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May 2010
Highlights of this issue:
ADVOCACY AND ACTION
- The inside scoop on health care reform; Legislative victories in NY and MO; Quake insurance rate relief clears hurdle in Congress; CA refuses to "U-turn" on watered down NAIC climate change survey
ROADMAP TO PREPAREDNESS
ROADMAP TO RECOVERY™
- New in the UP library: Avoiding construction hassles; Claim tips for South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama residents
UP NEWS
Hearty thanks to all our sponsors, our donors, and all the wonderful volunteers who help us get our work done.
Warm regards,
Amy Bach
Executive Director
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"Thank you for your thoughtful response to my question about earthquake insurance. I appreciate your effort, your knowledge and your concern."
--R.P., San Francisco
Please support UP with a tax-deductible donation today!
Preparedness Discount Coupon
Click here to get prepared today with a coupon from Your Safety Place. UP friends and family get 10% off all 3-Day Disaster Survival Kits, and Your Safety Place gives 10% back to UP for every purchase.
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Tip of the Month |
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April Showers, Nature's Power
How do you spell relief? NFIP
Read More.
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Credit: johnnycalifornia.com |
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Advocacy & Action |
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The inside scoop on health care reform
Wondering which provisions of the PPACA (health reform) will kick in first? Click here to read a new report, titled "PPACA: Consumer Recommendations for Regulators and Lawmakers." The report was co-authored by 21 leading advocacy organizations including UP.
Legislative victories for consumers in New York and Missouri
After many trips to the State Capital, New York Attorney Jon Wilkofsky, (Wilkofsky, Friedman, Karel and Cummins), along with Ron Papa (Nat'l Fire Adjustment Co.) and others, finally succeeded in getting an appraisal bill passed and signed in the Empire State. The bill allows a policyholder to go to court and get an order compelling an insurer to submit to appraisal, regardless of any dispute raised concerning scope of coverage or scope of loss. Click here to read the bill. Jon's firm is a Platinum Level UP Sponsor. Ron's company is a Silver Level UP Sponsor. Thank you Jon and Ron for going the extra mile for policyholders!
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Consumer groups publish recommendations on PPACA
NY attorney JW scores a legislative victory for NY policyholders
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Quake insurance rate relief clears hurdle in Congress
We've reported in past issues of What's UP on the frightening fact that only a small fraction of property owners in quake zones are insured for earthquake damage. We've reported on what UP is doing to help make the coverage more affordable. The most promising prospect for making earthquake insurance a viable purchase is a federal legislative concept called COGA (Catastrophe Obligation Guarantee Act). A bill called the "Homeowners Defense Act", which contains a version of the COGA concept, recent passed its first hurdle in Congress. Click here to find out what COGA will do and why UP supports it.
CA refuses to "U-turn" on watered down NAIC climate change survey
UP commends the California Department of Insurance for proceeding with a mandatory Climate Risk Disclosure Survey, despite recent back-pedaling by some states at the NAIC. Read the full details here.
LEGAL
Amicus Update
UP has now filed 292 amicus briefs advocating for policyholders big and small since our Amicus Project was launched. Click here to read summaries of briefs we've filed this year in the US Supreme Court, and high courts in California, New York, Texas and Utah. Visit our Amicus Project Library to view the complete list and read the summaries and full text of the briefs we've filed in a wide variety of precedent-setting insurance cases.
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Roadmap to Preparedness |
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Partnering with the Red Cross; Great grant news
UP was recently awarded a substantial grant from the American Red Cross, and is partnering with Red Cross chapters in three CA counties to increase personal and financial preparedness in wildfire and quake prone regions. Read more about UP's "Does Your Safety Net Have Holes?" roadshow.
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Partnering with the Red Cross on Preparedness |
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Roadmap to Recovery™ |
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New in the UP Library
Construction expert Ted Bumgardner has contributed a new publication to our Roadmap to Recovery series: Avoiding Construction Hassles; Rebuilding 101: A Guide to the Reconstruction Process. This publication will be a help to anyone preparing for a major home construction journey. It contains six important lessons, including how to decide on the right contractor and avoid liens, and how to negotiate a contract. Ted's company; Xpera Group, is a Silver Level UP sponsor.
UP thanks the following Silver Level sponsors/ professionals for contributing their expertise to these other new publications in our Claim Help Library:
The Howarth Group: Claim FAQs for Alabama and Tennessee residents
AJR Insurance Consultants, Inc: Claim FAQs for South Carolina residents.
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UP News |
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Finance Expert Jim Jones Joins UP Board of Directors
United Policyholders warmly welcomes Jim Jones, a Managing Director with Scale Venture Partners in Foster City, CA. to our Board of Directors. Jim joined Scale Venture Partners in 2000 and currently sits on the Board of Directors of 5 private high technology companies. He previously served on the board of Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ: MPWR). Prior to Scale Venture Partners, Jim held executive roles with 3Com and National Semiconductor. Jim also previously served on the Board of Directors of The Learning Center, a non-profit pre-school in Palo Alto, CA. Jim holds a BSEE from the University of California, Davis. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Sarah Jones, a city planner, and his children Rachel (11) and Sam (9).
MCLE Program A Success
UP was recently approved as a continuing legal education provider in the State of California. Attorneys who attended our recent luncheon seminar in San Francisco received MCLE credit for hearing consumer class action attorney Arthur Levy speak on the legal distinctions between agents and brokers, agency theories, jurisdiction, pleading and practice considerations. Bay Area Policyholder Attorneys: Mark your calendars for our next MCLE luncheon on October 14, 2010.
Volunteer Spotlight: Kim Card
A graduate of Stanford University Law School, Kim Card heads up her own law practice in Berkeley, California. She recently wrote two outstanding briefs (pro bono) for UP: Davis v. Ford Motor Credit Company and Fairbanks v. Superior Court of California.
Bach Talk
News and views from UP's Executive Director, Amy Bach, a 20-year veteran of insurance law and politics; breathtaking stats on insurance CEO compensation. Click here to read this month's article.
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Jim Jones
SF attorneys at UP's recent MCLE seminar.
Volunteer Kim Card
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PLEASE NOTE
United Policyholders is an independent not-for-profit resource. UP does not sell or profit from sale of insurance and does not accept financial support from insurance companies or insurance trade associations. The information provided in this newsletter is a public service to our readers. We do not warrant the quality of any product or vendor identified in this newsletter.
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