News
How Cost-Sharing Works in Health Insurance
When you get medical care, you and your health plan share the costs. Your health insurance pays for some of the costs, and you pay for the rest. You will usually pay one, or more, of these:You pay a certain amount of money each month for your health insurance. This...
5 Things Your Homeowners Insurance May Not Cover
Your homeowners insurance usually won’t pay for wear and tear to your home. For example, worn roofs, leaky windows, and overgrown or dead trees are not covered by your policy. The best way to avoid costly damage is to prevent it by maintaining your home and fixing any...
Don’t Fall for These Common Insurance Scams
All Texans are impacted by insurance scams. Learn how to protect yourself.[dsm_text_divider header="General Insurance Scams" text_alignment="left" divider_style="dotted" divider_weight="4px" text_gap="0px" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default"...
Know Your Coverage: Service Line Coverage
Service line coverage is a specialized type of coverage in residential property insurance. It covers the cost of repairing or replacing utility lines, excavation, and landscape restoration in the event of a loss. This coverage is not usually offered in the base...
OPIC’s 2021 Achievements
OPIC worked hard for consumers this past year, analyzing over 1,100 rules, rates, and policy forms. We are a small, 10-person agency, but we did big things in 2021. We saved Texas consumers over $11.4 million last year alone, so for every $1 OPIC received from the...
10 Ways to Keep Your Home Protected While Traveling for the Holidays
Are you traveling for the holidays and leaving your home unattended? Follow these tips to maintain your home, help prevent damage or theft, and help avoid insurance coverage issues:[dsm_text_divider header="Maintain Home" text_alignment="left" divider_style="dotted"...
Choosing Health Care Coverage When You Lose or Leave Your Job
When you lose or leave your job, you have several options to get health care coverage. Usually, you can: continue using your job-sponsored health coverage through COBRA; enroll in an individual policy through the federal health insurance marketplace; or choose...
Preventing Damage from Water Heaters
Water damage from a broken or leaky water heater can be expensive and may not be covered by your insurance. Regular maintenance may help prevent a broken or leaky water heater. You may be able to do it yourself, or you can hire a plumber. For info on hiring a plumber,...
Know Your Coverage: EHBs and Mandated Health Benefits
Health benefits are regulated by both the federal government and individual state governments. The federal government requires that individual and small group plans cover certain Essential Health Benefits (EHBs). Federal Essential Health Benefits (EHBs) EHBs are...
Decoding Residential Property Deductibles
What is a deductible? A deductible is an amount the insurance company subtracts from your payment for damages caused by a covered loss. It is the amount you will be expected to pay if you repair or replace damaged property. You can find your deductible amounts on your...
5 Things To Do Before Buying a Used Car
The National Crime Insurance Bureau (NICB) offers VINCheck, a “free lookup service to the public to assist in determining if a car has been reported as stolen, but not recovered, or has been reported as a salvage vehicle by participating NICB member insurance...
Cheap Ways to Save Big on Claims
Damage from storms can be expensive — the average Hurricane Harvey residential property insurance claim was $13,000 and average flood insurance claim was $121,000 (TDI). However, it doesn’t have to cost much to help protect your home against storm damage. The better...
OPIC Recommendations Adopted During the 87th Texas Legislative Session
OPIC released its 2020 Recommendations Report to the 87th Texas Legislature in December 2020. OPIC made two recommendations to the Legislature that would benefit Texas insurance consumers. The Texas Legislature passed both of OPIC’s recommendations during the regular...
How to Prepare for Spring Storms
Spring weather in Texas is unpredictable and Texans are likely to experience extreme weather events, including tornadoes, hailstorms, hurricanes, and wildfires. Here are some important tips to help you protect yourself, your family, and your property from injury or...
Know Your Coverage: Usage-Based Insurance (UBI)
Are you driving less? Retirement or other lifestyle and career changes can lead to less driving. Additionally, more employees are working from home due to COVID-19, which reduces commuting. For some, working from home may continue even as we get through the pandemic....
Recovering from Winter Weather
This is a difficult time for many Texans and the last thing you probably want to deal with is filing an insurance claim for your home or car. We hope this information makes the claim filing process a little easier. Once you and your loved ones are safe, here are some...
Don’t Borrow Trouble: Know What’s Covered
Did you know that even if you have permission to drive a borrowed car or give permission to someone to drive your car, your auto policy may not provide coverage? Consider this before you borrow trouble. Here are some common situations that may not be covered: You...
Know Your Coverage: Telemedicine
What is telemedicine? Telemedicine or telehealth is an increasingly popular way of getting health care because it allows people to get care without traveling to a doctor’s office or hospital. Telemedicine is a way of receiving medical care without actually traveling...
OPIC’s 2020 Achievements
OPIC worked hard for consumers this year, analyzing over 1,400 rules, rates, and policy forms. We are a small, 10-person agency, but we did big things in 2020. We saved Texas consumers over $85 million this year alone. Here are some of our biggest achievements of...
Know Your Coverage: Trees
Hurricanes, tornadoes, and other storms frequently cause trees to fall, which can result in property damage. Falling trees can damage homes, vehicles, or other property. Here are some things to keep in mind when dealing with damage from trees.As soon as possible, take...
Recovering from Hurricane Delta
Hurricane Resources If you’ve evacuated during Hurricane Delta, be careful as you’re returning home. Here are some resources you may need while you’re on the road home: The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)'s DriveTexas highway map for updated road conditions...
Recovering from Hurricane Laura
Returning Home After Hurricane Laura Be careful as you’re returning home after Hurricane Laura. Here are some resources you may need while you’re on the road home: The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)'s DriveTexas highway map for updated road conditions and...
5 Important Things To Do Before a Storm Hits
Before a storm hits, make sure you know the right resources to get up-to-date weather information. You can: Subscribe to national weather alerts. Download FEMA app real-time alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations nationwide. Sign up for...
Resources for Business Owners During COVID-19
OPIC understands this is a difficult time for Texans. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic raises several insurance questions for small business owners. We hope that the following information will help with some of those questions.Insurance The Texas Department of...
How to Reduce Your Wildfire Risk
A wildfire is an unplanned fire that burns in a natural area such as a forest, grassland, or prairie. Wildfires are often caused by humans or lightning and can happen anywhere at any time. Wildfire risk increases during periods of little rain and high winds. According...
Know Your Coverage: Roadside Assistance
Roadside assistance helps you when your vehicle breaks down. Some companies automatically include this coverage, but it is often an optional coverage that can be added to your auto policy. It is important to understand what roadside assistance coverage you have and...
OPIC’s 2019 Achievements
OPIC has been working hard for consumers this year, analyzing over 2,100 rules, rates, and policy forms. We are a small, 10-person agency, but we did big things in 2019, saving Texas consumers over $41 million. Here are some of our biggest achievements: Negotiated an...
Understanding PIP vs Med-Pay
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Medical Payments (Med-Pay) are auto coverages that pay regardless of who is at fault in an accident. While these coverages have some things in common, they are different. Here are some of the key differences:Personal Injury...
What is Surplus Lines Insurance?
Most property and casualty insurance policies in Texas are sold by insurance companies licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). These companies make up what is called the “authorized” or “admitted” market. TDI reviews most of the rates and policies that...
Avoid Contractor Fraud After a Disaster
After a tornado or storm, you may need to hire a contractor to fix damage to your home. It’s important to be aware of common contracting scams that occur after disasters, and how to go about the rebuilding process safely. Here’s our biggest tips to think about when...
OPIC Staff Shop Their Policies
OPIC always encourages consumers to shop around for insurance, so we took our own advice and did the same. OPIC staff recently shopped for our own policies to see if we could get a better deal on our insurance. Our goal was to save money without losing coverage....
What You Need to Know About Medical Codes
What Are Medical Codes? Medical codes are the way doctors and other healthcare professionals describe medical diagnoses and treatments. These codes are important for understanding how medical billing works and can affect what you pay and what is covered under your...
Know Your Coverage: Air Ambulances
What is an air ambulance? Air ambulances are medical transport aircraft such as helicopters or airplanes that take patients to medical facilities. Like regular ground ambulances, air ambulances have medical equipment, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians. An...
5 Ways to Lower Your Auto Insurance Costs
1. Shop Around Prices can vary, so it often pays to shop around. Check out our Policy Comparison Tool and HelpInsure.com to compare coverages and sample rates. Remember to never shop for an insurance policy on price alone! 2. Higher Deductibles A deductible is...
Insurance Consumer Protections from the 2019 Legislative Session
The 86th Texas Legislative Session concluded on May 27, 2019. Several bills passed that positively impact Texas insurance consumers. Below are summaries highlighting some of the consumer protection bills passed by the Texas Legislature and signed by the Governor. To...
Are You Prepared for Hurricane Season?
Hurricane season lasts from June until November. Hurricanes can’t be prevented, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself, your family, and your belongings from damage. Before a Hurricane Plan your evacuation route and create an emergency...
Getting Married? 5 Insurance Tips for Newlyweds and Engaged Couples
If you’re engaged or newly married, the last thing on your mind is reviewing your insurance needs or updating your policies. However, before tying the knot, it’s important to sit down and discuss your current insurance situation and what you might need to change...
What You Need to Know About Preauthorization
What is Preauthorization? Health plans may require your doctor to get approval before they will pay for certain medical treatments. This process of advance approval is called preauthorization. Timelines for PreauthorizationWhen a health plan gets a request from a...
Are You Prepared for Tornado Season?
Tornado season is upon us. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Texas had 92 tornado events last year that affected 69 counties and equaled over $12 million in property damage. Tornadoes can’t be prevented, but there are steps you...
How to Create a Home Inventory
A home inventory is a detailed list of items in your house that you make in the case of theft or damage. Creating a list can be time consuming, but it is better to do so now rather than trying to make one from memory later. A home inventory list can help you: Buy the...
Are You Prepared for Hail Season?
Hail causes around $1 billion in damage to property and crops each year. In 2020, Texas had the most wind/hail losses in the U.S. – with 601 hail events (Insurance Information Institute). While hail storms can’t be prevented, there are steps you can take to help...
What is a Dec Page?
A declarations page, often called a “dec page,” can be found in the front of your policy. The dec page summarizes your policy and coverages, limits and deductibles, and the dates your policy is effective. Auto insurance dec pages also list the insured vehicles and...
OPIC’s 2018 Achievements
We’ve been working hard for consumers this year. Here are just some of our biggest 2018 achievements: Reviewed, analyzed, and intervened in approximately 1,500 rate, rule, and form filings. Advocated for lower auto and homeowners insurance rates and fees,...
6 Winter Fire Safety Tips
Home fires occur more in winter than during any other season. These tips will help you take precautions and ensure your home is safe and free of insurance claims this winter!
When Will My Homeowners Claim Get Paid?
Wondering when the claim you filed with your insurance company will get paid? Here is some info on timeframes for paying claims:
Understanding the Basics of Long-Term Care Insurance
If you or a loved one cannot live independently, the costs of personal care can be very high. Long-term care insurance can help pay for the costs of personal care, but it’s important to understand how it is different from health insurance and when it can be...
Cyber Insurance: Tips to Lower Your Risk & Recover from Harm
Because we rely on the internet more and more for both business and personal tasks, the risk of our smart devices getting hacked and personal info being stolen or misused increases. Almost every day it seems there is another data breach, scam, or virus. Cyber...
Consider Buying HOA Loss Assessment Coverage
Many Texas property owners must join a homeowners association (“HOA”). Condos often require HOA membership, and many single-family subdivisions now have them, too. HOA members have to pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly dues. These dues usually pay for taking care of...
4 Storm Resources You Need to Know
Here are 4 storm resources you might need next time a flood strikes.
What Are Your Rights if a Drug is Removed From Your Health Plan’s Drug Formulary?
Did you know your health plan can change your medicine coverage? Your health plan must notify you if it removes a medicine from its formulary or limits your access to a medicine. Your plan must continue to cover a medicine until renewal. Your health plan has to...
Buyer Beware: Not All Auto Policies Are the Same
Be sure you know who and what is covered under any insurance policy you consider buying. Not all auto policies are the same. Since insurance policies can be very different, it is important to read all of your policy and ask questions to make sure you get the coverage...
4 Tips for Making Roof Repairs After a Storm
Have you had roof damage after recent storms? It’s important to keep these 4 tips in mind when you’re making your roof repairs.
Health Insurance Works Differently in Emergencies!
Emergency care can vary in price and services depending on where you go. You can save time and money and get the care you need if you know: the differences between emergency room (ER) facilities and urgent care centers, and how to get info about your insurance...
Understanding Your Homeowners Deductible
What is a Homeowners Deductible? A homeowners deductible is the portion of a covered loss you must pay before your insurance company pays for any of the loss. Typically, your insurance company will simply subtract the deductible from the total amount of your claim,...