunteers’ savvy and our staff’s expertise.…
November 1, 2017 Holes in your safety net? UP has been in the news lately working hard to help Americans focus on the dry but important topic of properly insuring assets. Victims of devastating hurricanes and wildfires in Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and California are getting a second shock of having to scramble…
October 1, 2017 “Total Control” Tip of the Month, October, 2017 An insurance company’s decision whether to classify your severely damaged car as fixable or a total loss has big dollar significance to you, the policyholder. You can influence that decision with proof of the vehicle’s pre and post loss value. Depending on the extent of…
September 1, 2017 Loaded for Bare: Policyholders Beware… By Amy Bach, as originally posted on Fortune.com Once again, a storm has devastated a region and broken records. Hurricane Harvey dropped so much rain on Texas, the National Weather Service had to add new colors to its map graphics. Where will the money come…
August 1, 2017 Too Close for Comfort With both wildfire and hurricane season in full force it is so important to know what to do if a fire or storm come too close for comfort. If you are told to evacuate immediately, do so ASAP. If there is a chance you may…