When Insurance Can And Cannot) Cover Terrorist Acts
When Insurance Can And Cannot) Cover Terrorist Acts

FORBES – After the terrorist bombings in Brussels last week, over 200 flights going to or through the affected airport were canceled, disrupting travel for thousands. The airport remained closed down through Friday. Some of the airlines with itineraries to Brussels issued refunds to their…
Is Your Home a Death Trap? You May Be Eligible for Compensation
Is Your Home a Death Trap? You May Be Eligible for Compensation

US News and World Report – Four ways to help fund the removal of toxins from your home. Discovering toxins in your home is often terrifying – it’s not just lowering the value of your home, but it’s also potentially causing long-lasting health problems. While…
Staying protected after a loss without wasting $$
Staying protected after a loss without wasting $$

New Publication – We have updated our Claim Guidance Library to include a new publication: Updating Your Insurance After a Loss. If your home and property were severely damaged or destroyed, you may be thinking about adjusting your insurance coverage to avoid wasting money insuring things that no longer…
How to Save by Bundling Auto and Home Insurance
How to Save by Bundling Auto and Home Insurance

When it comes to insurance, we all look for ways to save money. One of the easiest and most common ways to save is by bundling auto and home insurance with one company. Insurance companies typically offer discounts in exchange for carrying more than one…
Tips for talking to your insurance company after a car accident
Tips for talking to your insurance company after a car accident

USA Today – It’s your “good neighbor.” It’s “on your side.” But after a car accident, some drivers fear their insurance company won’t be such a pal. “Hopefully, your insurer will step up,” says Amy Bach, executive director of consumer advocacy group United Policyholders. “But…
6 Month Wildfire Survey
6 Month Wildfire Survey

At the six-month mark of the Valley and Butte Wildfires, we ask that fire survivors please take a few minutes to complete a short online survey regarding your experience regarding the insurance claims process and the status of your recovery. Your identity will be kept confidential when…
Mega Merger Malaise – Bach Talk
Mega Merger Malaise – Bach Talk

As the health insurance marketplace, American citizens, and businesses continue to adapt to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act world, the pending mergers of Aetna/Humana and Cigna/Anthem will provide yet another curveball. Mergers of companies this large are almost never good for consumers.  They…
Long story short…
Long story short…

Long story short… If you have long-term care insurance or are considering buying it, here’s a relevant UPdate: – If you’re in your 50’s or older, you may be considering a traditional or hybrid long term care insurance policy. One that covers home care and…
Income tax tips workshop for Butte Fire survivors
Income tax tips workshop for Butte Fire survivors

United Policyholders, a San Francisco-based nonprofit agency that assists insurance holders after disasters, will host a workshop offering tax tips for Butte Fire victims at 6 p.m. Friday in the Mountain Ranch Community Club, 8049 Washington St., Mountain Ranch. United Policyholders Executive Director Amy Bach…
Bach Talk – The Power of Sunshine
Bach Talk – The Power of Sunshine

UP is constantly working to publish information and guidance on investing your insurance dollars wisely by patronizing companies that offer quality protection and have a record of good claim service.  We promote shopping tools that allow consumers to compare coverage side by side.  We promote…
Onward and UPward – Advocacy and Action Alert
Onward and UPward – Advocacy and Action Alert

This year marks UP’s 25th year and we are off to a productive start. We’ve already racked up two policyholder legal wins and weighed in on legislation that would impact insurance consumers in Arizona, Washington D.C., Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, California, and Hawaii. We’ve hosted…
Dam Ice!
Dam Ice!

With spring around the corner, home and business owners in snow-prone areas should be on the lookout for damage from ice dams. Extreme cold and unseasonably warm winter weather has caused ice dams to form on building roofs from New England to Minnesota. Trapped water…
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Claimant in ERISA Reimbursement Dispute (Guest blog)
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Claimant in ERISA Reimbursement Dispute (Guest blog)

In Montanile v. Bd. of Trs. of the Nat’l Elevator Indus. Health Ben. Plan, No. 14-723, 2016 U.S. LEXIS 843 (2016), the U.C. Supreme Court dealt a decisive victory to employees when it ruled 8-1 that an employee benefit plan may not garnish a plan participant’s general assets in…
Flooded by winter storm? 5 steps you must take
Flooded by winter storm? 5 steps you must take

Many Jersey Shore residents had to mop up from flooding after the weekend blizzard — despite what Gov. Chris Christie initially said — and experts offer these five tips to residents and business owners looking to maximize their flood insurance claims. There was nearly $3…
For Blizzard Damage, Turn to Your Homeowner’s Policy
For Blizzard Damage, Turn to Your Homeowner’s Policy

Atlantic Coast residents digging out from last weekend’s blizzard may be relieved to know that a standard homeowner’s insurance policy covers most types of damage caused by winter storms. “We pay for most things that are the result of a snowstorm,” said Don Griffin, vice…
Insured Losses From California Fires Top $1B
Insured Losses From California Fires Top $1B

Damages from two destructive Northern California wildfires that killed six and sent thousands fleeing their homes topped $1 billion in insured losses, according to a preliminary estimate by the state’s insurance department. The two fires started days apart in September, burning more than 200 square…
Valley Fire Roadmap to Recovery Workshop 1/21/16 at 6pm
Valley Fire Roadmap to Recovery Workshop 1/21/16 at 6pm

UP is hosting a Roadmap to Recovery workshop for Valley Fire survivors Thursday, January 21st at 6pm at Middletown High School. This workshop will discuss the contents portion of your claim, including understanding depreciation and strategies for preparing your home inventory. There will be a Q&A session after…
Keeping UP – Bach Talk
Keeping UP – Bach Talk

Being a small non-profit has its upside:  United Policyholders is dynamic.  We don’t have layers of internal bureaucracy that slow us down when we want to respond to a disaster or make improvements to our programs, publications, and tools.  We are constantly enhancing our tips…