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How insurers are paying for Helene and Milton

Nov 5, 2024
As communities recover from Helene and Milton, insurance sometimes needs insurance of its own.
Debris piled up in The Village Potters Clay Center. Hurricane Helene swept through Asheville, North Carolina, in late September, flooding the pottery studio up through the second floor.
Courtesy Sarah Wells Roland

Recent hurricanes could test the growing catastrophe bond market

Oct 24, 2024
Cat bonds help insurers spread risk to investors. Extreme weather created by climate change may disrupt the balance of risk and reward.
Waves crashed along the Florida coast as Hurricane Milton approached on Oct. 9. Catastrophe bond investors play in a risky market.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images

Long-term care is too expensive for most people

Oct 9, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris is proposing Medicare take on these costs, as most Americans rely instead on unpaid care from family.
“Paying for care at home can be in the order of tens of thousands of dollars," said Tricia Neuman at the health policy nonprofit KFF.
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Traveling to an Oasis concert next year? You might want to consider insurance.

Oct 2, 2024
If you’re planning to see a musical act, especially one with a troubled history, here's how to hedge against a cancellation and financial loss.
Noel, left, and Liam Gallagher will take part in an Oasis reunion tour next year.
Samir Hussein/Getty Images

Zillow adds climate risk scores to property listings

Sep 30, 2024
New tools also help home shoppers evaluate insurance costs.
More than 80% of potential homebuyers said they consider climate risk in their decisions, according to a recent Zillow survey of its users.
Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images

Many people don't realize their home insurance doesn't cover flooding

Sep 13, 2024
As Hurricane Francine made landfall, 14 million people were under flood watches. But only 6% of American homeowners are insured against flooding.
Nationally, just 6% of homeowners have flood insurance, said Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute.
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Who's able to get weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy?

Sep 3, 2024
People with private insurance are most likely to be able to get prescription weight loss drugs covered. Less than 10% of people who got semaglutide last year were on Medicaid.
Ozempic may help with weight loss, but it isn't covered by most insurers.
Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

The push to erase medical debt is gaining speed

Vice President Kamala Harris wants to erase medical debt for millions of Americans. The issue is getting more airtime leading up to November's election.
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Continuing unemployment claims hit highest level in more than 2 years

Jul 18, 2024
It may be another data point that helps convince the Fed to start cutting interest rates.
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Home insurance premiums are surging. That's bad news for low-income housing — and its residents.

Jul 3, 2024
The more low-income housing nonprofits have to pay for insurance, the less they have leftover to build new units to ease the housing shortage.
Nearly a third of affordable housing providers saw premiums spike at least 25% from 2022 to 2023. Climate change has played a role in the rising cost.
Leila Macor/AFP via Getty Images