Resources and Links

Insurance Information and Reform

• Center for Insurance Research
  The Center is a leading nonprofit advocacy group working on behalf of policyholders nationally. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it conducts market analyses, provides public education and advises insurance regulators in order to push insurance reforms. 

• Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights ("FTCR")
  FTCR is a nationally recognized consumer group that has been fighting corrupt corporations and crooked politicians since 1985. FTCR claims to have already saved Americans billions of dollars and improved countless peoples' lives by speaking out on behalf of patients, ratepayers and policyholders.

• ValChoice
  ValChoice provides independent, unbiased ratings on car insurance companies.  It collects and analyzes millions of data points to provide an easy-to-understand ranking for car insurers.

• United Policyholders (“UP”)
  UP provides education and resources for consumers impacted by natural disasters across the country.

• National Association of Insurance Commissioners (“NAIC”)
  The NAIC is the state insurance regulators' forum for the development of uniform insurance policy and model state laws. Click here to access insurance companies' complaint reports and annual financial statements.

• NAIC Consumer Complaint Filing Guide
  This site contains links to the consumer complaint forms for every state, allowing consumers to register formal complaints against insurance companies.

• NerdWallet State Insurance Department Website Guide
  The website NerdWallet.com conducted a study of state insurance department websites to evaluate the consumer resources provided by each. NerdWallet identifies the states that allow consumers to perform rate comparisons on car insurance (24 states) and homeowners insurance (21 states).

• System for Electronic Rate and Form Filing ("SERFF")
  SERFF is an electronic filing service for insurance policy forms run by the NAIC.  SERFF provides public access to rate and policy form filings made by insurers in participating states.

• Access to Insurance Company Financial Data (California Department)
  This website page provides access to free copies of the financial statements of insurers doing business in that state – which includes insurers that operate nationally.  California complaint statistics and market conduct fines against insurers are also available for review.

• Health Care For All (“HCFA”)
  HCFA is a Massachusetts nonprofit advocacy organization focused on creating a health care system that provides comprehensive, affordable and accessible care to everyone.

• The Insurance Forum
  Home of an ongoing blog by Professor Joseph Belth who for 40 years has reported on and exposed problems and challenges in the insurance industry, while also providing insightful views on reforms.

• Schiff's Insurance Observer
  This investigative newsletter unmasks the history of shenanigans in the insurance industry all while making reading about insurance fun, if you can believe that, due to Schiff's clever writing style.

• University of Connecticut Insurance Law Center
  Home of the Connecticut Insurance Law Journal and other insurance legal resources.

• HancockWatch
  A web site for policyholders and the public that contains information about what was wrong with the plan of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company to convert from a mutual owned by its policyholders to a stock company in 2000.

Advocacy

• Public Citizen
  Public Citizen champions citizen interests before Congress, the executive branch agencies and the courts with a dedicated staff of lawyers, doctors, pharmacists, journalists and organizers.  It has a long record successfully tackling abusive practices by the pharmaceutical, health care, energy, finance, automobile and many other industries. Public Citizen has five powerful policy groups - Congress Watch, the Energy Program, Global Trade Watch, the Health Research Group and the Litigation Group – that are determined countervailing forces to corporate power.

• Consumer Federation of America
  A nonprofit association of some 260 pro-consumer groups that was founded in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through advocacy and education on environmental, insurance and other financial consumer issues.

• Public Justice
  Public Justice is a progressive lawyers’ organization that brings and refers cases in the public interest.  This site also contains a useful link to hundreds of public interest groups around the country.

• Consumers Union
  Consumers Union is the publisher of Consumer Reports which evaluates consumer items and services for quality and cost-effectiveness.  Its site contains a vast array of helpful consumer information.

• National Consumer Law Center
  The National Consumer Law Center provides expertise in consumer law and policy to advance consumer justice and economic security for low-income and other disadvantaged people.

• Disaster Accountability Project ("DAP")
  The Disaster Accountability Project saves lives and reduces suffering after disasters.  DAP is the leading nonprofit organization that provides long-term, independent oversight of disaster management systems.

• Essential Information
  Essential Information is a Ralph Nader organization that provides links to important consumer advocacy organizations working on a wide variety of issues.

• Public Patent Foundation ("PUBPAT")
  PUBPAT is a nonprofit legal services organization that represents the public's interests against the harms caused by the patent system, particularly harms caused by wrongly-issued patents and unsound patent policy. PUBPAT provides the general public and specific persons or entities otherwise deprived of access to the system governing patents with representation, education and advocacy.

• Center for Economic Justice (“CEJ”)
  CEJ is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the availability, affordability and accessibility of insurance, credit, utilities and other economic goods and services for low-income and minority consumers.

Socially Responsible Foundations / Venture Capital

• Ashoka
  Ashoka is a nonprofit organization that promotes positive social change by investing in social entrepreneurs with innovative solutions that are sustainable and replicable, both nationally and globally. Since its founding in 1980, it has helped establish programs in 89 countries and supports the work of over 3,000 Ashoka Fellows.   

• Echoing Green Foundation
  Echoing Green provides first-stage funding and support to visionary leaders with bold ideas for social change. As an angel investor in the social sector, Echoing Green identifies, funds and supports emerging leaders and the organizations they launch. Through a two-year fellowship program, it helps these entrepreneurs develop new solutions to some of society’s most difficult problems and to address deeply-rooted social, economic and political inequities.

• Endeavor
  Endeavor works to find, mentor, and accelerate high-impact entrepreneurs worldwide to catalyze long-term economic growth in developing countries around the world. Through a series of programs and services that increase access to talent, capital and markets, Endeavor equips entrepreneurs with resources to succeed, including a global network of personal mentors who provide ongoing one-on-one support.