August 11, 2015 Springs renter hopes flooding nightmare can become lesson for others Annaleen DeHaan came home to a nightmare Monday evening. Her home on the east side of Colorado Springs was devastated by floodwater. “My mom calls me and is like, ‘So, the house flooded. I have a foot of mud and water,’” DeHaan said. “I kind…
July 29, 2015 Guess who’s turning 50? Medicare, the program that remains essential for many American’s health and lifestyles, turns 50 this month. On the positive side, pressure is mounting to amend the absurd rule that prevents the program from negotiating prescription drug prices with drug companies. On the negative side, consumers…
July 16, 2015 Bach Talk: In praise of contingency fees With surprising (and sad) frequency, United Policyholders hears from senior citizen victims of unfair insurance practices. And as hard as it is for me to understand businesses and people that intentionally take advantage of the elderly – let alone those who lose their homes in…
July 13, 2015 Insurance issues arising from disasters bring little regulatory change to Colorado The Colorado Division of Insurance, the regulatory agency charged with protecting consumers, has emerged from years of wildfires and floods with few tools to help it track market health in the state, and remains relatively powerless. Colorado residents are more or less where they were…
July 2, 2015 Insurance nightmare continues for Mountain Shadows family Three years after the Waldo Canyon Fire, many homeowners still struggle with their insurance claims. Paul and Jennifer Macomber have been at odds with their insurance company, American Family Insurance, since the fire started in June 2012. Their home in Mountain Shadows wasn’t a total…
June 23, 2015 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…
June 21, 2015 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…
June 17, 2015 Capitol Pressroom Amy Bach, the executive director of United Policyholders, looks at a report that shows property insurers have reaped higher-than-average profits in New York State despite losses from major weather events like Superstorm Sandy. Bach argues New York insurance law is crafted in a way that…
June 15, 2015 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…
June 13, 2015 5 home insurance myths you may have fallen for It may not be required by law, like auto or health insurance, but you’ll need home insurance to protect your family and household from a financial disaster in case another kind of disaster strikes. Your lender may insist that you have a policy. As with…
June 10, 2015 Thursday marks anniversary and deadline for Black Forest Fire victims Thursday marks two years since the state’s most destructive wildfire, but it also marks a deadline for insurance policies related to the Black Forest Fire. According to United Policyholders, key deadlines include the expiration of additional living expenses/loss of use benefits, a firm deadline for…
June 10, 2015 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…
June 8, 2015 Waldo Canyon, Black Forest fire victims see dissimilar outcomes It was the worst of fires – and then came another one even worse. It was a fire in a subdivision and then it was one in a wooded, rural community. It was a fire of quick rebuilding and then it was one where the…
June 7, 2015 Insurance deadline looms for victims of 2013 Black Forest fire The second anniversary of the Black Forest fire on Thursday brings a deadline for many fire victims: it will be their last chance to sue their insurance companies and their last chance to seek to collect the full amount of money they are owed to…
June 4, 2015 After Texas Floods, A New Test for FEMA’s Beleaguered National Flood Insurance Program Less than 48 hours after torrential rains flooded parts of Houston in late May, AJ Culembourg found herself ripping up floor boards inside the rental property she and her husband remodeled 18 months ago. Flood waters had reached as high as 18 inches inside the…
June 1, 2015 4 most common reasons why insurers deny life insurance claims When you buy a life insurance policy, there’s a chance your beneficiary’s claim may be denied – and it’s important for you to know how this can happen. Insurers examine the terms of policies carefully before paying claims, to make sure policyholders have fulfilled their…
May 26, 2015 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…
May 20, 2015 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…
