Smoke & Mirrors
An investigative podcast series that exposes the deceptions of the home insurance industry and empowers wildfire survivors to take back what they are owed. Reporter Justin Kloczko talks to people affected by the Los Angeles wildfires this year, and he digs into court records to show how they're being deceived by large companies. This series includes narrative storytelling, interviews, and court records.
Our series uncovers a web of little-known subcontractors and the unseen technology that facilitate claims delays, lowballed payouts and denials, and offers advice on what consumers can do about it.
In Episode 1, we present a map for how to get your claims paid. In Episode 2, we look at the corporate consultants and the testing and cleaning companies who work for the insurance industry. In Episode 3, we examine how technology shapes your policy. And in Episode 4, we explore a story by the New York Times about how industry-favored loopholes have undermined fire recovery.
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10 Tips to Get Smoke Damage Claims Paid
Episode 1
Smoke damage has become a major issue for wildfire victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires. In this episode, we go present a tip guide for policyholders on getting smoke damage claims paid from those who know best: folks who have gone through it. You’ll be hearing from fire survivors who have fought and won, public adjusters who seek to get claims paid on behalf of policyholders, attorneys who litigate in court against insurance companies, and experts in toxins and testing.
The Underworld of Fire Insurance Subcontractors
Episode 2
Smoke damage has become a major issue for wildfire victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires. In this episode, we go present a tip guide for policyholders on getting smoke damage claims paid from those who know best: folks who have gone through it. You’ll be hearing from fire survivors who have fought and won, public adjusters who seek to get claims paid on behalf of policyholders, attorneys who litigate in court against insurance companies, and experts in toxins and testing.
How Tech and Data Shape Your Property Insurance
Episode 3
In this episode we examine how technology has increasingly taken over every aspect of our home insurance policies, from the algorithm that decides how much insurance we need when we sign up, to the algorithm that determines what it’ll cost to rebuild after a disaster, to the ones that set your fire risk score and decide how much companies get to charge for future disasters. The data that feeds this technology is often incorrect and always hidden from public view. And there is a big company behind it: Verisk.
How One Regulator Made California’s Fire Recovery Harder
Episode 4
We explore a recent investigative story by the New York Times about how industry-favored loopholes crafted behind closed doors at the California Department of Insurance have undermined fire recovery, and how Los Angeles fire survivors are now calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to ask Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to resign.