Awake Foundation • Western States Citizen’s Guide Series
Western States Project
A 15-state public education and reform initiative advancing auto insurance transparency, crash recovery awareness, trauma billing education, and model legislative reform.
Built from Colorado as the flagship model, this series helps citizens compare insurance systems, disclosure practices, trauma-billing exposure, and reform opportunities across the western United States.
A public-interest project of Awake Foundation.
Why This Project Exists
Citizens often buy insurance without timely, usable disclosure of what coverage exists, what exclusions apply, and how claim and billing systems actually work after a collision.
What the Project Publishes
Citizen’s Guides
Plain-language explanations of coverage, claims practice, billing exposure, and recovery issues.
See state guidesCrash Calculators
Tools to compare likely losses against probable insurance protection and underinsurance gaps.
View calculatorsTransparency Profiles
State-by-state analysis of what insurance information is available before suit and what remains hidden.
Compare disclosuresTrauma Billing Guides
Education on ambulance charges, hospital billing, liens, collections, and post-crash financial pressure.
Read billing guidesColorado as the Flagship
Colorado is the working prototype for the western-state series. It provides the first full guide structure, the reference point for comparison, and the initial reform lens for disclosure, claims practice, and trauma-billing issues.
The States in the Series
Common Questions the Guides Address
What coverage is likely available?
Not just nominal limits, but layered liability, first-party benefits, UM/UIM, work-use issues, exclusions, and umbrella possibilities.
What can a citizen learn before suit is filed?
Each guide examines whether meaningful disclosure is encouraged early or effectively pushed into litigation.
Why do crash losses exceed apparent coverage so quickly?
The guides connect medical bills, wage loss, property damage, and delay costs to the reality of minimum limits and hidden gaps.
What role does trauma billing play?
Ambulance costs, hospital billing, liens, and collections can intensify pressure long before liability issues are resolved.
Project Method
Comparative structure
Each state guide follows the same architecture so readers can compare systems directly.
Plain-language emphasis
Legal and insurance concepts are translated into practical public guidance rather than left in technical jargon.
Reform orientation
The project does not stop at description. It identifies reforms that could improve transparency and fairness.