I can't own my home without insurance since I have a mortgage - please explain
That is OWN as in bought and paid for with sweat or cash, for years in the family...
They're are millions of homeowner's in the places like Mississippi, and Louisiana who have homes that have been paid for for years. Many of them are poor and older people they make minimum wage or if they are older live off of social security. They pay outrageously high property taxes, but that's it. (For example my grandmother's house is worth maybe 40K a year, and she pays around $500 in Mississippi, while my house in California is worth over a half a million and I pay 2K) Many people simply cannot afford homeowner's insurance.