气候变化和不断增加的极端天气频率意味着保险公司与投保人之间的纷争只会变得更加频繁和激烈。
本文的报道得到了NIHCMFoundation的资助。
即便与过去18个月的大环境以及美国人遭受的巨大痛苦相比，约翰菲利普和乔迪菲利普夫妇的处境依然十分艰难。
他们都出现了非常严重的健康问题，乔迪是脑肿瘤，而约翰是四期癌症（在经历了数次中风之后于2019年11月确诊）。自2020年年初新冠疫情爆发以来，这对夫妇位于艾奥瓦州的乡村生意——2Jo’sFarm和PeriwinklePlaceManor庄园——因为旅游和聚会活动受限，也受到了很大的影响。随后在8月10日，就在乔迪从艾奥瓦大学（UniversityofIowa）接到在那里完成癌症治疗的约翰，准备返回位于范霍恩的家中时，这个约有900人的小镇遭到了罕见的德雷科风暴袭击。当天发生的这场风暴在美国中西部留下了长达1200多公里的废墟地带，而且将被作为历史上代价最为高昂的风暴载入史册。
即便如此，乔迪在看到农场的情形之后还是感到一阵眩晕。他们的农场靠近30号高速公路（Highway30，老林肯高速路），位于艾奥瓦州农村地区本顿县，占地13英亩。
菲利普一家的农场并非是传统的艾奥瓦州农场。这对夫妻数十年来一直在美国中西部地区的一些地方和节日聚会上扮演圣诞老人和圣诞老奶奶，饲养驯鹿，而且还养了一只名为克林格的骆驼。他们还在农场建造了一个西部小镇，以及一个骑马场。德雷科过后，农场建筑被夷为平地。大部分树木都被吹倒了，房屋和车库受到的破坏异常严重，一时半会也很难清点。她说，这个地方已经没法住了，而且大多数受损的个人物品都已经无法维修。当我第一次与她交谈时，她对我说：“我到现在依然无法接受这个事实。当我们回到农场后，只是走来走去，焦虑的想着下一步该怎么办？”
这段对话发生在1月初，当时，乔迪一天要去范霍恩两次，给动物们喂食和喂水。她和约翰住在驱车30分钟以外的地方，照看着另一门生意PeriwinklePlaceManor庄园，这里此前是一家殡仪馆，他们在数年前将其买了下来，然后装修成了一家提供住宿与早餐（或死亡与早餐，乔迪微笑着推销道）的谋杀悬疑剧院。
然而，尽管一家人在2020年遭受了几乎不可估量的损失，但乔迪并未觉得今年就能够好到哪里去。在这些事情发生以及恢复举措开始实施之后，事情却变得越来越糟糕。
乔迪说：“我们曾经以为自己买了很不错的保险，而且很多年来都是如此。今年的日子不好过，我们也已经向这家保险公司交了20多年的保费，而且从未出过险，但它却彻彻底底地背弃了我们，在我看来，这种行为就是犯罪。”
去年，我偶然看到了一位家族朋友代表菲利普夫妇在GoFundMe的网页上发布的信息后，才开始与乔迪接触。当时，我在撰写一篇报道，内容是我的家乡艾奥瓦州是如何应对德雷科和新冠疫情这一双重灾害。由于约翰刚刚出院，我本以为这对夫妻与新冠肺炎的斗争将成为我们讨论的主题，然而即便约翰依然在忍受着新冠肺炎后遗症的折磨，但很明显，乔迪所面临的最大压力在于，其农场当前局面让她感到异常的无助。
漫长的恢复之旅
今年，艾奥瓦州的恢复进程因为全球新冠疫情、一系列自然灾害和疫情导致的物资短缺而放缓，而且还变得更加复杂。乔迪和众多艾奥瓦人不得不应对恢复过程中的重重官僚主义障碍，这些压力给他们造成了第二次创伤。
但这个故事讲述的不仅仅是一对夫妻的艰辛，或是与某家保险公司打交道时出现的一次不愉快经历，亦或是一次恐怖的自然灾害之后混乱不堪的状况。德雷科，连同那些受损的房屋以及被掀翻的屋顶，暴露了整个保险行业存在的根本性问题。随着气候变化和导致银行资源枯竭的灾难给保险行业赖以生存的商业模式带来前所未有的压力，一些人认为保险行业已经变得越发不利于房屋所有者，而且无法提供普通人认为他们理应提供的保障。
灾害过后出现的类似纠纷并不是什么新问题。受委屈的投保人正是罗格斯大学（RutgersUniversity）的法学教授杰费恩曼《拖延，推卸，辩解》（Delay,Deny,Defend）一书的主角。该书认为，一些财险企业为了提振其利润（根据管理层咨询师制定的手册），制定了多种策略来削弱人们的意志、情感能量和必要的资金，从而使其难以从承保人那里获取理所应当的赔偿。费恩曼对我说：“对于有效的索赔，现在获得赔付的难度要高于25年之前。”
飓风“桑迪”（HurricaneSandy）对道格拉斯奎恩在水滨区的房产造成了严重破坏，在遭遇上述令人沮丧的不公平待遇之后，当时从事金融顾问工作的他成立了美国投保人协会（AmericanPolicyholderAssociation），旨在阻止保险行业的欺诈行为。他说，这些斗争中的权力动态严重偏向了有着万亿美元规模的保险行业。奎恩说：“这是风暴后的风暴，而且在我看来，真正的狠角色并非是自然界的风暴。”他还表示，从险企使用老套的威吓策略到尝试通过在其Xactimate软件（保险理算员用其来给理赔定价）上刻意录入较低的实际价格来欺骗投保人，自己遭遇过的这些套路正在艾奥瓦州上演，更不用说那些曾经遭遇过自然灾害的其他地区。奎恩说：“全美各地都能够看到这样的事情。”
从其涉及的范围来看，保险行业对这类控诉根本不屑一顾，并将之视为原告律师的自私行为，而且通常根源在于消费者在灾害来临之前并没有完全理解其保单条款。作为对本人疾呼的回应，各大险企强调自己是本着关爱的态度来处理索赔，并兑现其保单中承保事项的承诺。保险信息研究所（InformationInsuranceInstitute）也鼓励人们通过询问问题和认真筛选，去了解保单中的具体内容；该机构还警告，即便选择最便宜的保单，也要认真阅读其承保范围。保险信息研究所的媒体关系总监斯科特霍尔曼对我说：“不要试图买辆破车，还奢望在理赔后可以换一辆凯迪拉克（Cadillac）。”
当然，有关气候风险破坏性的证据已经是异常明了。美国国家海洋和大气管理局（NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration）的数据显示，2020年，美国遭受的破坏性天气和气候灾害创下了历史纪录，损失超过10亿美元的事件共有22起，“打破了之前16起的年度纪录”。2020年因为此类事件而引发的投保人损失达到了730亿美元，较过去20年的平均值高出82%（扣除通胀因素）。
霍尔曼在写给《财富》杂志的电子邮件中称：“我们看到，因为自然灾害而引发的投保人损失的增速已经达到了警戒水平，自20世纪80年代以来增长了近700%。”邮件还指出，去年发生了创纪录的亚特兰大飓风和西部山火季（在加利福尼亚州史上最大的六场山火中，有五场就发生在去年）。“然而，保险行业在这些极具破坏力的事件中展现了领导力，向投保人支付了赔偿。”
他注意到，尽管保险公司数年前便已经将气候风险融入其业务模型，但“2020年展现了这种破坏性事件的发展态势。”
事实证明，2021年也是一个多灾之年。截至7月9日，根据美国国家海洋和大气管理局的统计，美国今年已经出现了8起损失10亿美元的天气和气候灾害。除了经济损失之外，这些灾害还造成了至少331人死亡，其中包括此前无法想象的灾害，例如得克萨斯州长达10日、造成巨大破坏的冬季冻灾，以及太平洋西北岸创纪录的热浪。
确实，艾奥瓦州并没有为这种飓风级别的灾害损失做好准备。与发生野火的乡村以及飓风经常光顾的沿海各州相比，艾奥瓦人在大规模自然灾害面前相对来说缺乏经验，而且长期以来，有着丰富实战经验的美国各州在应对此类灾害时已经积累了有力的基础设施和专长，而这正是艾奥瓦州的短板。艾奥瓦州对保险理算员没有许可要求，意味着任何人都可以从事为险企评估损失的工作。
寻求帮助
詹姆斯拉鲁曾经于2007年至2011年期间担任艾奥瓦州州长切特卡尔弗的法律总顾问，他发现很多人不会跟财产保险公司和意外伤害保险公司打交道，又无处求助（他们经常希望找州长反映问题），2011年他开始支持投保人。拉鲁在艾奥瓦州出生长大，他表示当地人倾向于自行承担责任，也就是说在赔付问题方面不太可能挑战保险公司。他和其他人认为，即便真去挑战，州政府也不愿意面对，因为法律和政策倾向行业（举例来说，即便打赢官司，艾奥瓦州人也必须自行支付法律费用。州政府允许保险公司在合同中注明时效期限，最短只有一年，而州内书面合同常见时效为10年。）
此外，房屋受灾的人们处境本就艰难，诉讼又耗时费力。拉鲁说，保险公司知道自己被起诉的风险很低，所以才敢向投保人支付较低的费用还不担心后果。
常见创伤
灾难来临时，房主保险应该是好事。保险信息研究所的数据显示，20世纪50年代房主保险开始商业化，用来避免家庭受到火灾和龙卷风等改变生活且破坏财富事件的影响，很快抵押贷款机构将之列入要求，如今93%的美国房主都购买了保险。虽然标准家庭保险并不涵盖地震和洪水等灾难性事件，但通常涵盖风灾造成的损失，意味着私人保险公司应该为多数艾奥瓦州的房主因为德雷科而遭受的损失负责。
事实上，很多艾奥瓦州人在风暴过后生活比较顺利。例如，我的父母住在锡达拉皮兹，在保险公司拒赔而承包商挑战成功后，获得了新屋顶，他们觉得待遇还算公平。1月跟当地人和官员交谈后，我感受到强大的保险保障和艾奥瓦州融洽的邻里关系（人们手持电锯帮助邻居），受德雷科影响的社区做得相当好，或者至少在逐渐推进，只是由于破坏规模太大，恢复的过程漫长而艰难。
玛丽汉考克位于锡达拉皮兹东南部的家中，风暴将一棵树砸在了她的房上，导致车库和住所受损，比起多数人，她对自己驾驭局势的能力信心更足。作为房地产经纪人，她非常了解保单的细节和繁琐的索赔流程。但近一年后，她惊讶地发现处境与约德相似，车库仍然无法正常使用，屋顶需要维修。一下大雨，水就会渗到家里，导致破坏情况更严重。收到1.2万美元赔付款后，她和丈夫感觉相当不容易，因为第一位理算员告诉她，财产并没有问题；第二位探访后支付了4000美元，还是也远低于她认为根据保单应得的金额。“我们不在佛罗里达。”她说，对眼前情况还是有点惊讶。“多年来一直在收保费，（现在）支出却很少。”
汉考克来自西非的多哥，她认为歧视导致自家斗争更加艰难，于是她专门聘请了一位公共理算师，她注意到自己帮助过的移民家庭也有类似做法。至于她自己的战斗，几乎要认输。“我没有精力去对抗结构非常完善（且对保险公司有利）的体系。”7月底她告诉我，并补充说她和丈夫计划为房子再筹集资金，用来填补保险赔偿金不覆盖的部分。
约翰和乔迪的故事是另外一个具体而复杂的案例。两人损失和处境都很极端，但据处理过德雷科案件的人说，两人与保险公司的斗争方式跟其他人差不多。20多年来，约翰和乔迪通过本顿互助保险协会（BentonMutualInsuranceAssociation）购买了认为价值100万美元的房主保险，该协会1872年就已经成立，是众多服务于艾奥瓦州农村社区的农场小型互助社之一。协会总部位于艾奥瓦州基斯顿，在范霍恩西面10英里，为艾奥瓦东部19个县提供家庭和农场保险。德雷科当天，超过一半的投保人受到影响。像许多房主一样，约翰和乔迪对保险没有太多考虑，刚开始保险通过附近另一个城镇文顿的代理商购买，并且每年续保。保单的年保费为1718.30美元，涵盖了夫妇的住宅、车库、骑马场和个人财产。
菲利普聘请的公共理算师和律师表示，该合同是纠纷的关键，因为本顿互助认为，已经免除了对屋顶损坏或房屋内因为屋顶受损而影响物品的赔偿责任。这也反映了律师、UnitedPolicyholders的执行董事艾米巴赫称之为保险业“有问题”的趋势，即悄悄修改房主的保单。UnitedPolicyholders是非营利组织，1991年成立，艾米巴赫是该机构的联合创始人。
巴赫说，调整通常不会与投保人明确沟通，而且实施得太迅速，房主和监管机构都跟不上。条款调整实际上降低了房主保单的价值，成本却很少降低（奥门说，这是艾奥瓦州保险部根据德雷科正在研究的另一问题。）2020年巴赫的组织发起了一项全国性倡议，即重建保险安全网联盟（RestoringtheInsuranceSafetyNetCoalition），希望呼吁监管机构、官员和法院意识该问题并制定标准，防止保险公司过分缩小范围。毕竟，如果房子没有屋顶，那价值何在？
公共理算师为该房产争取了几笔额外赔付，但与巨额估算相差甚远。种种努力停滞不前时，乔迪与公共理算师的关系也迅速恶化，而双方合作曾经是给了他们巨大的希望。她从公司也得不到答案。
现在他通过评估指导菲利普一案，走的纠纷解决流程，虽然并非没有风险，但比诉讼更快成本也更低。他说，准备在对菲利普家的财产联合检查时，与本顿互助的律师积极沟通下。虽然乔迪的案子离解决还有点远，但现在由于厄舍介入，感觉有些希望。而她描述的悲惨篇章，也是“最糟糕的一年”，似乎慢慢走向尾声。最近几周，乔迪获得了切尔西市议会的批准，骆驼克林格和驯鹿搬到了PeriwinklePlaceManor庄园。她正在整修房子，方便夫妇二人搬回去，又开始主持谋杀悬疑剧院活动。她开始接受可能再也不会住在农场，只是努力记住，除了保险大战和过去一年的困境，前方还有未来。（财富中文网）
译者：冯丰
审校：夏林
在锡达拉皮兹，德雷科将树木连根拔起。2020年8月13日，图中的树砸进一幢房子里。
2021年1月，艾奥瓦州本顿县范霍恩附近菲利普农场的约翰菲利普。他身后的玉米垛是去年德雷科风暴中受损的房屋之一。
AgrantfromtheNIHCMFoundationhelpedfundreportingforthisstory.
Evenagainstthebackdropofthepast18months,andepiclevelsofAmericansuffering,JohnandJodiPhilipphavehadaroughgo.
Theybothstrugglewithserioushealthissues—sheabraintumor,andheStage4cancerthatwasdiagnosedinNovember2019afterexperiencingacoupleofstrokes.Asthepandemicbeganinearly2020,theirruralIowabusinesses—2Jo’sFarmandPeriwinklePlaceManor—tookahit,sincebothdependonvisitorsandgatheringforevents.Then,onAug.10,asJodiwasdrivingJohnhomefromacancertreatmentattheUniversityofIowatotheirfarminVanHorne,atownof900-somepeople,theywerecaughtinafreakishlyintensewindstorm—aderecho,orstraight-linewindevent—thatwreakedhavocthatdayona770-mileswathacrosstheMidwestandwouldgodowninthebooksasthemostexpensivethunderstorminhistory.
Theypulledover,butasthetorrentialrainandhurricane-forcewindblasts—gustspeakedat140mph—rattledtheircar,“wefeltlikeweweregoingtodie,”saidJodi,whowasreceivingastreamoftextsandcallsfromhersonatthefarmuntilhissignalwentdead.Hislastmessagetoherwasthattheyshould“beprepared.”
Thedrive,normally50minutes,tookhours.Astheypassedsilosthathadblownontothehighway,andbarnsandcropsthathadtoppledtotheground,theytookinwhatseemedlikeafullpreviewofthestorm’sdestruction.
Evenso,whatJodifoundatthefarm,a13-acrepropertyoffHighway30(theoldLincolnHighway)inIowa’sruralBentonCounty,leftherdazed.
ThePhilipps’farmisnotatraditionalIowafarm.Thecouple,whofordecadeshaveplayedSantaandMrs.ClausatvenuesandholidaypartiesaroundtheMidwest,raisereindeerandhaveacamelnamedKringle.Theproperty,whichhostedevents,alsohadaminiWesterntownandaridingarena.Theirfarmbuildingsweredemolished.Mostofthetreesweredown,andthehouseandgaragehadtoomuchdamagetoquicklyprocess.Theplacewasuninhabitable,shesays,andmostoftheirpersonalbelongingsdamagedbeyondrepair.“It’sstillunbelievable,”shetoldmewhenIfirstspokewithher.“Whenwegothere,wejustwalkaroundandstareandwonder,whatarewegoingtodo”
ThatconversationwasinearlyJanuary,whenJodiwasmakingtripstoVanHornetwotimesadaytofeedandwatertheanimals.SheandJohnwereliving30minutesaway,attheirotherbusiness,PeriwinklePlaceManor,aformerfuneralhomethattheyboughtandrestoredseveralyearsagobeforeconvertingitintoabed-and-breakfast(ordead-and-breakfast,asJodiwinkinglymarketsit)thathostsmurder-mysterytheater.
Themanor,aVictorianmansionthatdatestothelate1800s,isinChelsea,Iowa,alow-lying,flood-pronetownof300residentsontheothersideoftheLincolnHighway(soflood-pronethatthecitycouncilvotedtomoveChelseatohighergrounddecadesago;ithasn’t).Chelseagotcrushedbythederecho,too—itstownlibrarywasacasualty—butthemanorsustainedonlyminordamage(thoughitdidlosepowerfor2.5months),andthat’swherethecouplewerestayingwiththeirintellectuallydisabled26-year-olddaughteranddogwhenbothJohn,72,andJodi,62,camedownwithCOVIDinlateNovember.JodirecoveredquicklyenoughtotakeonafewMrs.ClausjobsinDecember,butJohn,whohadbloodclotsinhislungsandpneumonia,wasinthehospitalforamonth.Forthethirdtimeinayear,JodithoughtJohnwasgoingtodie.HecamehomeonChristmasEveday.
Yet,forthealmostboundlesstraumathePhilippsfacedin2020,Jodiwouldarguethatthisyearhasn’tgottenbetter.Intheaftermathoftheseevents,andtheefforttorecover,thingshaveonlygottenworse.
That’slargelybecauseofabattlewithherpropertyinsurer,whichbyJodi'stellinghasbeenafrustrating,confusing,lonely,andincreasinglydesperatemonthslongslog.Todate,theirinsurerhaspaidout$212,525.43forderecho-relatedclaimstotheproperty—almostallofitforthedemolishedridingarena—asmallfractionofthetotalcostofthedamagesandofthesumthatJodiandexpertsshehashiredarguesheandJohnareowedundertheir$673,000policy.Herhome,onwhichtheinsurerhaspaidoutjust$29,663.13,remainsintattersandexposedtotheelements.ThefamilyremainslivingatPeriwinklePlaceManor,inanausterelimbo.
“Wehavegoodinsurance,orwethoughtwedid,formany,manyyears,”saidJodi.“It’sbeenaroughyear,andfortheinsurancecompanytocompletelyturntheirbackonyouafteryou’vepaidforinsurancefor20someyearsandneverhadaclaim—inmyopinionthatshouldbeacrime.”
IhadinitiallygottenintouchwithJodiwhenIcameacrossaGoFundMepagethatafamilyfriendhadmadeontheirbehalflastyear.Atthetime,Iwasreportingastoryabouthowmyhomestatewascopingwithitsdualdisasters—thederechoandthepandemic.WithJohnjustoutofthehospital,Ihadassumedthecouple’sbattlewithCOVIDwoulddominateourdiscussion,butevenasJohnstruggledwiththelingeringeffectsofthevirus,itwasclearthesourceofgreateststressforJodiwastheutterhelplessnessshefeltaboutthesituationaroundherfarm.
WhenwespokeagaininMarch,therehadbeenlittleprogress.ItwasthesamestoryinJune,thoughJodi,atabreakingpointandhopingtocallattentiontoherplight(acardealershipinaneighboringtownhadsuccessfullydeployedthestrategy),hadcustom-orderedfor$360brightorangebanners,whichshethentackeduptotheirfencethatrunsalongthehighway.Thebanners,whicharenolongerdisplayed,trumpetedoutoverthree10-foot-longsignsthedistressshefeltduetothetreatmentbyherinsurerBentonMutualandNCPGroup,thethird-partyadministratorworkingontheclaim.
InresponsetothePhilipps’allegations,BentonMutualsaiditcouldnotcommentonindividualclaims,asdidNCPGroup,whichasathird-partyclaimsadministrator,andnotthePhilipps’insurer,notedthatitdidnothaveauthoritytodoso.
Thelongroadtorecovery
ThePhilippsareamongthousandsofIowansstillstrugglingtoresolveclaimsrelatedtothestorm,anadministrativetaskthatisoftenjustthefirststepforhomeownerstryingtogetbackontrack.They’realsoupagainsttheclock:InIowa,astatethatpromotesitselfasthenation’snewinsurancecapital,mostpolicyholdershavejustoneyearbeforethestatuteoflimitationsrunsoutforfilingsuitoverclaims—theonlyrecourse(albeitanexpensiveone),someargue,thatconsumershaveindisputeswiththeirinsurers.
InayearwhentherecoveryprocessinIowahasbeenslowedandcomplicatedbyaglobalpandemicandaslewofnaturaldisasterandpandemic-inducedshortages,thosepressuresaddtowhatmany,includingJodi,describeasasecondtrauma:navigatingthered-tape-riddenobstaclecoursetorecovery.
Butthisstoryisaboutmorethanonecouple’stravails,oronebadexperiencewithaninsurancecompany,oreventhemessyaftermathofasinglehorriblenaturaldisaster.Thederecho,alongwithdamaginghomesandblowingtheroofsoffbuildings,exposedthefundamentalproblemsofanentireindustry.Asthebusinessmodelthatundergirdstheinsurancesectorfacesevermorepressurefromclimatechangeandbank-breakingcatastrophes,somearguethatithasbecomeincreasinglystackedagainsthomeownersandfailstoprovidethesafetynetthatordinarypeoplebelievetheyhavepaidfor.
Suchbattlesinthewakeofdisasterarehardlyanewproblem.ThestoryofwrongedpolicyholdersistheanimatingforcebehindDelay,Deny,Defend,the2010bookbyRutgerslawprofessorJayFeinman.Thebookarguesthatsomepropertyandcasualtyinsurers,inanefforttoboosttheirbottomlines(followingaplaybookdevelopedbymanagementconsultants),havedevelopedtacticstosappeopleofthewill,emotionalenergy,andfinancialwherewithalittakestocollectwhatthey’rerightfullyowedbytheirinsurers.“It’smuchmoredifficulttogetpaidforavalidclaimnowthanitwas25yearsago,”Feinmantoldme.
ThefrustrationandinjusticeofthatexperienceiswhatledDouglasQuinn,athen-financialadviserwhosewaterfronthomewasbadlydamagedbyHurricaneSandy,tofoundtheAmericanPolicyholderAssociation,anorganizationaimedatstoppingfraudinthesector.Thepowerdynamicinthesebattlesisheavilytiltedinfavorofthemultibillion-dollarinsuranceindustry,hesaid.“It’sthestormafterthestorm,andinmyexperiencethestormwastheeasypart,”saidQuinn,whoaddedhe’sseenthesamepatternsheexperienced—frominsurersusingage-oldintimidationtacticstotryingtoshortchangepolicyholdersbyswappinginartificiallylowmaterialpricesontheirXactimatesoftware(whichadjustersusetopriceclaims)—playoutinIowa,nottomentioneveryotherplacewherethere’sbeenanaturaldisaster.“Weseethesethingsalloverthecountry,”saidQuinn.
Theindustry,totheextentthatitengages,isdismissiveofsuchcharacterizations,whichitseesasself-servingmessagingofplaintiffs’attorneys,andoftentheresultofconsumersnotfullyunderstandingtheirpoliciesbeforedisasterstrikes.Inresponsetomyoutreach,companiesemphasizedtheircommitmenttohandlingclaimswithcareandhonoringthecoveragetheysetoutintheirpolicies.TheInformationInsuranceInstitute(III)alsoencouragespeopletoknowexactlywhat’sinthosepoliciesbyaskingquestionsandshoppingcarefully;itcautionspeopleagainstchoosingthecheapestpolicieswithoutscrutinizingthecoverageprovided.“Don’tbuyajunkcarandthenexpectaCadillacofaproductwhenyouhaveaclaim,”IIIMediaRelationsdirectorScottHolemantoldme.
DaveV.String,avicepresidentatNCPGroup,theadministratorthatprocessedthePhilipps'claim,commentedgenerallyondisputes:“Weasadjustersareinvolvedinhandlingclaimsinverytenuous,stressfulandscarytimesforinsureds,manyofwhomhaveneverfiledaclaimbefore.NCPGroupwantseveryinsuredweassisttobepaideverydollartheirpolicyallows.Sometimesthistakesfurtherinvestigations;sometimesittakesadditionalinspections;andsometimesittakesadditionaldiscussions.Theseaddtoinsureds’frustrations,butwedoeverythingwecantogetitrightasquicklyaspossible…Oneofthelargestobstaclestoovercomewithinsuredsiswhentheyexpectcoverageforsomethingtheirpolicydoesnotprovide.NCPGroup’sclientsrequirethatwefollowthelanguageofthepolicyinanyrecommendationswemaketoourclients.Wewillgooutofourwaytomakesurenothingismissed,butwecannotchangethetermsofaninsured’scontract.”
Regardless,climatechangeandtheincreasingfrequencyofextremeweatherevents—nottomentionthemountingcostsassociatedwiththem,andtheunderpreparednessofallinvolvedforthisnewreality—suggestthesebattlesbetweeninsurersandpolicyholderswillonlybecomemorefrequentandbruising,withagrowingnumberofpeoplelikelytofallthroughtheirinsurancesafetynet.
Evidenceofthoseforces,ofcourse,isalreadyinplainview.TheU.S.facedarecordnumberofdevastatingandcostlyweatherandclimatedisastersduring2020—atotalof22eventsinwhichlossesexceeded$1billion—accordingtodatafromtheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration,orNOAA.Thegovernmentagencynotedlastyear’scount“shatteredthepreviousannualrecord,”whichinvolved16suchevents.Insuredlossesduetothoseeventsin2020standat$73billion,82%abovethe(inflation-adjusted)averagefigureforthepast20years.
“We’vewitnessedinsuredlossescausedbynaturaldisastersincreasingatanalarmingrate,growingnearly700%sincethe1980s,”HolemanwroteinanemailtoFortune,addingthatlastyearbroughtrecord-breakingAtlantichurricaneandWesternwildfireseasons(whichincludedfiveofCalifornia’ssixlargesteverwildfires).“Still,theinsuranceindustryhasdemonstratedleadershipthroughdisruption,payingclaimsfortheinsured.”
Henotedthatwhileinsurershavebuiltclimateriskintotheirbusinessmodelsforyears,“2020illustratedhowthedisruptioncontinuumisevolving.”
And2021isprovingtobedisruptivetoo.AsofJuly9,NOAAhadtalliedeight$1billionweatherandclimatedisastersintheU.S.thisyear,which,beyondeconomiclosses,resultedinthedeathsofatleast331people.Theyincludeeventsthatwerepreviouslysimplyunfathomable,likeTexas’scrippling10-daywinterfreezeandthePacificNorthwest’srecord-shatteringheatwave.
Thederecho,too,outdidtheimagination,rackingupinamatterofhourslastAugustanestimated$11.5billionindamageacrosstheMidwest.ThedevastationwasparticularlysevereineasternIowa,wheretheintensityofthewindledtodestructionwellbeyondwhatweatherforecastersoractuarieseverthoughtpossible.JustabouteveryhomeinCedarRapids—ametropolitanareaofnearly258,000people—sustainedsomesortofdamageinthestorm.ManypeopleintheveryhotmonthofAugustlostpowerformorethanaweek,andsomeforfarlonger.“Thederechoreallyopenedalotofeyesintermsofthefactthatthunderstormscanendupleadingtohurricanelevelsoflosses,”saidSteveBowen,headofcatastropheinsightforAon,theglobalprofessionalservicesfirm.Henotedthatpropertiesintheregion,whetherbrandnewordecadesold,weren’tbuilttowithstandsuchwindspeeds.“Itwasareminderthatevenperilsthathistoricallyhaven'tnecessarilybeenmassivedriversofdamageareincreasinglybecominghigherrisk,”addedBowen.“Thisisaneventthatcaughtalotofusoffguard.”
Indeed,Iowawasnotreadyforhurricanelevellosses.Comparedtowildfirecountry,andhurricane-pronecoastalstates,Iowansarerelativelyinexperiencedwhenitcomestowidespreadnaturaldisasters,andIowalackstherobustinfrastructureandknow-howthatmorepracticedstateshavedevelopedovertimetodealwithsuchevents.Thestatehasnolicensingrequirementsforinsuranceadjusters,meaningjustaboutanyonecandothejobofassessingdamageforinsurers.
Findinghelp
Meanwhile,resourcestosupportinsuredswiththeclaimsprocessorindisputeswiththeirinsurersarefew.Publicadjusting,orworkingasanindependentadvocateforpolicyholders(ratherthanforinsurers),doesrequirealicense,andtherearearelativelysmallnumberofthemprovidingtheserviceinthestate.(TheynumberinthethousandsinFlorida.)Similarly,lawyerswhospecializeindisaster-relatedinsurancelossesareextremelyfew.OnthewebsiteofUnitedPolicyholders,anonprofitthataims“toleveltheplayingfieldbetweeninsurersandinsureds,”theIowa“FindHelp”resourcepagelistsjustonepublicadjuster,SwiftPublicAdjusters,andonelawfirm,LarewLawOffice.(Thelistingsaresponsored.)
JamesLarew,whoservedasgeneralcounseltoIowaGov.ChetCulverfrom2007to2011,startedhispracticetosupportpolicyholdersin2011afterrealizingthereweremanypeopleinthestatewhohadissueswithpropertyandcasualtyinsurersandnowheretoturn(theyoftentriedtomeetwiththegovernorabouttheirproblems).Bornandraisedinthestate,LarewnotedthatIowanstendtotaketheirlumps,meaningthey’reculturallyunlikelytochallengetheirinsurersoverclaimpayments.Evenwhentheydo,thestateisnothospitabletosuchchallengesbecauseoflawsandpoliciesthatbendinfavoroftheindustry,heandotherscontend.(Iowanshavetopaytheirownlegalfees,eveniftheydowin,forexample,andthestateallowsinsurerstowriteintotheircontractalimitationsperiodasshortasoneyear,comparedtothe10-yearstatuteoflimitationsthatispresumedforwrittencontactsmorebroadlyinthestate.)
Addtothatthevulnerablecircumstancesofpeoplewhosehomeshavebeenbeenstrickenbydisaster,andthefactthatlawsuitsarewearingandexpensive.Insurancecompaniesknowtherisktheywillbesuedislow,adynamicthatallowsthemtounderpaypolicyholderswithlittlefearofconsequence,Larewsaid.
WhenIspoketoDougOmmen,commissioneroftheIowaInsuranceDivision(IID),inlateJuly,insurershadpaidoutmorethan$3billionon225,000derecho-relatedclaimsinthestate.Roughly18,000,or8%ofthoseclaims,remainedopen,avolumethatOmmensaidreflectedthescaleoflossesaswellasshortagesoflaborandmaterials.TheIIDhadreceived392derecho-relatedcomplaints,mostofwhichhavebeeninvestigatedandclosedbytheagency.Ofthose,110ofthecomplaintswereconfirmed—largelyover“delaysintheclaimsprocessaswellasdamagesmissedduringinspectionsoftheproperty”—resultinginanadditional$307,000paidtopolicyholdersinthestate.AfterFortuneaskedabouttheissue,theIIDalsoissuedabulletinadvisinginsurancecarrierstoaccommodaterequestsforextensionsgiventhecircumstances,includingashortageofinsuranceadjusters,thathaveslowedtherecoveryprocessformanyinthestate;atleastonepublicadjustingfirmsays,inmostcases,insurerscontinuetodenyextensions.Ommensaidhisofficewasinvestigatingissuesraisedbythederecho,likewhetherallowingone-yearlimitationsinpoliciesmadesense.
Acommontrauma
Homeownersinsuranceshouldbeablessingwhendisasterstrikes.Commercializedinthe1950sasaproducttoprotectfamiliesagainstlife-altering,wealth-destroyingeventslikefireandtornadoes,mortgagelenderssoonmadeitarequirement,andtoday93%ofAmericanhomeownershaveapolicy,accordingtotheInsuranceInformationInstitute.Whilestandardhomeinsurancedoesn’tcoverallcatastrophicevents—seeearthquakesandfloods—itdoesgenerallycoverwinddamage,meaningthatprivateinsurerswereonthehookforthemajorityofderecho-relatedlossessufferedbyhomeownersinthestate.
Thathelpedthestatebouncebackquickly,DennisHarper,recoverydivisionadministratorfortheIowaDepartmentofHomelandSecurityandEmergencyManagement,toldmeinJanuary.“[Privateinsurers]wereabletogetinandgetcheckswrittenrightaway,”jump-startingtherepairandrecoveryprocessforhomeowners,hetoldme.Whilethepandemicandwidespreadpoweroutagesduetothederechocomplicatedthejobsomewhat,thepathtorecoveryformostwasrelativelyclearandwell-funded.(Bycomparison,explainedHarper,60%to70%ofpeopleaffectedinthestate’soccasionalfloodeventstendtobeunder-oruninsuredagainstlosses.)
Indeed,manyIowanshadafineexperienceintheaftermathofthestorm.Theymayhavehadtojumpthroughafewhoops—myparents,wholiveinCedarRapids,forexample,gotanewroofaftertheircontractorsuccessfullychallengedtheinsurancecompany’sdenialforone—buttheyfeeltheyweretreatedfairly.AftertalkingwithpeopleandofficialsinJanuary,mysensewasthatbetweenrobustinsuranceprotectionandIowanneighborliness(IowanshelpingIowanswithchainsaws),thestate’sderecho-impactedcommunitiesweredoingprettywell,oratleastmovingforwardinwhatwouldnecessarilybealongandarduousrecoveryduetothescaleofdamage.
Butasthemonthshavewornon,it'sbecomeclearthatthat'snotthecompletepicture.TherearelotsofstoriesinvolvinghomeownerslikeJodi,whodespiteconsiderableeffortfeeltheyarestuckintheprocessandpoorlyservedbytheinsurancecompanieswhosepolicies,atleastintheory,weresupposedtoprotectthem.Someofthesecasesinvolvedmyfriendsandfamily;scoresofothersareposted,SOS-like,onFacebookpages—suchastheIowaDerechoStormResourcePageandIowaInsuranceClaimQ&A—thatwereformedasasupportnetworkafterthestorm.Bothofthosegroupshavethousandsofmemberswho,amongotherthings,exchangeinformationontheirdealingswithStateFarm,Allstate,BentonMutual,NCPGroup,andanynumberofotherinsurers.Many,atthispoint,areexasperated.Theirexperiences,asI’velearnedintalkingwithanumberofthem,areuniquelycomplicated,buttheysharecommontraumas:afeelingofpowerlessnessandasenseofbetrayalbyanindustrythatsoprolificallyadvertisesitselfasagoodneighbor.Theyfeeltrappedinalabyrinthoftheirinsurer’smaking.
“Theemotionaltollofithasbeenverytough,”shewrotetome.“Gettingourhopesup,shufflingourschedulesaroundmeetingsandphonecallshasbeeninconvenient.Doingsomeoftheworkourselvesbecausewecan'taffordtohiresomeoneout-of-pocketisfrustrating.”YoderisholdingouthopethatAllstatewillcomearoundonherroof;it’llbehardtocontemplatethefutureuntiltherepairsarecomplete.“Fornow,wearetrapped.”
Inanemailedstatement,Allstatesaidit“promptlypaidalltheagreeduponamounts"fromthecustomer’sclaimandthatitwas“workingactivelytoresolveanyremainingdifferencesandthoroughlyinvestigateallopenclaimstoensureaccurateandtimelypaymentstoourcustomers.”ThecompanynotedthatAllstatehassettled98%ofitsIowaderechoclaimsandprovidedcustomersover$120milliontorecoverfromtheirlosses.
WhenthederechocausedatreetofallonMarieHancock’ssoutheastCedarRapidshome,resultingindamagetohergarageanddwelling,shefeltmoreconfidentthanmostinherabilitytonavigatethesituation.Asarealtor,sheunderstoodthefineprintofpoliciesandthetediumoftheclaimsprocess.Butnearlyayearlater,she’ssurprisedtobeinasituationsimilartoYoder’s,withhergaragestillnotfunctionalandherroofinneedofrepair.Waterseepsintoherhomeanytimeitrainsheavily,worseningwaterdamagewithin.The$12,000sheandherhusbandreceivedfortheirclaimfeelshard-won—afirstadjustertoldhertherewasnothingwrongwithherproperty;avisitfromthesecondyieldedapaymentof$4,000—butalsofarlessthanwhatshebelievessheisowedunderherpolicy.“We’renotinFlorida,”shesaid,stillalittlestunnedbywhatshe’switnessed.“They’vehadyearsofcollectingpremiumswithverylittlepayouts[here].”
OriginallyfromTogo,inWestAfrica,Hancockfeelsdiscriminationhasmadeherfamily’sbattletougher—shehiredapublicadjusterforthatreason—andshe’snoticedasimilarpatternwithimmigrantfamiliesshe’shelpedthroughtheprocess.Withherownbattle,sheisclosetoconceding."Idon'thaveenergytospendfightingasystemthatIknowisverywellstructured[tothebenefitofinsurers],”shetoldmeinlateJuly,addingthatsheandherhusbandplantorefinancetheirhomeandusethatmoneytofixwhattheinsurancemoneyhasn’tcovered.
ThestoryofJohnandJodiPhilippisanotherspecificandcomplicatedcase.Theirlossesandcircumstancesareextreme,butaccordingtothosewhohavedealtwithderechocases,thebattlewiththeirinsurerfollowsthepatternsofothers.Formorethan20years,JodiandJohnPhilipphadwhattheythoughtwasa$1millionhomeownersinsurancepolicythroughBentonMutualInsuranceAssociation,which,foundedin1872,isoneofmanysmallfarmmutualsthatserveIowa’sruralcommunities.HeadquarteredinKeystone,Iowa(pop.600),10mileswestofVanHorne,itoffershomeandfarminsuranceina19-countyareaineasternIowa;morethanhalfitspolicyholderswereaffectedonthedayofthederecho.Likemanyhomeowners,JohnandJodididn’tthinkmuchabouttheirpolicy,whichtheyoriginallypurchasedthroughanagentinVinton,anothernearbytown,andrenewedeveryyear.Thepolicy,whichhasanannualpremiumof$1,718.30,coveredthecouple’shomewellasthegarage,theridingarena,andpersonalproperty.
Thecouplehadneverfiledaclaim,andsointhewakeofthederechoJodiwassurprisedtolearnsheactuallyhada$673,000policywitharestrictiveroofendorsementstatingthatBentonMutualwould“notpayforlosstoroofscausedbywindstormorhailuntilacceptablerepairshavebeenmadeoranewroofisinstalled.”Theroofendorsement,whichFortunehasseen,isdatedAugust2017,andJohnPhilipp’snamehadbeenprintedinforasignaturebyaninsuranceagent,withthenote“byphone10:18a.m.”NeitherJohnnorJodiremembersaconversationwithanagentabouttheendorsement,oreveragreeingtoit.(Theinsuranceagentdidnotrespondtomultiplerequestsforcomment;BentonMutualdeclinedcommentonindividualclaims.)
ThatpieceofpaperiskeytothePhilipps’dispute,asBentonMutualarguesitabsolvesitfromcoveringroofdamageoranythinginsidethehousethatwasdamagedbecauseofafaultyroof,accordingtothepublicadjusterandattorneyhiredbythePhilipps.ItalsoreflectswhatAmyBach,anattorneyandtheexecutivedirectorofUnitedPolicyholders,thenonprofitshecofoundedin1991,callsa“problematic”trendintheinsuranceindustry:thequietmodificationofhomeowners’insurancepolicies.
“Becauseoftheincreasingnumberofwindandwatereventsassociatedwithclimatechange,insurershavegottenmoreandmoreaggressiveinlimitingwhattheypayforroofdamageandroofrepairs,”sheexplained,datingthestartofthepracticetoaround2013.“That’saproblemthat’scomehometoroostinIowa,andinasituationlikethederechobecauseitinvolvedwindandrain.”
Bachsaidsuchchanges,whichreducethevalueofhomeownerspoliciesbutrarelythecostofthem,areusuallynotcommunicatedclearlytopolicyholders,andhavebeenimplementedtooquicklyforhomeownersandregulatorstokeepup.(OmmensaidthisisanotherissuetheIIDisexamininginlightofthederecho.)Bach’sorganizationlaunchedanationalinitiative,RestoringtheInsuranceSafetyNetCoalition,in2020tobringtoregulators,officials,andcourtsanawarenessoftheissueandtoinstitutestandardsthatpreventexcessivecoverage-shrinkingpolicyrewrites.What,afterall,isthevalueofahousewithnoroof
Verylittle,thePhilippswoulddiscover,accordingtothereportpreparedbyNCPGroup,aFlorida-basedcompanythatBentonMutualhadhiredtoadjustandprocessclaims.Thecompanydeterminedcovereddamages,ortheactualcashvalueofdamagestotheirthree-storyfarmhouse,tobe$16,786.17.“Itwasalmostcomical,”Joditoldme.“Theywantedtogiveus[apayment]tothepainttheroomsinthehousewhentheceilingsarecavingin.”DespiteappealsandthehelpofapublicadjusterJodihired(whichassessedthecovereddamagesasexceedingtheir$673,000policy),NCPGrouphasn’tsentanotheradjustertoreinspecttheplacetotheknowledgeofJodioranyonerepresentingher.ThefirstadjusternolongerworksforNCP.(NCPdoesnotcommentonindividualclaims.)
Thepublicadjustersecuredafewadditionalpaymentsfortheproperty,butnothingclosetothefirm’shugeestimates.Andwhenthoseeffortsstalled,Jodi’srelationshipwiththepublicadjuster—onceasourceofsomuchhope—soured.Shecouldn’tgetanswersfromthefirmeither.
AswithothersIspokewith,mysensefromJodiwasthatthemostupsettingpartofthisprocesswasitslackofhumanity:thefactthatatatimeofextraordinarypersonallossandtrauma,thepeopletheydependedonforhelpdidn’treturncallsortexts;thattheycommunicatedthingspoorly,ifatall;thatanadjusterorcontractororpublicadjusterwouldjustupanddisappear,sometimesreplacedbyanotherone,restartingthewholeprocess,andsometimesnot.It’sapatternthatseemstohappenafterwidespreaddisasters,likethisone,wherethere’sascarcityoftimeandresources.
He’snowshepherdingthePhilipps’casethroughappraisal,adisputeresolutionprocessthat,whilenotwithoutrisk,isquickerandlessexpensivethanlitigation.HesayscommunicationwithBentonMutual’sattorneyhasbeenpositiveastheyprepareforajointinspectionofthePhilipps'property.WhileJodi’scaseisfarfromresolved,sheisfeelingmorehopefulnowthatitisinUsher’shandsandthatthismiserablechapter—“theworstfrickin’year,”asshedescribedit—seemstobeinchingtowardanend.Inrecentweeks,withJodihavingsecuredtheChelseacitycouncil’sapproval,KringleandthereindeermovedtoPeriwinklePlace.SheisfixingupastructureonthepropertyforherandJohntomoveinto,andshehasbegunhostingmurder-mysteryeventsagain.Sheiscomingtoacceptthatshewillprobablyneveragainliveatthefarmandisinsteadtryingtorememberthatbeyondthisinsurancebattleandthelimboofthepastyear,thereisafuture.