Around the PIA Western Alliance States - Week of May 12th

New Mexico — Utilities tell People to Prepare for Outages: The providers of electricity in New Mexico told the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission that residents should be prepared to lose power when high winds and dry conditions up the risk of wildfires.

There is more than just risk to the people. Failing to shut down power when high winds arise has cost New Mexico’s utilities dearly. Many faced lawsuits from resulting wildfires.

“These disasters not only cause massive losses for people and businesses, but for utilities as well,” PRC utility chair Gabriel Aguilera told the commission. “We’ve increasingly seen utilities facing lawsuits with insurance companies covering only a fraction of the damages, or in some cases, none at all.”

Source link: Insurance Journal — https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2025/05/09/823188.htm

Washington — Mental Health Awareness Month and your coverage: It’s May, which means it’s Mental Health Awareness Month. But what rights to do you have when it comes to your health insurance covering mental health treatment? This episode of the OIC Answers podcast includes a member of the OIC’s Consumer Advocacy team to discuss how your treatment has to be covered, what the most common questions are about mental health coverage, and what mental health parity entails.

Listen to the full episode here — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mental-health-awareness-month-and-your-coverage/id1647460589?i=1000708130814

If you’re having issues with your insurance, you can file a complaint online at insurance.wa.gov or chat with someone virtually or via phone at 800-562-6900.