First time posting on this sub, and this topic is difficult to search, so sorry in advance if it is redundant. Tried posting a similar thing on greenbuildingadvisor, but they're not much focused on insurance, though did get some good feedback. I just got the latest in a series of substantial increases in our homeowner's insurance premium from AmFam, this time a 42% raise. No claims, ever, and we don't live in a state with hurricanes/fires. This is not me whinging about yearly increases (though it's certainly not my favorite email this week). Our case is somewhat different in that if we were to have a total loss, we would build back much smaller than the current size of our home. So what we would actually need is around 50% less than calculated by AmFam. But AmFam won't give us a quote that represents that goal, they will just go based on their algorithmic calculation of building back as is, 100%. I know we need to maintain at least as much coverage as our outstanding mortgage balance, which right now is about 40% of AmFam's calculated 100% replacement value. So that is our floor, but we would probably be looking at 50% as the level we would want. It has been a challenge to find insurers willing to create policies that insure for less than their calculated as-is replacement cost. One option I found was American Modern, but I got distracted after talking to their agent 6 months ago, and I have read some terrible reviews for them. The recent AmFam increase caused me to be undistracted again. So my question: Does anyone have recommendations for processes or companies that will help achieve my goal of getting a policy with a 50% replacement cost? As an aside: if efficiency and sufficiency are sometimes goals with building (obviously not for everyone), it seems like it should be more straight forward to build back smaller in the case of a total loss, but the insurance part of that equation is really geared toward as big or bigger.

Hey Everyone! I brought home a new kitten on February 14th. We went to our first vet visit on February 15th. I uploaded the documents within a week of our visit and started the claim process the same day, to give my vet time to send their paperwork. As of today, my claim is still not finished processing. I was told their email system was down and they're now processing claims in the order they came in. I was also told they have a 40+ day SLA to get it done. Seriously? 40 days to process a "fast" claim? Why advertise speedy processing if you internally have a 40+ day SLA? End Rant

We’ve had Haalthy Paws since my two dogs were puppies. One is now 11 and one is 7 or 8. I just got this email that our monthly premium is increasing to $650 a month!!!! We can’t switch — they have preexisting conditions. This feels predatory. Is this legal? Has anyone successfully negotiated this?

I attempted to enroll my wife in a Pennie health insurance plan with a July 1 start date, even though she won’t physically arrive in the U.S. until July 8. She’s entering as a lawful permanent resident, and as I understand it, that status only becomes official when she enters the country and gets the I-551 stamp or green card. When I called Pennie, I expected them to tell me to wait until she arrived. Instead, multiple reps told me I could start her coverage as early as June 1. They said as long as I uploaded her green card by the September 18 deadline, everything would be fine. At the time, I followed their advice. But now that I’ve gone through the actual policy language from Pennie, I’m second-guessing the whole thing. From what I can tell, coverage can’t legally begin until someone is lawfully present. That would make July 1 an ineligible start date since she won’t even be in the country until July 8. It also looks like coverage normally starts the *first of the month after enrollment,* which makes me think August 1 is actually the soonest possible date. So now I’m stuck wondering what happens if I submit her green card later and it clearly shows that she didn’t become eligible until after the start date I selected. Will the system flag it? Will coverage be denied or quietly canceled? Do I need to withdraw and reapply once she arrives? I’m looking for input from anyone who really understands how Pennie processes these kinds of cases—ideally someone with inside knowledge, or a rep who has seen how this plays out in practice. Any analysis or clarification would help a lot.

I looked online for a quote for pet insurance and the people at RSPCA have called twice already trying to get me as a customer and when I say no because I wanna look around at other options… they ask if I wanna sign up until I change my mind and then cancel So annoying Does this happen to anyone else ?

Got a crack on windshield recently and just found out there is no specific "Glass coverage" policy for me. What I'm trying to say is if I wanna use my insurance to replace the windshield then I need to use the main accident coverage or something to cover it and I have $1000 deductable since Safelite gives me a $1100 quote and if I use insurance it will make my rates higher in the future, so it's kinda worthless and means I have to pay the $1100 windshield by myself. I've heard some ppl have a specific glass coverage which means it will cover any glass replacement with 0 deductable and will not affect my rates. So my question it's the CA thing or did I just pick the bad company? I have Statefarm for now since it's the "No.1" insurance company and I just don't wanna any trouble if one day I have some damage and need to claim. If it's the company, any recommendations? Ty.

Has anyone had experience with this? My dog (German Shepherd) has never had any serious health issues — just some pretty nasty allergies. I signed up for Pet’s Best last December (when my dog was 5 years old), and I swear ever since I signed up, it’s been issue after another with her. First, in May she got SUPER sick, just GI upset, but we were back and forth from the vet for a week or two straight. I paid my bill with my emergency savings, Pet’s Best reimbursed me my 90% after the deductible, no issue. Then comes June. My dog suddenly was unable to jump onto the couch, into the car, etc. I brought her to the vet, got x-rays, and my claim was approved yesterday. They’re reimbursing 90%. Now today, I noticed some swelling around my dog’s anus. I’m waiting to hear from the vet on whether or not I need to bring her in today. I’m here panicking that Pet’s Best is going to think there’s some sort of fraud going on, and they’ll cancel my policy. I swear it’s not fraud, I’m just having the worst luck of my life 😭

So I hit someone’s car and the damage was very minimal. Just a tiny dent and a scratch. I filed a claim, and the guy I hit said the damage was minimal so he wasn’t going to file one. I called yesterday to cancel and was told by progressive I would get a call today. I get a call and let the lady know I wanted to cancel because of the reason provided. She then gives me attitude over the phone and we hangup the call. What do I do in this situation ?

So, I was terminated in May of 2024 where I have a DCFSA account. When I went to call Optum Bank, they said the employer allows 3 months of grace period (to August 2024) then terminates the account. Optum account follows this, and does not allow reimbursements from terminated accounts. It looks like I'll lose this money. Any thoughts?

Hi all, I am looking for advice regarding my vehicle that was determined to be a total loss from a collision a couple months ago. It’s my first wreck and figuring out what to do every step of the way has been a total struggle. The communication between me, the insurance adjuster, and the shop has been absolutely terrible (with some information intentionally left out, it feels like) and I could use any help I can get. I’m in Oklahoma btw. A couple months ago my ‘08 Mercury Mariner was rear-ended. Her insurance company, State Farm, determined it to be a total loss and offered me $7000 for the vehicle or $5800 to retain it. The vehicle has sentimental value to me (was my grandma’s car) and only has 64,000 miles on it and since it’s been in the family so long I know its history (NO mechanical problems whatsoever) so I would really like to retain and repair it. The shop that did the estimate provided a quote of $5100 to repair it. The insurance adjuster said the title would be clean if I retain the vehicle. My main question is, if I put the full $5100 into repairing the vehicle and I get hit again, will I get less money from insurance since the vehicle was already a total loss at some point (even with a clean title)? The adjuster said that that wasn’t true but also said the car had to be repaired “back to brand new” which seems like an impossibility/possible loophole that can be used later if there’s another wreck. My brother thinks I should put as little money as possible into it so if I get hit again I can have some of that $5800 to put towards a new car. Like I said, total idiot when it comes to this kind of thing so any advice or clarification is welcome. Thank you in advance!