Insurance
Insurance news, investigations, and reform — auto, home, and health insurance rates, claims denials, and industry accountability.
New Episode of Smoke & Mirrors Reveals How Tech and Algorithms Hurt Policyholders
Hidden algorithms and artificial intelligence used by the nation’s largest home insurance companies are leaving many homeowners underinsured, underpaid, or denied home insurance completely.
New York Times Investigation Finds Lara’s Plan Incentivized Insurers’ Dumping Of Policyholders Prior To LA Fires, Doubling FAIR Plan Enrollment
Los Angeles, CA – A New York Times investigation has found Insurance Commissioner Lara’s 2023 plan to deal with California’s insurance crisis incentivized insurance companies to dump policyholders...
Consumer Alert Warns Eaton Fire Survivors About Edison Fast Pay Provision: Fast Doesn’t Mean Fair
Los Angeles, CA – A short consumer alert video, produced by Consumer Watchdog and narrated by Eaton fire survivor Ellen Snortland, warns Eaton fire survivors that the...
Smoke & Mirrors Podcast Exposes Troubling Tactics of Insurance Subcontractors in Wildfire Recovery
We uncover the underworld of fire insurance subcontracting, where companies positioned as experts in smoke testing and home remediation work for insurers seeking to cut costs.
New Investigative Podcast Series Uncovers Wildfire Insurance Abuses
Smoke & Mirrors uncovers a web of little-known subcontractors and unseen technology that facilitate claims delays, lowballed payouts and denials, and offers advice on what consumers can do about it.
California to Create First Public Wildfire Catastrophe Model to Empower Homeowners with Insurance Wildfire Risk Information
Sacramento, CA – Legislation creating a fully transparent public wildfire catastrophe model was signed by Governor Newsom late Friday. The law will give consumers the ability...
Poll Shows Between 80% and 90% Support For Insurance Policyholders Bill of Rights
Los Angeles, CA – Consumer Watchdog released polling data showing overwhelming disapproval of the insurance industry and overwhelming public support for the Insurance Policyholder Bill of...
FAIR Plan Must Pay Fire Survivors’ Claims Before Lara Hikes Rates
The FAIR Plan, the insurance pool of last resort for homeowners forced out of the traditional market by insurance company nonrenewals, sought a 35% rate...
Uber’s Dirty Deal
In the last days of the legislative session, Uber leveraged its political power for a change in the uninsured motorist coverage it must buy under...
Updated CA Insurance Department Data Shows Time To Rate Approvals Same With or Without Intervenors, Public Citizen Chimes In Against Revenge Regulations
Sacramento, CA – Updated data from the California Department of Insurance (CDI) continues to show rate approvals are as fast, or faster, when Consumer Watchdog is...
Consumer Watchdog Sets Record Straight With Newsom On Insurance, Companies He Said Were “Coming Back In” Never Left the Market
Sacramento, CA — Consumer Watchdog issued a “Consumer Alert” video warning the public about several misstatements Governor Newsom made at Climate Week in New York about...