United Policyholders
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United Policyholders
Our Mission

United Policyholders (UP) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization whose mission is to be a trustworthy and useful information resource and an effective voice for consumers of all types of insurance in all 50 states. Our tax identification # is 94-3162024.

UP was co-founded in 1991 by Amy Bach, a consumer advocate and attorney, and Ina Delong, a 22 year insurance professional. The spark for UP was an urban area wildfire that destroyed 3,000 homes in Northern California. In the aftermath of the disaster, the residents struggled with serious and unexpected gaps in their insurance coverage and a claim process that was often adversarial. UP was formed to help level the playing field between insurers and insureds. Donations, foundation grants and volunteer labor support the organization’s work. Our 200+ strong volunteer corps includes disaster survivors, lawyers, insurance professionals, financial planners, CPAs, construction experts, patient advocates and retired judges. No insurance companies underwrite or fund our programs.

Our work is divided into three programs:

Roadmap to Recovery™ provides tools and resources for solving insurance problems after an accident, loss, illness or other adverse event.

Roadmap to Preparedness promotes disaster preparedness and insurance literacy through outreach and education in partnership with civic, faith based, business and other non-profit associations.

Advocacy and Action advances pro-consumer laws and public policy related to insurance matters.

UP speaks for a diverse range of policyholders from low income drivers to flood victims to international energy companies to domestic manufacturers. We have filed more than 600 “friend of the court” briefs in state and federal cases and in U.S. Supreme Court matters. We host a dynamic library of publications, sample documents, links and reports.

Elected officials, academics and journalists throughout the U.S. routinely seek United Policyholders’ input. Since 2009, UP has been selected to be an official consumer representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

UP has helped change laws in favor of consumers, exposed and corrected wrongdoing and helped bring about successful claim settlements after fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, business interruption losses, and disabling injuries and illnesses.