PHOENIX, ARIZ. (July 24, 2017) – The seventh annual Tee It Up To Cure Leukemia charity golf tournament is set for Friday, Sept. 29, at Legacy Golf Course, 6808 S. 32^nd St., Phoenix. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m.; the tourney tees off at 1:15 p.m.

The tournament is special to organizer Jana Brickey, Associate/Business Development Director at Dick & Fritsche Design Group. She lost a grandfather to leukemia and in 2009 a great niece was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. An avid bowler, Brickey also lost a friend with whom she competed in a national tournament was diagnosed with lymphoma and died within months

“When I started this event, it was my way of supporting my great niece,” Brickey said. “I wanted to be a part of her battle even though I lived two states away. As the years pass, I have been forever changed by the stories of survivors and have honored the families of those who passed. I hope our collective efforts help eradicate leukemia from our vocabulary.”

The golf tournament has raised more than $32,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Brickey said. LLS is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures, and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients.

Entry fee for the charity event is $90 per player before August 15, $100 after that date. It includes golf cart, range balls, and lunch before the shotgun start. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

“Participation has increased each year,” Brickey said. “We had 96 golfers last year. September is also Blood Cancer Awareness Month so the timing of our event makes it even more special.”

For more information and to register for the tourney, visit  teeituptocureleukemia.com.

Part I

This is the first of a three-part blog dealing with insurance policy cancellations and non-renewal of a policy. I encourage you to review the introductory blog for background information. This discussion deals with auto insurance policies for all manner of wheeled and motorized vehicles.  The information below is for Arizona consumers and if you are in a different state, you may want to consult with your state’s department of insurance or commissioner.

After a long relationship with your insurance company, you receive an unwelcome notice that your policy is canceled or the company refuses to renew the policy.  These types of notices may be a surprise but require a quick response to help you preserve your rights as an insurance consumer.

In most states, your notice of cancellation must be sent by U.S. Postal Service with proof of mailing, at least 10 days prior to the effective date of cancellation, unless it pertains to nonpayment of premium. Nonpayment of premium notices may be sent by mail or email.

If you receive a notice of cancellation or non-renewal, your first self-help steps include contacting your insurance agent or the insurance company.  Insurance companies want you as a customer and will look for ways to keep you. Act quickly because the cancellation notices have an effective date, and if the insurance company will not reverse its decision, the policy ends.

Before contacting the insurance company, review your auto insurance policy. The policy describes the terms and conditions for insuring your vehicle and how the insurance company provides notice of cancellation or nonrenewal of a policy.

For auto policies, any one of the following factors allows an insurance company to cancel or not renew your policy.

• You fail to pay your policy premium
• You obtained insurance through fraudulent misrepresentation
• You or someone in your household who regularly drives your auto has one or more of the following:

• • A suspended or revoked license, or
  • A permanent disability that impairs the person’s ability to operate the auto, or
  • Been convicted of negligent homicide, DUI, reckless driving or leaving the scene of an accident during the operation of an auto, or
  • Made a false statement in an application for a driver license or
  • Been convicted of reckless driving
• You operate as a driver for hire service (Uber, Lyft) without the appropriate endorsement or with insurance covering the hired service period
• The Director of Insurance determined that the policy places the insurance company in violation of the laws of Arizona, or the insurance company is in rehabilitation or receivership or had its certificate of authority suspended

In addition to the list above, certain activities may result in voiding your policy resulting in no insurance coverage if you have a loss. For example, if you use your vehicle for “commercial purposes”, i.e., pizza delivery or construction hauling, you put your consumer auto policy at risk for cancellation. There are separate laws governing how auto insurance for commercial purposes operate.  Having the wrong insurance policy could have financially devastating results.

You may also put your insurance policy at risk if you allow an unauthorized person to drive the insured vehicle and your auto policy specifically limits who may operate it.

Regardless of why your policy is canceled, Arizona law requires the insurance company to clearly state the reasons for canceling.  A notice that lacks this information or a policy canceled for improper reasons, results in an invalid notice.

If you receive a notice of cancellation or non-renewal for your auto policy, you may have the decision reviewed by the department of insurance. Again, time is of the essence and you should act immediately to preserve your rights.

Once the cancellation goes into effect, the insurance company must refund any unearned premium paid towards the auto insurance policy.

In Part III of this series, you will learn how the department of insurance can help in your appeal of the insurance company’s decision to cancel or not renew your auto policy. Like most administrative appeals, you will need to act fast and have documentation to support your position.

Yvonne R. Hunter is a licensed attorney and the Principal Consultant for YH Strategies, LLC, in Phoenix, Ariz. After a stint with the Arizona Department of Insurance, she learned that many consumers remain unaware of some of the issues associated with insurance products. This blog reflects her opinion and should not be regarded as legal advice. She encourages consumers interested in learning more about their own insurance experience to contact their state department of insurance or insurance commissioner or seek advice from an attorney. If you would like additional information on matters dealing with consumer insurance products, you can reach Yvonne at yrhunteraz@gmail.com. 

Thank you for your interest in learning more about consumer insurance matters. I hope that you find the information helpful in guiding your discussions with insurance agents or brokers when determining what insurance products provide you the protection you seek.

I started this process because, like everyone, we are inundated with commercials and ads touting the benefits of having insurance. Insurance is one of those adulthood purchases that can overwhelm us when deciding what to include in a policy and how insurance works. And while it looks easy enough to purchase insurance, and may even be easy to file claims, customers find themselves hurt and confused when the relationship sours.

For the next three offerings, I will address your options when you receive a notice of cancellation or non-renewal of your insurance policy. When you receive a notice of cancellation or non-renewal for an insurance policy, it could trigger criminal penalties for not having an auto policy, or a default on a mortgage because your lender requires homeowner’s insurance. By learning about what to do when faced with a notice of cancellation or non-renewal, you will know you have rights as an insurance consumer. The following points may help you as you determine your next steps.

• There is a difference in terminology for a “cancellation” compared to “non-renewal”:
  • A cancellation of an insurance policy usually happens in the middle of the policy term.  It may be tied to an event such as not paying an insurance premium.
  • The non-renewal of an insurance policy occurs when the insurance company will not renew the policy at the end of its term. A non-renewal of may be tied to too many points on your driver license.
• Arizona law allows an insurance company to cancel a new auto or homeowner insurance policy for no reason within the first 60 days of the policy.  However, even with this broad authority, most states limit the information that an insurance company can use to make this decision.  If you have questions about the reason for a cancellation within the first 60 days of your policy, you should contact your state insurance department or commissioner to determine that the cancellation was based on lawful reasons.
• Not all insurance policies are the same. If you have changed any aspect of your insurance policy, you will need to thoroughly review the most recent version to identify any changes. If the insurance company offers a new “plan” or “program”, use a healthy dose of curiosity when you review the proposed policy changes since the new plan may impose new restrictions, a higher insurance deductible, or other changes that may not be a bargain for you.
• All of my comments on cancellation and non-renewal pertain to consumer insurance policies because most consumer policies will not cover commercial activities.  Commercial insurance policies are governed in most states by different statutes and regulations. If you believe you need insurance for your business operations, you should consult with your legal counsel to identify what kind of insurance policy is best suited for you. For example, if you use your automobile to deliver pizza, or operate a bed and breakfast from your home, you may find that your consumer policy will not cover these activities.

Finally, to those readers located in other states, this information on cancellation and non-renewal of insurance policies pertains to policies regulated by the Arizona Department of Insurance. Insurance is a business regulated state by state. While Arizona laws may not help you, I hope that the information provided encourages you to contact your own state’s insurance department, commissioner, or your legal counsel.

Now to address the question of why your relationship with your insurance company seems destined for failure: “It’s you, not me…”

Yvonne R. Hunter is a licensed attorney and the Principal Consultant for YH Strategies, LLC, in Phoenix, Ariz. After a stint with the Arizona Department of Insurance, she learned that many consumers remain unaware of some of the issues associated with insurance products. This blog reflects her opinion and should not be regarded as legal advice. She encourages consumers interested in learning more about their own insurance experience to contact their state department of insurance or insurance commissioner or seek advice from an attorney. If you would like additional information on matters dealing with consumer insurance products, you can reach Yvonne at yrhunteraz@gmail.com.