May 26, 2016 Mom, Baby Get $3,500 Ambulance Bill After Hospital Parking Lot Birth Baby Sawyer just couldn’t wait to enter the world when his mother Katie Moraida’s water broke a week before he was due. Katie recalls her husband Daniel shouting “‘What do I do, what do I do?’” “Get in the car!” Katie replied. The Moraida’s got…
May 25, 2016 FEMA Announces Reforms to National Flood Insurance Program The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced changes to the nation’s flood insurance program on Monday, responding to complaints from Superstorm Sandy survivors that the private insurers participating in the federally-backed program underpaid their claims and dragged out lawsuits. As FRONTLINE and NPR investigate in the…
May 25, 2016 Five Questions to Ask About Flood Insurance In the aftermath of a flood, people may be unpleasantly surprised to find that their home insurance doesn’t cover the damage caused by rising storm waters. It hasn’t since insurance companies decided that floods were too risky to cover. “A lot of people think they…
May 18, 2016 Bach Talk: Preserving the promise of liability protection I had the privilege of working with Gail Hillebrand in the early 90’s when she was a Senior Attorney in Consumers Union’s West Coast regional office. Our offices were in the same building, and I was representing Voter Revolt (the predecessor to Consumer Watchdog) in implementing Proposition 103. Gail…
May 16, 2016 ConsumerWatch: Travel Insurance Julie Watts talks about travel insurance with Amy Bach of United Policyholders 5-14-16)
May 12, 2016 2 Wins in 2 Weeks! Every day, UP staff and volunteers fight to level the playing field for insurance consumers. UP added 35 policyholder attorneys to our Amicus Project volunteer corps over the last 12 months, bringing our total count to 275! Thanks to these heroes, we are celebrating two…
May 9, 2016 Aid may be available to repair or replace a vehicle damaged by April floods Texans whose vehicles were damaged or destroyed by this April’s flooding may be eligible to receive federal assistance to repair or replace the vehicle. “Those who may be eligible include not just residents of the designated counties, but also those who were working in or…
May 6, 2016 Sandy advocate calls for investigation of FEMA TOMS RIVER — Saying the Jersey Shore’s recovery has been “cut off at the knees” because of lowball flood insurance payments, a Sandy advocate has repeated the call for an investigation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Sue Marticek, executive director of the Ocean County…
May 5, 2016 Spring UPward: A Roadmap to Recovery™ UPdate Bach Talk As we work to stay the course in two communities ravaged by wildfires and strive to raise the necessary funds to cover the costs, we are connecting with flood victims and our partners in the Lone Star State. We are beefing up our Flood…
May 4, 2016 NY Allocation Ruling Speeds Policyholders’ Road To Recovery The New York high court’s Tuesday ruling that each excess insurance policy covering Viking Pump Inc. and Warren Pumps LLC can be held liable for an entire loss resulting from asbestos claims gives policyholders a faster, cost-efficient path to coverage for multiyear claims by allowing…
May 2, 2016 Portland Harbor Superfund litigation has “super” implications for policyholders Today was a big day for policyholders involved in the legendary Portland Harbor (Oregon) Superfund Site: two cases in which United Policyholders submitted amicus curiae briefs were up for argument before the Ninth Circuit. Both cases involve the duty to defend under “long-tail” CGL policies and the…
May 1, 2016 Insurance Check UP Yes the Internet makes it easy to insure your home or business without actually meeting the person who’s selling you the policy. But given how valuable your assets are to you, don’t you want to be confident in that person’s expertise and ethics? United Policyholders…
April 26, 2016 Angie’s List offers free service for Houston flood victims to connect with contractors HOUSTON – Victims of flooding who need to make home repairs can benefit from a free service now being offered by Angie’s List, a review and rating website geared toward consumers. Angie’s List is offering KPRC viewers, who’ve experienced flood damage, free access to the…
April 18, 2016 Caps on punitive damages are harmful to consumers This week UP filed an important brief on the issue of punitive damages in the great state of Tennessee. Punitive damages, those awarded by a jury to compensate an injured plaintiff above-and-beyond the amount owed to compensate for the harm caused, are an important component…
April 13, 2016 Bach Talk – Why the CA Supreme Court needs to have Commissioner Jones’ back Have you ever contacted an insurance agent or company and asked them to insure your home for a specific dollar amount? If so, you’re probably in the .00001% of insurance consumers. That’s just not how it works in real life. In real life, we rely…
April 11, 2016 Homeowners responsible for proper insurance It’s been nearly four years since an unknown source sparked one of the costliest wildfires in Colorado history. Waldo Canyon fire insurance claims totaled more than $350 million — almost $1 million for every home lost. That fire’s infelicitous record would stand less than a…
April 1, 2016 Nonprofit Says Travelers Wrong On Asbestos Exclusion A nonprofit consumer rights and insurance education organization has told the Third Circuit that General Refractories Co. was correctly awarded $36 million in its suit accusing Travelers of improperly denying coverage for asbestos exposure claims, saying the insurer gets Pennsylvania insurance law wrong. United Policyholders,…
April 1, 2016 Common Cents It’s common to be nervous about the money you’re spending on your wedding and honeymoon. It’s also common now for brides or grooms to buy wedding insurance. But do wedding policies exclude more than they cover? That depends on what you buy. But for under…
