Insurance

Federal law says Native Americans aren’t liable for medical bills the Indian Health Service promises to pay. Some are billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the agency, financial middlemen, or health systems.

Hail damage, wildfires, and weather are only partly to blame, says an industry trade group. There’s also “social inflation.”

These state-regulated plans are typically more expensive and offer less coverage compared to private insurance. Colorado’s is the first new Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plan created in the U.S. in decades.

Home insurance is becoming a more uncertain market, in large part due to climate-fueled disasters like wildfires. Some states in the West are taking steps to address the situation, like Oregon where a 2023 law requires insurers to account for home-hardening measures in their underwriting models. In California, they’re trying to take it a step further.

Colorado, Texas and Hawaii have experienced some of the nation’s most catastrophic and tragic wildfires in recent years. Officials from all three states were in Boise this week to discuss how wildfire destabilizes home insurance markets.

Mental health providers in Northern Colorado are having trouble meeting the demand to screen students for learning disabilities. Today on In The NoCo, we explore what’s intensifying this problem and what parents can do to be their kids’ best advocates.

Catastrophic wildfires and other disasters fueled by climate change are raising serious doubts about the future of insurance. But a former California insurance commissioner has some ideas about what could be done.

Demand for health insurance under Omni-Salud, which provides coverage to residents regardless of their documentation status, has surged, prompting calls for state lawmakers to increase investments. Critics say the program forces taxpayers to subsidize health insurance for undocumented residents against their will.

In communities across Northern Colorado, people are struggling with their mental health, and with getting the care they need. Today, we’re going to talk about some of the fundamental reasons why.

Boulder Reporting Lab Reporter Tim Drugan joined us to talk about insurance carriers rethinking their coverage offerings in fire-prone Colorado and the latest in Marshall fire-related lawsuits against Xcel Energy.