URBANDALE, Iowa The Iowa Board of Regents has voted to give the University of Iowa more latitude in negotiations with health insurance provider Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
The regents voted 5-2 in an emergency meeting on Wednesday to give the university more freedom in its talks with the health insurance company.
University officials must decide this week whether to renew its contract with Wellmark, which pays about 200 (m) million dollars a year to University Hospital and its clinics.
Talks between the university and Wellmark have stalled, but both sides are optimistic an agreement can be reached.
If the contract is not renewed, it would expire December 31st, 2005.
Friday, December 31, 2004
Health Insurance for gay employees partners
By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: December 31, 2004
Montana's public universities must provide their gay employees with health insurance coverage for their domestic partners, the state's Supreme Court ruled yesterday.
The majority in the 4-to-3 decision said the decision had nothing to do with the rights of gay couples to marry. But a dissenting judge criticized his colleagues as "radically altering common law marriage in Montana."
Gay rights advocates said the decision was an important victory on the narrower point.
"It is the first time that any state high court has ruled that a state has a constitutional obligation to provide domestic partner health care benefits," said James D. Esseks, the litigation director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian and Gay Rights and AIDS Projects, which represented the two lesbian couples who brought the suit challenging the state's policy. "It's a recognition by the Montana Supreme Court that the government can't treat gay people differently on economic issues."
Sheila M. Stearns, Montana's commissioner of higher education, said the university system "will do everything we need to do to comply with the decision and the equal protection clause of the Montana Constitution."
Since the case was decided on state law grounds, a request that the United States Supreme Court hear the case would almost certainly be turned down.
The Montana decision came a day after a trial judge in Arkansas struck down a state regulation that barred gays from being foster parents.
The two cases are particularly notable, Mr. Esseks said.
"These are courts in relatively conservative states where the voters just overwhelmingly approved banning same-sex couples from marriage," he said, referring to state constitutional amendments passed in November.
The policy at issue in Montana limited dependent health case coverage to the employee's children and to the spouses of married employees.
The policy required employees and their spouses to prove they were married. One way they could do that was by signing a sworn statement that they were part of an informal arrangement known as a common-law marriage, which requires that the couple live together and be known in the community as husband and wife.
Couples who signed the affidavit were required to swear that they had "mutually consented and contracted to become husband and wife" and assumed "all the responsibilities and duties which the law attached to such a relationship."
The court's majority focused on this option, saying that making it available only to heterosexual couples violated the equal protection clause of the state's Constitution.
Although the decision turned on a definition of marriage, the majority emphasized that gay marriage was not at issue.
"We have not been asked nor will we address the question of whether Montana's marriage statutes discriminate against same-sex couples by denying them the right to marry," Justice Jim Regnier wrote for the majority.
In a concurring decision, Justice James C. Nelson, criticized the recent constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
"Sadly," Justice Nelson wrote, "many politicians and 'we the people' rarely pass up an opportunity to bash and condemn gays and lesbians despite the fact that these citizens are our neighbors and that they work, pay taxes, vote, hold public office, own businesses, provide professional services, worship, raise their families and serve their communities in the same manner as heterosexuals."
Justice Jim Rice, in dissent, said the majority had radically revised Montana's marriage laws.
"This case," Justice Rice wrote, "is about the legal status of marriage in our society, specifically, whether the law still recognizes marriage as the transcendent societal relationship upon which government may base its decisions."
Under the decision, Justice Rice continued, "marriage would be rendered simply a societal option without exclusive legal significance."
Carol Snetsinger, a plaintiff in the case, said the decision was an important step for her and her partner, Nancy Siegel. The women have lived together for 10 years.
"Getting married would be a wonderful thing for us," Ms. Snetsinger said. "But since that's not on the horizon in Montana anytime soon, we're working on achieving the basic right to equal protection."
Published: December 31, 2004
Montana's public universities must provide their gay employees with health insurance coverage for their domestic partners, the state's Supreme Court ruled yesterday.
The majority in the 4-to-3 decision said the decision had nothing to do with the rights of gay couples to marry. But a dissenting judge criticized his colleagues as "radically altering common law marriage in Montana."
Gay rights advocates said the decision was an important victory on the narrower point.
"It is the first time that any state high court has ruled that a state has a constitutional obligation to provide domestic partner health care benefits," said James D. Esseks, the litigation director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian and Gay Rights and AIDS Projects, which represented the two lesbian couples who brought the suit challenging the state's policy. "It's a recognition by the Montana Supreme Court that the government can't treat gay people differently on economic issues."
Sheila M. Stearns, Montana's commissioner of higher education, said the university system "will do everything we need to do to comply with the decision and the equal protection clause of the Montana Constitution."
Since the case was decided on state law grounds, a request that the United States Supreme Court hear the case would almost certainly be turned down.
The Montana decision came a day after a trial judge in Arkansas struck down a state regulation that barred gays from being foster parents.
The two cases are particularly notable, Mr. Esseks said.
"These are courts in relatively conservative states where the voters just overwhelmingly approved banning same-sex couples from marriage," he said, referring to state constitutional amendments passed in November.
The policy at issue in Montana limited dependent health case coverage to the employee's children and to the spouses of married employees.
The policy required employees and their spouses to prove they were married. One way they could do that was by signing a sworn statement that they were part of an informal arrangement known as a common-law marriage, which requires that the couple live together and be known in the community as husband and wife.
Couples who signed the affidavit were required to swear that they had "mutually consented and contracted to become husband and wife" and assumed "all the responsibilities and duties which the law attached to such a relationship."
The court's majority focused on this option, saying that making it available only to heterosexual couples violated the equal protection clause of the state's Constitution.
Although the decision turned on a definition of marriage, the majority emphasized that gay marriage was not at issue.
"We have not been asked nor will we address the question of whether Montana's marriage statutes discriminate against same-sex couples by denying them the right to marry," Justice Jim Regnier wrote for the majority.
In a concurring decision, Justice James C. Nelson, criticized the recent constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
"Sadly," Justice Nelson wrote, "many politicians and 'we the people' rarely pass up an opportunity to bash and condemn gays and lesbians despite the fact that these citizens are our neighbors and that they work, pay taxes, vote, hold public office, own businesses, provide professional services, worship, raise their families and serve their communities in the same manner as heterosexuals."
Justice Jim Rice, in dissent, said the majority had radically revised Montana's marriage laws.
"This case," Justice Rice wrote, "is about the legal status of marriage in our society, specifically, whether the law still recognizes marriage as the transcendent societal relationship upon which government may base its decisions."
Under the decision, Justice Rice continued, "marriage would be rendered simply a societal option without exclusive legal significance."
Carol Snetsinger, a plaintiff in the case, said the decision was an important step for her and her partner, Nancy Siegel. The women have lived together for 10 years.
"Getting married would be a wonderful thing for us," Ms. Snetsinger said. "But since that's not on the horizon in Montana anytime soon, we're working on achieving the basic right to equal protection."
Progressive to assist in spying on motorists
George Orwell's novel "1984" foretold of a society where government tracks every person. But even he might never have imagined that cars could be used to spy on individuals.
Most people don't realize that day has arrived.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, 30 million vehicles manufactured by Ford, GM, Honda and Toyota include a "black box" that records a plethora of information.
The "Event Data Recorder," or EDR, at one time recorded only basic information such as whether an airbag deployed during an accident and whether drivers wore seat belts.
But, says the paper, now many of the devices are recording the last several seconds of data before an accident. That includes how fast the vehicle was traveling, whether or not the driver applied the brakes, and engine speed.
Some of this data has already been used to convict drivers of criminal acts such as murder and manslaughter.
"The main purpose of the EDR is to get data after a crash to help us understand how the airbags worked," said Alan Adler, manager of product-safety communications at General Motors in Warren, Mich.
Though he says GM customers' privacy is "very important to us," he goes on to rationalize that the device "doesn't record anything that isn't true."
That's not the point, critics say.
"This is another example of where technology has outstripped the law and certain assumptions of how the world works," Jay Stanley of American Civil Liberties Union told the Monitor.
There is no regulation regarding the amount of data that can be tracked, stored and turned over to authorities, he said.
"If GM decided tomorrow to track three months of data instead of five seconds, there's nothing that would make them have to tell anybody," Stanley said.
Now even insurance companies are getting into the mix.
The left-wing company Progressive Insurance, a heavy donor to Democrats, is managing "TripSense," a pilot program using 5,000 drivers in Minnesota to market a device that records up to six months of driving habits.
Progressive says drivers can decide whether or not they want to hand over that data to insurance companies.
Other companies are marketing similar devices they say are designed to allow parents to monitor a teen-ager's driving habits.
In the end, however, the concern is that information will be eventually used — whether by insurance companies, police or some government agency — to further control citizens.
If a cop were to pull over a driver while he's not speeding, for example, "will your EDR tell him that five miles or five days earlier you were?" AutoWeek magazine's Bob Gritzinger wrote.
Most people don't realize that day has arrived.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, 30 million vehicles manufactured by Ford, GM, Honda and Toyota include a "black box" that records a plethora of information.
The "Event Data Recorder," or EDR, at one time recorded only basic information such as whether an airbag deployed during an accident and whether drivers wore seat belts.
But, says the paper, now many of the devices are recording the last several seconds of data before an accident. That includes how fast the vehicle was traveling, whether or not the driver applied the brakes, and engine speed.
Some of this data has already been used to convict drivers of criminal acts such as murder and manslaughter.
"The main purpose of the EDR is to get data after a crash to help us understand how the airbags worked," said Alan Adler, manager of product-safety communications at General Motors in Warren, Mich.
Though he says GM customers' privacy is "very important to us," he goes on to rationalize that the device "doesn't record anything that isn't true."
That's not the point, critics say.
"This is another example of where technology has outstripped the law and certain assumptions of how the world works," Jay Stanley of American Civil Liberties Union told the Monitor.
There is no regulation regarding the amount of data that can be tracked, stored and turned over to authorities, he said.
"If GM decided tomorrow to track three months of data instead of five seconds, there's nothing that would make them have to tell anybody," Stanley said.
Now even insurance companies are getting into the mix.
The left-wing company Progressive Insurance, a heavy donor to Democrats, is managing "TripSense," a pilot program using 5,000 drivers in Minnesota to market a device that records up to six months of driving habits.
Progressive says drivers can decide whether or not they want to hand over that data to insurance companies.
Other companies are marketing similar devices they say are designed to allow parents to monitor a teen-ager's driving habits.
In the end, however, the concern is that information will be eventually used — whether by insurance companies, police or some government agency — to further control citizens.
If a cop were to pull over a driver while he's not speeding, for example, "will your EDR tell him that five miles or five days earlier you were?" AutoWeek magazine's Bob Gritzinger wrote.
New York Auto Insurance Company Reduces Rates
December 30, 2004
New York Superintendent of Insurance Gregory V. Serio announced that Progressive Northeastern Insurance Company (PNEIC) will reduce its rates an average of 5.1 percent for 2005, saving its private passenger customers nearly $33 million. This follows the 3.8 percent rate decrease PNEIC instituted in 2004 in response to lower loss costs.
As he has with previous insurer rate announcements, Serio credited a successful fight against insurance fraud for the savings.
PNEIC has about 305,000 New York auto insurance policyholders, which constitutes 82 percent of the business written in New York by the Ohio-based Progressive group of insurance companies. Serving about 7 percent of New York's overall market, Progressive estimates that some of its policyholders will realize rate decreases of up to 14 percent while others will notice a rate reduction between 3 and 7 percent in their renewal notices starting on March 27, 2005. The new rate structure goes into effect for first-time PNEIC customers on Jan. 26, 2005.
In a related development, two smaller Progressive companies, Progressive Northern Insurance Company (PNIC) and Progressive Northwestern Insurance Company (PNWIC), will cut rates by 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Both will take effect in early 2005. Together with the PNEIC rate reductions, this will bring the total savings for Progressive's New York customers up to $35 million. The savings are available to all current customers of the three companies, as well as to new customers who purchase auto insurance from one of them through an independent agent.
Serio last month asked Progressive and 12 other auto insurance carriers cumulatively serving more than 60 percent of the state's drivers to meet with him to discuss rate reductions in light of compelling industry data indicating that losses had dropped substantially between 2002 and the third quarter of 2004 as the result of successful efforts to fight fraud and abuse. Progressive was one of only two companies invited to speak with the Superintendent that had lowered its rates in 2004.
GEICO and MetLife announced earlier this month that they will cut auto insurance rates for their New York customers in 2005. Discussions with other carriers are continuing.
New York Superintendent of Insurance Gregory V. Serio announced that Progressive Northeastern Insurance Company (PNEIC) will reduce its rates an average of 5.1 percent for 2005, saving its private passenger customers nearly $33 million. This follows the 3.8 percent rate decrease PNEIC instituted in 2004 in response to lower loss costs.
As he has with previous insurer rate announcements, Serio credited a successful fight against insurance fraud for the savings.
PNEIC has about 305,000 New York auto insurance policyholders, which constitutes 82 percent of the business written in New York by the Ohio-based Progressive group of insurance companies. Serving about 7 percent of New York's overall market, Progressive estimates that some of its policyholders will realize rate decreases of up to 14 percent while others will notice a rate reduction between 3 and 7 percent in their renewal notices starting on March 27, 2005. The new rate structure goes into effect for first-time PNEIC customers on Jan. 26, 2005.
In a related development, two smaller Progressive companies, Progressive Northern Insurance Company (PNIC) and Progressive Northwestern Insurance Company (PNWIC), will cut rates by 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Both will take effect in early 2005. Together with the PNEIC rate reductions, this will bring the total savings for Progressive's New York customers up to $35 million. The savings are available to all current customers of the three companies, as well as to new customers who purchase auto insurance from one of them through an independent agent.
Serio last month asked Progressive and 12 other auto insurance carriers cumulatively serving more than 60 percent of the state's drivers to meet with him to discuss rate reductions in light of compelling industry data indicating that losses had dropped substantially between 2002 and the third quarter of 2004 as the result of successful efforts to fight fraud and abuse. Progressive was one of only two companies invited to speak with the Superintendent that had lowered its rates in 2004.
GEICO and MetLife announced earlier this month that they will cut auto insurance rates for their New York customers in 2005. Discussions with other carriers are continuing.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Hartford Imposter closed in PA
By Mark E. Ruquet
NU Online News Service, Dec. 29, 10:30 a.m. EST—Pennsylvania regulators have shut down on online agency that was selling bogus errors and omissions coverage under the Hartford name, and has a history of doing the same in other states.
Insurance Commissioner Diane Koken said the state's insurance department has closed the operations of Nations Hazard Insurance Agency, doing business as Nations Hazard Insurance Company. The department said that the company sold E&O coverage for home inspectors, using the Internet as its primary means of communication and solicitation of business.
The department also said that the company's principal, Michael Francis Napadow, also operated his fraudulent company under the name “Hartford Casualty Insurance.” The department emphasized that Nations Hazard is not affiliated with the Hartford, Conn.-based carrier.
Mr. Napadow was ordered to cease and desist his operations and pay a penalty of $230,000. He is also required to make restitution in full to any Pennsylvania residents from whom the company solicited and accepted premium payments. Melissa Fox, a representative for the department, said that Nations Hazard sold policies to four individuals in the state involving less than $5,000 in premium. The matter has been turned over to the state's attorney general office.
“Mr. Napadow has caused irreparable harm to Pennsylvania consumers by selling fake insurance policies, which may not provide sufficient, if any coverage,” said Ms. Koken in a statement, reminding consumers to check with the department to ensure the carrier they are dealing with is properly licensed.
Mr. Napadow's scheme was first uncovered by Washington state regulators last year. He was ordered to stop solicitations there. Subsequently, in Illinois, where he was based, regulators revoked Mr. Napadow's license after the scheme was uncovered.
According to the Illinois Department of Insurance order, dated Feb. 20 of this year, Mr. Napadow was also trading fictitious policies under Lloyd's of London and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company brands, which the department discovered he had no association with.
Ms. Fox said that in addition to Pennsylvania, Washington and Illinois, insurance departments in Oregon and Arkansas have also taken action against him. His Web site, where he solicited the policies, is now closed.
Sue Honeyman, a representative for The Hartford, said the company is pleased that the fraud was uncovered and his practice shut down. The company posted a fraud alert letter, last updated in October, warning of Nations Hazard scheme. She said the carrier and the U.S. Postal service are conducting an on-going investigation. The Hartford has also filed suit in federal district court in Connecticut seeking monetary damages from Mr. Napadow.
NU Online News Service, Dec. 29, 10:30 a.m. EST—Pennsylvania regulators have shut down on online agency that was selling bogus errors and omissions coverage under the Hartford name, and has a history of doing the same in other states.
Insurance Commissioner Diane Koken said the state's insurance department has closed the operations of Nations Hazard Insurance Agency, doing business as Nations Hazard Insurance Company. The department said that the company sold E&O coverage for home inspectors, using the Internet as its primary means of communication and solicitation of business.
The department also said that the company's principal, Michael Francis Napadow, also operated his fraudulent company under the name “Hartford Casualty Insurance.” The department emphasized that Nations Hazard is not affiliated with the Hartford, Conn.-based carrier.
Mr. Napadow was ordered to cease and desist his operations and pay a penalty of $230,000. He is also required to make restitution in full to any Pennsylvania residents from whom the company solicited and accepted premium payments. Melissa Fox, a representative for the department, said that Nations Hazard sold policies to four individuals in the state involving less than $5,000 in premium. The matter has been turned over to the state's attorney general office.
“Mr. Napadow has caused irreparable harm to Pennsylvania consumers by selling fake insurance policies, which may not provide sufficient, if any coverage,” said Ms. Koken in a statement, reminding consumers to check with the department to ensure the carrier they are dealing with is properly licensed.
Mr. Napadow's scheme was first uncovered by Washington state regulators last year. He was ordered to stop solicitations there. Subsequently, in Illinois, where he was based, regulators revoked Mr. Napadow's license after the scheme was uncovered.
According to the Illinois Department of Insurance order, dated Feb. 20 of this year, Mr. Napadow was also trading fictitious policies under Lloyd's of London and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company brands, which the department discovered he had no association with.
Ms. Fox said that in addition to Pennsylvania, Washington and Illinois, insurance departments in Oregon and Arkansas have also taken action against him. His Web site, where he solicited the policies, is now closed.
Sue Honeyman, a representative for The Hartford, said the company is pleased that the fraud was uncovered and his practice shut down. The company posted a fraud alert letter, last updated in October, warning of Nations Hazard scheme. She said the carrier and the U.S. Postal service are conducting an on-going investigation. The Hartford has also filed suit in federal district court in Connecticut seeking monetary damages from Mr. Napadow.
Alaska insurance fraud uncovered
December 11, 2004
Saturday
Earlier this year, a grand jury empanelled in Juneau, Alaska issued a True Bill charging a 35-year old Wrangell man with one felony count of Fraudulent or Criminal Insurance and one misdemeanor count of Immediate Notice of Accident. The indictment was based upon an investigation by Alaska's Division of Insurance and the Wrangell Police Department. Wrangell is located in southeast Alaska.
On September 28, 2004, the State of Alaska agreed to a plea bargain with the offender on the charges handed down by the grand jury. The offender - whose name was not released - pled guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge of attempted theft in the second degree and the second count was dismissed. He was then sentenced in the Wrangell's District Court, where he received a 12-month sentence, a fine of $5,000, and a two-year probation.
"It is cases like this one that cause the average citizen higher premiums," said Division of Insurance Director Linda Hall. "We intend to investigate all potential illegal activities because of the increase in insurance fraud throughout the nation."
The Division of Insurance's investigative report documented that in February 2004, the Division received a report from Progressive Insurance Company concerning a potential fraudulent automobile insurance claim. The insurance companies are statutorily mandated to report suspected fraudulent insurance claims to the Division of Insurance.
The offender reported to Progressive Insurance Company that he was involved in an automobile accident with his 2000 Ford Mustang on December 25, 2003 in Wrangell, Alaska. It was estimated that vehicle suffered $3,070.16 in damage.
The investigation revealed that the automobile was added to the offender's insurance policy on December 23, 2003. Wrangell Police conducted an investigation that documented that the offender was actually involved in the accident on December 21, 2003 - two days before he added the vehicle to his insurance policy.
The investigation also uncovered that the vehicle's transfer of title was signed on June 30, 2003, yet Progressive's investigation claimed that the offender purchased the vehicle on August 28, 2003. According to Progressive's policy, a vehicle must be added within 30 days of purchase to maintain coverage, but the offender didn't add it until December 23, 2003.
Because of the fraudulent representations made by the offender, Progressive Insurance Company denied the claim. In accordance with the insurance laws, a person commits a fraudulent or criminal insurance act if they present to an insurer a written or oral statement in support of a claim for payment or other benefit under an insurance policy, knowing that the statement contains false, incomplete, or misleading information concerning a matter material to the claim. A person who assists or conspires with another to commit the crime can also be charged. A fraudulent claim in the amount of $500 or more is a felony offense.
"It is satisfying to see the Division's efforts result in a conviction and sentence which serves as a clear message to the public regarding the seriousness of insurance fraud," said Insurance Investigator Schuyler Cox. "Protection of our consumers is paramount."
The Division of Insurance is committed to providing consumers fair but vigilant regulation while promoting a competitive environment for insurers. The Department regulates and licenses insurance companies, agents and brokers, and insurance agencies and monitors the financial solvency of the insurance industry in Alaska.
Saturday
Earlier this year, a grand jury empanelled in Juneau, Alaska issued a True Bill charging a 35-year old Wrangell man with one felony count of Fraudulent or Criminal Insurance and one misdemeanor count of Immediate Notice of Accident. The indictment was based upon an investigation by Alaska's Division of Insurance and the Wrangell Police Department. Wrangell is located in southeast Alaska.
On September 28, 2004, the State of Alaska agreed to a plea bargain with the offender on the charges handed down by the grand jury. The offender - whose name was not released - pled guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge of attempted theft in the second degree and the second count was dismissed. He was then sentenced in the Wrangell's District Court, where he received a 12-month sentence, a fine of $5,000, and a two-year probation.
"It is cases like this one that cause the average citizen higher premiums," said Division of Insurance Director Linda Hall. "We intend to investigate all potential illegal activities because of the increase in insurance fraud throughout the nation."
The Division of Insurance's investigative report documented that in February 2004, the Division received a report from Progressive Insurance Company concerning a potential fraudulent automobile insurance claim. The insurance companies are statutorily mandated to report suspected fraudulent insurance claims to the Division of Insurance.
The offender reported to Progressive Insurance Company that he was involved in an automobile accident with his 2000 Ford Mustang on December 25, 2003 in Wrangell, Alaska. It was estimated that vehicle suffered $3,070.16 in damage.
The investigation revealed that the automobile was added to the offender's insurance policy on December 23, 2003. Wrangell Police conducted an investigation that documented that the offender was actually involved in the accident on December 21, 2003 - two days before he added the vehicle to his insurance policy.
The investigation also uncovered that the vehicle's transfer of title was signed on June 30, 2003, yet Progressive's investigation claimed that the offender purchased the vehicle on August 28, 2003. According to Progressive's policy, a vehicle must be added within 30 days of purchase to maintain coverage, but the offender didn't add it until December 23, 2003.
Because of the fraudulent representations made by the offender, Progressive Insurance Company denied the claim. In accordance with the insurance laws, a person commits a fraudulent or criminal insurance act if they present to an insurer a written or oral statement in support of a claim for payment or other benefit under an insurance policy, knowing that the statement contains false, incomplete, or misleading information concerning a matter material to the claim. A person who assists or conspires with another to commit the crime can also be charged. A fraudulent claim in the amount of $500 or more is a felony offense.
"It is satisfying to see the Division's efforts result in a conviction and sentence which serves as a clear message to the public regarding the seriousness of insurance fraud," said Insurance Investigator Schuyler Cox. "Protection of our consumers is paramount."
The Division of Insurance is committed to providing consumers fair but vigilant regulation while promoting a competitive environment for insurers. The Department regulates and licenses insurance companies, agents and brokers, and insurance agencies and monitors the financial solvency of the insurance industry in Alaska.
Weird Pennsylvania Insurance rumor
By The Associated Press
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Did you hear the one about the insurance agent and the coyote?
So have the Pennsylvania Game Commission, wildlife agencies in other states and insurers.
They all dismiss as urban legend claims that insurance companies and wildlife agencies release coyotes in hopes of reducing deer-car collision claims.
"There's a lot of people that seriously believe that the agency has been doing this," said Carl Graybill, director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's bureau of information and education. "The whole thing's pretty absurd."
While the agency doesn't track such claims, Graybill said wildlife conversation officers are occasionally questioned in the field about it.
It's illegal for anyone to release animals into the wild without a permit and the agency hasn't issued any permits to insurance companies, Graybill said Monday. Variations substitute other predators for coyotes.
Like other rumors, this one seems to begin with someone who knows someone who knows someone who killed a coyote that has a tattoo, ear tag or collar from an insurance company, Graybill said.
Graybill said the commission has asked that such coyotes be brought in.
"No one ever comes forward with any proof that it occurred," Graybill said "People can be very gullible, too."
Over the last several weeks, Erie Insurance Group has had calls about the issue.
"It's just a fallacy. It's just not true. That's just not a way that we would manage our risks," said spokesman Mark Dombrowski. Instead, Erie Insurance advises policyholders how to avoid deer by being alert in deer areas and using high beams when possible.
The rumor has been around for at least a half-dozen years and is in other states. The rumor came up at a conservation education summit recently in West Virginia, Graybill said.
"Many times, I've been pointedly asked that question by a number of individuals," said Ray Knotts, district wildlife biologist for West Virginia's Division of Natural Resource's Wildlife Resources section.
"We have never released coyotes and have no intentions of doing so," said Knotts, adding it's illegal to release coyotes into the wild in that state. "It's preposterous to the point of being funny, almost."
To be sure, deer-car collisions are costly for insurers.
About 150 people are killed in deer collisions annually and collisions cause more than $1.1 billion in vehicle damage, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Last year, Erie Insurance paid out nearly $60 million for 29,000 claims filed by customers -- about $2,040 per claim. Erie Insurance insures 2.4 million vehicles and deer claims account for nearly 40 percent of its comprehensive losses.
A companion rumor is that insurance companies somehow try to influence deer management practices to reduce the number deer, but Graybill and Knotts deny that, too.
Knotts said he thinks that unsuccessful hunters are simply looking for an excuse as to why they haven't bagged a deer.
"The coyote right now is just a good scapegoat," Knotts said.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Did you hear the one about the insurance agent and the coyote?
So have the Pennsylvania Game Commission, wildlife agencies in other states and insurers.
They all dismiss as urban legend claims that insurance companies and wildlife agencies release coyotes in hopes of reducing deer-car collision claims.
"There's a lot of people that seriously believe that the agency has been doing this," said Carl Graybill, director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's bureau of information and education. "The whole thing's pretty absurd."
While the agency doesn't track such claims, Graybill said wildlife conversation officers are occasionally questioned in the field about it.
It's illegal for anyone to release animals into the wild without a permit and the agency hasn't issued any permits to insurance companies, Graybill said Monday. Variations substitute other predators for coyotes.
Like other rumors, this one seems to begin with someone who knows someone who knows someone who killed a coyote that has a tattoo, ear tag or collar from an insurance company, Graybill said.
Graybill said the commission has asked that such coyotes be brought in.
"No one ever comes forward with any proof that it occurred," Graybill said "People can be very gullible, too."
Over the last several weeks, Erie Insurance Group has had calls about the issue.
"It's just a fallacy. It's just not true. That's just not a way that we would manage our risks," said spokesman Mark Dombrowski. Instead, Erie Insurance advises policyholders how to avoid deer by being alert in deer areas and using high beams when possible.
The rumor has been around for at least a half-dozen years and is in other states. The rumor came up at a conservation education summit recently in West Virginia, Graybill said.
"Many times, I've been pointedly asked that question by a number of individuals," said Ray Knotts, district wildlife biologist for West Virginia's Division of Natural Resource's Wildlife Resources section.
"We have never released coyotes and have no intentions of doing so," said Knotts, adding it's illegal to release coyotes into the wild in that state. "It's preposterous to the point of being funny, almost."
To be sure, deer-car collisions are costly for insurers.
About 150 people are killed in deer collisions annually and collisions cause more than $1.1 billion in vehicle damage, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Last year, Erie Insurance paid out nearly $60 million for 29,000 claims filed by customers -- about $2,040 per claim. Erie Insurance insures 2.4 million vehicles and deer claims account for nearly 40 percent of its comprehensive losses.
A companion rumor is that insurance companies somehow try to influence deer management practices to reduce the number deer, but Graybill and Knotts deny that, too.
Knotts said he thinks that unsuccessful hunters are simply looking for an excuse as to why they haven't bagged a deer.
"The coyote right now is just a good scapegoat," Knotts said.
Health Insurance costs rise for NC
RALEIGH
The health insurance plan for North Carolina state workers and retirees will need a cash infusion of at least $220 million from the General Assembly to cover increasing medical expenses through mid-2007, the plan's administrator says.
Even if that money is provided, plan members can expect another round of benefit cuts and an increase of at least 12 percent in family-coverage premiums.
Expenses within the 550,000-member Teachers and State Employees Comprehensive Major Medical Plan are rising sharply mainly because the typical member is middle-aged and starting to develop such chronic health problems as high blood pressure and heart disease.
In recent years, the plan has cut benefits, reduced payments to doctors and hospitals who care for members, and raised members' dependent coverage premiums.
The General Assembly agreed in 2003 to inject $338 million into the plan through mid-2005 to help meet double-digit increases in health costs and keep it solvent.
The state pays all the cost of workers' and retirees' premiums, but members pay 100 percent of dependents' premiums.
"I would like the coverage for dependents to go up as little as possible to keep it in reach for the average population," said Jack Walker, the state plan administrator. He has drawn up several budget scenarios to present to the General Assembly, which must approve the plan's budget.
Walker favors a strategy that calls for a $220 million appropriation and a 12-percent premium increase. That would raise the cost of coverage for a spouse and children to about $478 a month.
Walker said that benefit changes could include raising members' annual deductibles and to increase the amount that members are required to pay toward care in a single year after they have met their deductible. The current deductible is $350, and the annual out-of-pocket maximum is $1,500.
If no changes are made to the plan, family premiums would rise by about 20 percent over the next two years, and the General Assembly would have to come up with an additional $375 million to keep the plan solvent to 2007, Walker said.
That amount may be difficult for legislators to swallow. They will return to Raleigh next month with a potential budget gap of $1.26 billion for the 2005-06 fiscal year, according to a recent legislative research analysis.
Walker also recommends spending $50 million for programs to help workers either improve or maintain their health.
The health insurance plan for North Carolina state workers and retirees will need a cash infusion of at least $220 million from the General Assembly to cover increasing medical expenses through mid-2007, the plan's administrator says.
Even if that money is provided, plan members can expect another round of benefit cuts and an increase of at least 12 percent in family-coverage premiums.
Expenses within the 550,000-member Teachers and State Employees Comprehensive Major Medical Plan are rising sharply mainly because the typical member is middle-aged and starting to develop such chronic health problems as high blood pressure and heart disease.
In recent years, the plan has cut benefits, reduced payments to doctors and hospitals who care for members, and raised members' dependent coverage premiums.
The General Assembly agreed in 2003 to inject $338 million into the plan through mid-2005 to help meet double-digit increases in health costs and keep it solvent.
The state pays all the cost of workers' and retirees' premiums, but members pay 100 percent of dependents' premiums.
"I would like the coverage for dependents to go up as little as possible to keep it in reach for the average population," said Jack Walker, the state plan administrator. He has drawn up several budget scenarios to present to the General Assembly, which must approve the plan's budget.
Walker favors a strategy that calls for a $220 million appropriation and a 12-percent premium increase. That would raise the cost of coverage for a spouse and children to about $478 a month.
Walker said that benefit changes could include raising members' annual deductibles and to increase the amount that members are required to pay toward care in a single year after they have met their deductible. The current deductible is $350, and the annual out-of-pocket maximum is $1,500.
If no changes are made to the plan, family premiums would rise by about 20 percent over the next two years, and the General Assembly would have to come up with an additional $375 million to keep the plan solvent to 2007, Walker said.
That amount may be difficult for legislators to swallow. They will return to Raleigh next month with a potential budget gap of $1.26 billion for the 2005-06 fiscal year, according to a recent legislative research analysis.
Walker also recommends spending $50 million for programs to help workers either improve or maintain their health.
Tickets for leaving keys in car
By KRISTINA SEWARD
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: December 29, 2004, 05:49:15 AM PST
If you leave your keys in your car, there is a good chance it will be stolen. If you do it in Modesto, there's also a chance you'll get a $100 ticket.
It's not a new law in Modesto, just one that has seldom been enforced, police spokesman Rick Applegate said.
Police hope that enforcing the municipal code will help cut down on the number of vehicle thefts.
With as many as 150 vehicles a month being stolen in Stanislaus County because the keys were left in them, Applegate said, "we've now identified it as a problem that needs to be addressed."
Last month, the National Insurance Crime Bureau said the Modesto area has the highest rate of vehicle thefts in the country. Applegate said about 600 vehicles a month are stolen in Stanislaus County.
He said there also is a safety issue, because stolen vehicles are involved in some of the most dangerous police pursuits.
"It's senseless to leave the keys in a vehicle, allow it to be stolen, and then that person flees from the police and someone innocent gets hurt," Applegate said. "And that could have been prevented if someone took the keys out of the car."
Citations will carry a $100 fine for a first offense, $250 for a second offense within 12 months and $500 for a third within a year.
If the owner is not around, officers will take keys left in a vehicle to prevent it from being stolen, Applegate said. The keys will be taken to the Police Department, where they can be picked up by the owner, along with a citation.
Manteca Police Chief Charles Halford proposed a similar ordinance to the City Council there last week. He asked that people who leave their keys in their car be cited and fined $50.
Manteca also has experienced a high number of vehicle thefts. Halford said by the end of November, 738 cars had been stolen this year. He said 20 percent of the thefts resulted from leaving the keys inside.
Council members rejected the proposal, however, with several of them saying it targeted the wrong person: the victim, not the culprit.
But Lt. Gregory Peck of the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force said people should take responsibility for their cars. He said if the number of stolen vehicles in the area remains high, auto insurance companies likely will increase rates.
Also, Peck said, owners of vehicles with high theft rates, which in Stanislaus County are Toyota Camrys, Honda Accords and Chevrolet or GMC pickups, should invest in a theft prevention device, such as The Club or an alarm.
He said the most obvious available measure is to get people to stop leaving keys in cars.
"It would have an impact if we could just get the help of the citizenry to not make it so easy for these people to steal cars," Peck said.
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: December 29, 2004, 05:49:15 AM PST
If you leave your keys in your car, there is a good chance it will be stolen. If you do it in Modesto, there's also a chance you'll get a $100 ticket.
It's not a new law in Modesto, just one that has seldom been enforced, police spokesman Rick Applegate said.
Police hope that enforcing the municipal code will help cut down on the number of vehicle thefts.
With as many as 150 vehicles a month being stolen in Stanislaus County because the keys were left in them, Applegate said, "we've now identified it as a problem that needs to be addressed."
Last month, the National Insurance Crime Bureau said the Modesto area has the highest rate of vehicle thefts in the country. Applegate said about 600 vehicles a month are stolen in Stanislaus County.
He said there also is a safety issue, because stolen vehicles are involved in some of the most dangerous police pursuits.
"It's senseless to leave the keys in a vehicle, allow it to be stolen, and then that person flees from the police and someone innocent gets hurt," Applegate said. "And that could have been prevented if someone took the keys out of the car."
Citations will carry a $100 fine for a first offense, $250 for a second offense within 12 months and $500 for a third within a year.
If the owner is not around, officers will take keys left in a vehicle to prevent it from being stolen, Applegate said. The keys will be taken to the Police Department, where they can be picked up by the owner, along with a citation.
Manteca Police Chief Charles Halford proposed a similar ordinance to the City Council there last week. He asked that people who leave their keys in their car be cited and fined $50.
Manteca also has experienced a high number of vehicle thefts. Halford said by the end of November, 738 cars had been stolen this year. He said 20 percent of the thefts resulted from leaving the keys inside.
Council members rejected the proposal, however, with several of them saying it targeted the wrong person: the victim, not the culprit.
But Lt. Gregory Peck of the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force said people should take responsibility for their cars. He said if the number of stolen vehicles in the area remains high, auto insurance companies likely will increase rates.
Also, Peck said, owners of vehicles with high theft rates, which in Stanislaus County are Toyota Camrys, Honda Accords and Chevrolet or GMC pickups, should invest in a theft prevention device, such as The Club or an alarm.
He said the most obvious available measure is to get people to stop leaving keys in cars.
"It would have an impact if we could just get the help of the citizenry to not make it so easy for these people to steal cars," Peck said.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Auto Insurance cost impacts
We all know that there are many factors that can affect your auto insurance costs. Some of the more obvious determinants are:
Gender and Age. Young male drivers are typically the most expensive to insure, especially if they have any type of mark on their driver's record.
Driving Record. Tickets, accidents, being caught driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol…they all add up and translate into higher auto insurance costs.
Miscellaneous Discounts. If you are a good student, if you have safety features installed on your car, if you have low mileage on your car, if you are a senior, if you are in the military…all of these can mean discounts on your auto insurance costs.
But, did you know that where you live and what you drive may also impact your auto insurance costs?
Location, Location, Location
It's a fact, auto insurance rates in rural communities are almost always lower than those in large urban centers. Accidents tend to happen much more frequently in big cities, usually due to the high amount of cars on the road (AKA: Traffic!)
Certain states have higher insurance rates than others due to the percentage of claims filed. States like New Jersey, Washington D.C., New York and Massachusetts typically have the highest average insurance rates.
It can also cost more to settle claims in certain areas, and this can add to the cost of your insurance premiums. Expensive cars cost more to repair or replace, and wealthy urban communities will sometimes have higher average insurance rates.
Pick a Low-Profile, Safe Vehicle How your vehicle holds up in a crash is also important to auto insurance companies. Think about it, the more a vehicle costs to repair after a crash, the more auto insurance companies will have to pay out. If there are certain vehicles that tend to be involved in more accidents, tend to incur more damage and involve more bodily harm to passengers when in those accidents, it is safe to assume those vehicles will cost more to insure. Vehicles such as sports cars and some SUVs tend to rate lower in terms of crashworthiness, and therefore carry higher insurance rates.
Another important factor is whether or not your vehicle is on the list of those most frequently targeted for theft. Non-profit organizations such as the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) track the most commonly stolen vehicles. The NICB lists tend to track all vehicles on the road (often meaning the most popular cars are those most commonly stolen), while the HLDI tracks results based on the number of insured vehicles on the road (meaning those with higher theft claims top the list). The NICB lists the five most commonly stolen vehicles in the U.S. in 2001 as the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, the Honda Civic, the Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera and the Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee. The HLDI list the five vehicles with the highest theft claim frequencies in 2001 as the Acura Integra, the Jeep Wrangler, the Jeep Cherokee 4WD, the Honda Prelude and the Mitsubishi Mirage.
Basically, all these cars will most likely be more expensive to insure. Make sure you check out the insurance costs of a particular vehicle before purchasing it.
If your car is stolen, make sure to contact the police right away. Have information such as the year, make and model of your vehicle, your license plate number, the VIN (vehicle identification number), where the theft occurred and what time of the day. Next, you should inform your insurance company that the car was stolen. The more quickly you do this, the more quickly they can get started on processing your claim.
For more information: National Insurance Crime Bureau: www.nicb.org Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/Highway Loss Data Institute: www.highwaysafety.org
Conclusion Along with the obvious factors about you, the person to be insured, other factors about your vehicle type and where you live are likely to affect your auto insurance costs. Make sure to compare quotes before purchasing an insurance plan, and find one that best suits you, your vehicle, and your locale.
Content Provided By Insweb, ©2004 InsWeb
Gender and Age. Young male drivers are typically the most expensive to insure, especially if they have any type of mark on their driver's record.
Driving Record. Tickets, accidents, being caught driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol…they all add up and translate into higher auto insurance costs.
Miscellaneous Discounts. If you are a good student, if you have safety features installed on your car, if you have low mileage on your car, if you are a senior, if you are in the military…all of these can mean discounts on your auto insurance costs.
But, did you know that where you live and what you drive may also impact your auto insurance costs?
Location, Location, Location
It's a fact, auto insurance rates in rural communities are almost always lower than those in large urban centers. Accidents tend to happen much more frequently in big cities, usually due to the high amount of cars on the road (AKA: Traffic!)
Certain states have higher insurance rates than others due to the percentage of claims filed. States like New Jersey, Washington D.C., New York and Massachusetts typically have the highest average insurance rates.
It can also cost more to settle claims in certain areas, and this can add to the cost of your insurance premiums. Expensive cars cost more to repair or replace, and wealthy urban communities will sometimes have higher average insurance rates.
Pick a Low-Profile, Safe Vehicle How your vehicle holds up in a crash is also important to auto insurance companies. Think about it, the more a vehicle costs to repair after a crash, the more auto insurance companies will have to pay out. If there are certain vehicles that tend to be involved in more accidents, tend to incur more damage and involve more bodily harm to passengers when in those accidents, it is safe to assume those vehicles will cost more to insure. Vehicles such as sports cars and some SUVs tend to rate lower in terms of crashworthiness, and therefore carry higher insurance rates.
Another important factor is whether or not your vehicle is on the list of those most frequently targeted for theft. Non-profit organizations such as the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) track the most commonly stolen vehicles. The NICB lists tend to track all vehicles on the road (often meaning the most popular cars are those most commonly stolen), while the HLDI tracks results based on the number of insured vehicles on the road (meaning those with higher theft claims top the list). The NICB lists the five most commonly stolen vehicles in the U.S. in 2001 as the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, the Honda Civic, the Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera and the Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee. The HLDI list the five vehicles with the highest theft claim frequencies in 2001 as the Acura Integra, the Jeep Wrangler, the Jeep Cherokee 4WD, the Honda Prelude and the Mitsubishi Mirage.
Basically, all these cars will most likely be more expensive to insure. Make sure you check out the insurance costs of a particular vehicle before purchasing it.
If your car is stolen, make sure to contact the police right away. Have information such as the year, make and model of your vehicle, your license plate number, the VIN (vehicle identification number), where the theft occurred and what time of the day. Next, you should inform your insurance company that the car was stolen. The more quickly you do this, the more quickly they can get started on processing your claim.
For more information: National Insurance Crime Bureau: www.nicb.org Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/Highway Loss Data Institute: www.highwaysafety.org
Conclusion Along with the obvious factors about you, the person to be insured, other factors about your vehicle type and where you live are likely to affect your auto insurance costs. Make sure to compare quotes before purchasing an insurance plan, and find one that best suits you, your vehicle, and your locale.
Content Provided By Insweb, ©2004 InsWeb
Health Insurance accross state lines?
In September, the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI) announced the results of a Zogby consumer poll that revealed 72 percent of Americans supported the idea of allowing individuals to purchase health insurance from firms in other states, provided those firms are state-regulated. Eighty-two percent of respondents said they would be likely to purchase a policy across state lines if they were paying exorbitant premiums in their home state.
The cost of health insurance in many states is much higher than necessary, in large part because of heavy-handed state mandates such as community rating (which effectively shifts the cost of insurance premiums from an older, less-healthy generation to the younger, healthier generation) and guaranteed-issue (which requires that all persons must be issued an insurance policy regardless of their health history or lifestyles).
As I described in an eight-part series for Health Care News (see 'How Eight States Destroyed Their Individual Insurance Markets,' http://heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=15675), such mandates have driven up premium costs to the point that millions of people have dropped insurance, pay severely inflated premiums, or rely on state-run Medicaid coverage. Unfortunately, current state and federal laws prohibit individuals from buying health insurance across state borders.
According to CAHI Director Merrill Matthews Jr., 'Congress needs to take action to ensure that all Americans have other options. Judging by the results of this poll, Congress has the support to do just that.'
That would be a good start for a Happy New Year!"
The cost of health insurance in many states is much higher than necessary, in large part because of heavy-handed state mandates such as community rating (which effectively shifts the cost of insurance premiums from an older, less-healthy generation to the younger, healthier generation) and guaranteed-issue (which requires that all persons must be issued an insurance policy regardless of their health history or lifestyles).
As I described in an eight-part series for Health Care News (see 'How Eight States Destroyed Their Individual Insurance Markets,' http://heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=15675), such mandates have driven up premium costs to the point that millions of people have dropped insurance, pay severely inflated premiums, or rely on state-run Medicaid coverage. Unfortunately, current state and federal laws prohibit individuals from buying health insurance across state borders.
According to CAHI Director Merrill Matthews Jr., 'Congress needs to take action to ensure that all Americans have other options. Judging by the results of this poll, Congress has the support to do just that.'
That would be a good start for a Happy New Year!"
Medicaid HSAs
The cost of Medicaid has been identified as the number one budget demon in many states and has begun to affect millions of deserving beneficiaries who are being subjected to increasingly rationed care, exemplified by programs such as Tennessee's TennCare. The HSA concept deserves front-burner attention for the Medicaid population.
It is possible to rethink completely how states manage their programs and to consider allowing them to issue HSAs in lieu of the current government-run payment system. The same savings potential and management controls inherent in private-sector HSAs are also attainable for the states. This is an idea worth exploring.
It is possible to rethink completely how states manage their programs and to consider allowing them to issue HSAs in lieu of the current government-run payment system. The same savings potential and management controls inherent in private-sector HSAs are also attainable for the states. This is an idea worth exploring.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
New laws taking affect Jan 1
Associated Press
Some of the new laws taking effect Jan. 1 include:
ABORTION:
_Certain government agencies will have the power to deny Public Records Act requests for personal information relating to people who work in reproductive health facilities.
AIR BALLOONS:
_ Hot air balloon owners will be removed from the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission and instead placed under local government authority.
ANIMAL CRUELTY:
_ It will be a misdemeanor to declaw any wild or exotic cat.
AUTO INSURANCE:
_ Auto insurance companies will be required to list the price of their lowest-cost policy either on the Internet or by calling a toll-free telephone number.
CAMPAIGN MONEY:
_ The $100,000 limit on how much candidates can personally lend their campaigns will include loans received by the candidate from a commercial lender.
CAMPAIGN MONEY:
_ Political parties that donate to candidates in the last 16 days before an election will have to disclose the contribution within 24 hours.
CELLULAR PHONES:
_ Cellular telephone companies can't put a customer's number in a directory or sell the directory without the consent of the subscriber.
_ School bus drivers will be banned from using a cellular phone while driving, except for emergencies.
CHILD CARE:
_ Funding will be restored for child care programs, especially for services aimed at children at risk of abuse or neglect.
COMPUTER SOFTWARE:
_ Computer manufacturers will be prohibited from installing software that can be used to take control of a computer, collect user information or modify security settings.
CONSERVATION EASEMENTS:
_ The public will have access to more information about major land sales for conservation easements.
COURTS:
_ Prisoners who were convicted of crimes before expert testimony about battered women's syndrome was allowed in court will be allowed to present evidence to lessen their sentences or reverse their convictions.
CRUISE SHIPS:
_ Cruise ships will be barred from burning trash within three miles of California's coastline.
_ Cruise ships will be barred from discharging sewage within three miles of shore.
DISASTERS:
_ Owners whose homes were destroyed by the 2003 wildfires will retain their homeowners property tax exemptions.
DRUNKEN DRIVING:
_ Stiffer penalties will be created for a person convicted of drunken driving within 10 years of a previous drunken driving offense. Currently, the cutoff is seven years.
EDUCATION:
_ Schools may run kindergarten programs for more than four hours a day without getting special permission from the state.
_ County school superintendents will be required to review each year the quality of instructional materials, the assignment of teachers and the condition of school facilities.
ELECTRONIC VOTING:
_ The secretary of state, attorney general and county elections officials will be able to bring a civil action against businesses or individuals who tamper with electronic voting machines before, during or after an election.
E-MAIL:
_ Internet service providers, the state attorney general and recipients of commercial "spam" e-mail will be allowed to recover damages of up to $1,000 per unsolicited e-mail that doesn't disclose a valid e-mail address contact and the name and location of the sender.
ENERGY INVESTMENT:
_ The California Energy Commission will be required to adopt a plan for improving the state's electric transmission grid, using existing resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL PLATES:
_ The yearly renewal fee for personalized environmental license plates will increase from $25 to $30. The revenue be used for ocean protection programs, including controlling pollutants and protecting wildlife and water quality.
FIRE PROTECTION:
_ The state will require firebreaks of at least 100 feet around homes in areas where the state has firefighting responsibilities and in high fire-risk areas patrolled by local firefighters. Insurers may require even wider breaks around certain homes.
_ Cutting and removing of trees to reduce the threat of wildfire will be exempt from timber harvesting plan requirements if various requirements are met.
FOOD STAMPS:
_ People convicted of drug possession or use will be able to get food stamps.
GAY RIGHTS:
_ It will be unlawful for insurance companies in California to offer health insurance benefits that do not also cover the domestic partners of gay and lesbian employees.
GROWTH:
_ Counties with oak woodlands will have to develop measures for developers or farmers who want to remove oak trees to make up for the losses, including planting oak trees somewhere else.
GUNS:
_ The sale and ownership of .50-caliber BMG rifles will be restricted. California is the first state to impose such prohibitions.
HEALTH:
_ Physicians convicted of sex crimes will be barred from practicing medicine.
HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATIONS:
_ Homeowners associations will have to provide clear, easy-to-understand summaries of their assessments and schedules to hike them.
HYPODERMIC NEEDLES:
_ Pharmacies will be allowed to sell up to 10 sterile syringes if authorized by a city or county government.
INTERNET PIRACY:
_ Those who disseminate music and films over the Internet will have to disclose their e-mail addresses, a move intended to discourage Internet pirating of music and films.
LAND PURCHASES:
_ The 13-member Sierra Nevada Conservancy will be formed to acquire and manage lands for various public purposes.
MARRIAGE:
_ A member of the military who is serving in a conflict overseas will be allowed to be married by having a proxy stand in as the bride or groom.
MILITARY:
_ The California Military Family Relief Fund will be established to provide grants to members of the California National Guard who are called to active duty. The fund would be financed through taxpayer contributions made by checking a box on state income tax forms.
_ The state will be required to pay a $10,000 death benefit to the spouse or designated beneficiary of any member of the California National Guard, State Military Reserve or Naval Militia who dies in the line of duty.
PERSONAL PRIVACY:
_ In court files, local prosecutors will be able to prevent the disclosure of personal information about crime victims contained in police reports.
PLASTIC BAGS:
_ Plastic bags will have to meet standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials to carry the label compostable, degradable or biodegradable.
PRICES:
_ Merchants will not be able to charge a higher price than the lowest price displayed, advertised or posted, regardless of any time limitation.
PRIMARY ELECTIONS:
_ California's primary election and presidential primary election will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June. Replaces current March primary.
PRISONS:
_ The way the Department of Corrections investigates allegations of employee misconduct will be overhauled and an Office of Independent Review will be created to do "quality control" of the department's investigations.
_ The inspector general will be given a fixed 10-year term and the appointment will be subject to Senate confirmation. Protocols for the Office of the Inspector General's investigations will be established.
_ The director of the state Department of Corrections and the director of the Youth Authority will be required to adopt a code of conduct for all employees and ensure all employees are informed of services available to them who have reported improper activities.
PUBLIC DISCLOSURE:
_ The Public Utilities Commission will be required to review its public disclosure policies.
PUBLIC RECORDS:
_ Public agencies will get 10 working days, instead of 10 calendar days, to consider requests for public records.
RENTERS AND LANDLORDS:
_ Varying laws that require landlords to give 60 days notice of large rent increases and also give 60 days notice to move out tenants who have lived in the rental for at least one year will be made permanent.
RESIDENTIAL HOTELS:
_ Residential hotels that require occupants to check out and reregister will be determined to be doing so to prevent the occupants from acquiring any rights of tenancy.
TANNING SALONS:
_ Children under 14 years of age will be prohibited from using tanning salons without a doctor's prescription.
TEAK SURFING:
_ Boat operators will face an infraction for operating a boat or having the engine running idle when someone is teak surfing - riding wakes while holding on to the swim platform of slow-moving boats - platform dragging or bodysurfing behind the boat. The bill aims to prevent deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning.
VICTIM NOTIFICATION:
_ Prosecutors will have to notify the victim, or victim's next of kin before a perpetrator who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and was then committed to the state hospital is placed on outpatient status.
VIDEO GAMES:
_ Video game retailers will be required to post signs spelling out the availability of a video game rating system and brochures explaining the system.
VOTING:
_ Polling place workers will be required to be trained to ensure that all eligible voters who arrive at a polling place before closing time are allowed to vote.
WILDFIRES:
_ Hotel room rate hikes will be limited to 10 percent after natural disasters under a measure prompted by alleged "price gouging" by San Diego and Imperial County hotels in the wake of last autumn's wildfires.
Some of the new laws taking effect Jan. 1 include:
ABORTION:
_Certain government agencies will have the power to deny Public Records Act requests for personal information relating to people who work in reproductive health facilities.
AIR BALLOONS:
_ Hot air balloon owners will be removed from the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission and instead placed under local government authority.
ANIMAL CRUELTY:
_ It will be a misdemeanor to declaw any wild or exotic cat.
AUTO INSURANCE:
_ Auto insurance companies will be required to list the price of their lowest-cost policy either on the Internet or by calling a toll-free telephone number.
CAMPAIGN MONEY:
_ The $100,000 limit on how much candidates can personally lend their campaigns will include loans received by the candidate from a commercial lender.
CAMPAIGN MONEY:
_ Political parties that donate to candidates in the last 16 days before an election will have to disclose the contribution within 24 hours.
CELLULAR PHONES:
_ Cellular telephone companies can't put a customer's number in a directory or sell the directory without the consent of the subscriber.
_ School bus drivers will be banned from using a cellular phone while driving, except for emergencies.
CHILD CARE:
_ Funding will be restored for child care programs, especially for services aimed at children at risk of abuse or neglect.
COMPUTER SOFTWARE:
_ Computer manufacturers will be prohibited from installing software that can be used to take control of a computer, collect user information or modify security settings.
CONSERVATION EASEMENTS:
_ The public will have access to more information about major land sales for conservation easements.
COURTS:
_ Prisoners who were convicted of crimes before expert testimony about battered women's syndrome was allowed in court will be allowed to present evidence to lessen their sentences or reverse their convictions.
CRUISE SHIPS:
_ Cruise ships will be barred from burning trash within three miles of California's coastline.
_ Cruise ships will be barred from discharging sewage within three miles of shore.
DISASTERS:
_ Owners whose homes were destroyed by the 2003 wildfires will retain their homeowners property tax exemptions.
DRUNKEN DRIVING:
_ Stiffer penalties will be created for a person convicted of drunken driving within 10 years of a previous drunken driving offense. Currently, the cutoff is seven years.
EDUCATION:
_ Schools may run kindergarten programs for more than four hours a day without getting special permission from the state.
_ County school superintendents will be required to review each year the quality of instructional materials, the assignment of teachers and the condition of school facilities.
ELECTRONIC VOTING:
_ The secretary of state, attorney general and county elections officials will be able to bring a civil action against businesses or individuals who tamper with electronic voting machines before, during or after an election.
E-MAIL:
_ Internet service providers, the state attorney general and recipients of commercial "spam" e-mail will be allowed to recover damages of up to $1,000 per unsolicited e-mail that doesn't disclose a valid e-mail address contact and the name and location of the sender.
ENERGY INVESTMENT:
_ The California Energy Commission will be required to adopt a plan for improving the state's electric transmission grid, using existing resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL PLATES:
_ The yearly renewal fee for personalized environmental license plates will increase from $25 to $30. The revenue be used for ocean protection programs, including controlling pollutants and protecting wildlife and water quality.
FIRE PROTECTION:
_ The state will require firebreaks of at least 100 feet around homes in areas where the state has firefighting responsibilities and in high fire-risk areas patrolled by local firefighters. Insurers may require even wider breaks around certain homes.
_ Cutting and removing of trees to reduce the threat of wildfire will be exempt from timber harvesting plan requirements if various requirements are met.
FOOD STAMPS:
_ People convicted of drug possession or use will be able to get food stamps.
GAY RIGHTS:
_ It will be unlawful for insurance companies in California to offer health insurance benefits that do not also cover the domestic partners of gay and lesbian employees.
GROWTH:
_ Counties with oak woodlands will have to develop measures for developers or farmers who want to remove oak trees to make up for the losses, including planting oak trees somewhere else.
GUNS:
_ The sale and ownership of .50-caliber BMG rifles will be restricted. California is the first state to impose such prohibitions.
HEALTH:
_ Physicians convicted of sex crimes will be barred from practicing medicine.
HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATIONS:
_ Homeowners associations will have to provide clear, easy-to-understand summaries of their assessments and schedules to hike them.
HYPODERMIC NEEDLES:
_ Pharmacies will be allowed to sell up to 10 sterile syringes if authorized by a city or county government.
INTERNET PIRACY:
_ Those who disseminate music and films over the Internet will have to disclose their e-mail addresses, a move intended to discourage Internet pirating of music and films.
LAND PURCHASES:
_ The 13-member Sierra Nevada Conservancy will be formed to acquire and manage lands for various public purposes.
MARRIAGE:
_ A member of the military who is serving in a conflict overseas will be allowed to be married by having a proxy stand in as the bride or groom.
MILITARY:
_ The California Military Family Relief Fund will be established to provide grants to members of the California National Guard who are called to active duty. The fund would be financed through taxpayer contributions made by checking a box on state income tax forms.
_ The state will be required to pay a $10,000 death benefit to the spouse or designated beneficiary of any member of the California National Guard, State Military Reserve or Naval Militia who dies in the line of duty.
PERSONAL PRIVACY:
_ In court files, local prosecutors will be able to prevent the disclosure of personal information about crime victims contained in police reports.
PLASTIC BAGS:
_ Plastic bags will have to meet standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials to carry the label compostable, degradable or biodegradable.
PRICES:
_ Merchants will not be able to charge a higher price than the lowest price displayed, advertised or posted, regardless of any time limitation.
PRIMARY ELECTIONS:
_ California's primary election and presidential primary election will be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June. Replaces current March primary.
PRISONS:
_ The way the Department of Corrections investigates allegations of employee misconduct will be overhauled and an Office of Independent Review will be created to do "quality control" of the department's investigations.
_ The inspector general will be given a fixed 10-year term and the appointment will be subject to Senate confirmation. Protocols for the Office of the Inspector General's investigations will be established.
_ The director of the state Department of Corrections and the director of the Youth Authority will be required to adopt a code of conduct for all employees and ensure all employees are informed of services available to them who have reported improper activities.
PUBLIC DISCLOSURE:
_ The Public Utilities Commission will be required to review its public disclosure policies.
PUBLIC RECORDS:
_ Public agencies will get 10 working days, instead of 10 calendar days, to consider requests for public records.
RENTERS AND LANDLORDS:
_ Varying laws that require landlords to give 60 days notice of large rent increases and also give 60 days notice to move out tenants who have lived in the rental for at least one year will be made permanent.
RESIDENTIAL HOTELS:
_ Residential hotels that require occupants to check out and reregister will be determined to be doing so to prevent the occupants from acquiring any rights of tenancy.
TANNING SALONS:
_ Children under 14 years of age will be prohibited from using tanning salons without a doctor's prescription.
TEAK SURFING:
_ Boat operators will face an infraction for operating a boat or having the engine running idle when someone is teak surfing - riding wakes while holding on to the swim platform of slow-moving boats - platform dragging or bodysurfing behind the boat. The bill aims to prevent deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning.
VICTIM NOTIFICATION:
_ Prosecutors will have to notify the victim, or victim's next of kin before a perpetrator who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and was then committed to the state hospital is placed on outpatient status.
VIDEO GAMES:
_ Video game retailers will be required to post signs spelling out the availability of a video game rating system and brochures explaining the system.
VOTING:
_ Polling place workers will be required to be trained to ensure that all eligible voters who arrive at a polling place before closing time are allowed to vote.
WILDFIRES:
_ Hotel room rate hikes will be limited to 10 percent after natural disasters under a measure prompted by alleged "price gouging" by San Diego and Imperial County hotels in the wake of last autumn's wildfires.
Health and Insurance industry next target
Michael Moore watch
By FROM NEWS SERVICES
12/26/2004
ON WATCH: Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies are telling their employees to look out for the scruffy guy in the baseball cap.
The Houston Chronicle reported Saturday that at least six drug companies have released internal communications telling employees to be wary of filmmaker Michael Moore.
Moore's targets have included General Motors ("Roger & Me"), the gun lobby (the Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine") and President George W. Bush
Moore, normally seen sporting a beard and a ball cap, has now set his sights on the health care industry, including insurance companies, HMOs, the Food and Drug Administration and drug companies.
"We ran a story in our online newspaper saying Moore is embarking on a documentary and if you see a scruffy guy in a baseball cap, you'll know who it is," said Stephen Lederer, a spokesman for Pfizer Global Research and Development.
In September and October, Wyeth, AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, the second-largest in retail sales, sent out Moore alerts, instructing employees that questions posed by the media or filmmakers should be handled by corporate communications.
By FROM NEWS SERVICES
12/26/2004
ON WATCH: Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies are telling their employees to look out for the scruffy guy in the baseball cap.
The Houston Chronicle reported Saturday that at least six drug companies have released internal communications telling employees to be wary of filmmaker Michael Moore.
Moore's targets have included General Motors ("Roger & Me"), the gun lobby (the Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine") and President George W. Bush
Moore, normally seen sporting a beard and a ball cap, has now set his sights on the health care industry, including insurance companies, HMOs, the Food and Drug Administration and drug companies.
"We ran a story in our online newspaper saying Moore is embarking on a documentary and if you see a scruffy guy in a baseball cap, you'll know who it is," said Stephen Lederer, a spokesman for Pfizer Global Research and Development.
In September and October, Wyeth, AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, the second-largest in retail sales, sent out Moore alerts, instructing employees that questions posed by the media or filmmakers should be handled by corporate communications.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Acceptance Insurance to offer non standard auto policies
Acceptance Insurance's Washington agency has been open only one year, but already covers 850 area families.
Marvin McAdams is manager of the local office.
Acceptance Insurance, an affiliate of First Acceptance Corporation, is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.
The company is an insurance provider of non-standard automobile insurance services specializing in writing policies for individuals who have a difficult time getting insured because they have too many traffic violations, tickets or accidents on their records.
"That is a significant advantage over our competition," McAdams noted.
Policies are provided on a six-month basis, with only one month down payment due before coverage.
The company offers rates competitive with Geico and Progressive, McAdams said.
It also works closely with automobile dealerships. Car buyers have to have proof of insurance before driving off the lot, McAdams explained, and Acceptance Insurance will quote the insurance for an individual and write a policy on the spot.
McAdams noted the company is a large writer of insurance for Mexican immigrants.
Being insured is especially important now that the Department of Revenue has a zero-tolerance policy for driving without insurance, McAdams said.
"Whenever I present a policy, I impress upon (people) that without insurance the Department of Revenue will take their license away and impose a fee," he said.
McAdams' is the only Acceptance Insurance office in Franklin County. The business serves Washington, Union, St. Clair, Marthasville, Villa Ridge, Pacific, Robertsville, Lonedell, Dutzow, Augusta, Labadie, Leslie, Gerald, Owensville, Sullivan, Bourbon, Warrenton, Cuba and Rolla.
There are 14 Acceptance Insurance offices in Missouri, including three in St. Louis County and six in St. Charles County.
The company was started in 1976 as a family owned insurance agency in Tennessee and has grown to a corporation servicing 10 states and operating over 200 offices. In May, the company went public as First Acceptance Corporation and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
McAdams has been active in the insurance industry since 1970. He served as senior marketing underwriting field manager for Maryland Casualty Insurance Company, St. Louis; director of risk management, employee benefits and safety for both Hazel, Inc. and Bass Pro Shop; workers' compensation/safety-loss conservation manager for Correctional Medical Systems; and vice president for C&M Bonding Company, Houston.
McAdams and his wife Charlotte have lived in Washington on and off since 1973. He is an active member of the Washington Lions Club and a past chairman of the Washington Town and Country Fair.
His office is located at 1037 Washington Square. For more information, people may call 636-390-9818.
Marvin McAdams is manager of the local office.
Acceptance Insurance, an affiliate of First Acceptance Corporation, is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.
The company is an insurance provider of non-standard automobile insurance services specializing in writing policies for individuals who have a difficult time getting insured because they have too many traffic violations, tickets or accidents on their records.
"That is a significant advantage over our competition," McAdams noted.
Policies are provided on a six-month basis, with only one month down payment due before coverage.
The company offers rates competitive with Geico and Progressive, McAdams said.
It also works closely with automobile dealerships. Car buyers have to have proof of insurance before driving off the lot, McAdams explained, and Acceptance Insurance will quote the insurance for an individual and write a policy on the spot.
McAdams noted the company is a large writer of insurance for Mexican immigrants.
Being insured is especially important now that the Department of Revenue has a zero-tolerance policy for driving without insurance, McAdams said.
"Whenever I present a policy, I impress upon (people) that without insurance the Department of Revenue will take their license away and impose a fee," he said.
McAdams' is the only Acceptance Insurance office in Franklin County. The business serves Washington, Union, St. Clair, Marthasville, Villa Ridge, Pacific, Robertsville, Lonedell, Dutzow, Augusta, Labadie, Leslie, Gerald, Owensville, Sullivan, Bourbon, Warrenton, Cuba and Rolla.
There are 14 Acceptance Insurance offices in Missouri, including three in St. Louis County and six in St. Charles County.
The company was started in 1976 as a family owned insurance agency in Tennessee and has grown to a corporation servicing 10 states and operating over 200 offices. In May, the company went public as First Acceptance Corporation and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
McAdams has been active in the insurance industry since 1970. He served as senior marketing underwriting field manager for Maryland Casualty Insurance Company, St. Louis; director of risk management, employee benefits and safety for both Hazel, Inc. and Bass Pro Shop; workers' compensation/safety-loss conservation manager for Correctional Medical Systems; and vice president for C&M Bonding Company, Houston.
McAdams and his wife Charlotte have lived in Washington on and off since 1973. He is an active member of the Washington Lions Club and a past chairman of the Washington Town and Country Fair.
His office is located at 1037 Washington Square. For more information, people may call 636-390-9818.
Many kids who left CHIP got other insurance
Associated Press
AUSTIN — Almost half of the Texas children who left the state's health insurance program as a result of budget cuts found coverage elsewhere, about a third of them through Medicaid, according to a survey the Health and Human Services Commission released Wednesday.
Lawmakers faced with a $10 billion budget shortfall in 2003 revised eligibility requirements for the Children's Health Insurance Program. The changes resulted in 171,508 children leaving the CHIP rolls.
According to the survey, 31 percent of the children who left the program were picked up by Medicaid, a federally mandated health program for the poor. Eleven percent were insured through their parent's employers, and another 5 percent obtained insurance from another source, such as the military.
The Institute for Child Health Policy at the University of Florida interviewed a sampling of 400 families that had children who left the Children's Health Insurance Program between January and March. During that period, about 28,000 children left the program, according to the commission.
The study's margin of error is plus or minus 4.6 percentage points, said Jennifer Harris, a spokeswoman for the commission.
Patti Everitt, executive director of the Children's Defense Fund of Texas, said more than half of the children who left CHIP are without insurance.
The report "confirms our concern that thousands of Texas children who have lost CHIP coverage remain uninsured without timely access to the health care they need," Everitt said.
CHIP covers children whose families cannot afford or don't have access to private insurance but aren't poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.
AUSTIN — Almost half of the Texas children who left the state's health insurance program as a result of budget cuts found coverage elsewhere, about a third of them through Medicaid, according to a survey the Health and Human Services Commission released Wednesday.
Lawmakers faced with a $10 billion budget shortfall in 2003 revised eligibility requirements for the Children's Health Insurance Program. The changes resulted in 171,508 children leaving the CHIP rolls.
According to the survey, 31 percent of the children who left the program were picked up by Medicaid, a federally mandated health program for the poor. Eleven percent were insured through their parent's employers, and another 5 percent obtained insurance from another source, such as the military.
The Institute for Child Health Policy at the University of Florida interviewed a sampling of 400 families that had children who left the Children's Health Insurance Program between January and March. During that period, about 28,000 children left the program, according to the commission.
The study's margin of error is plus or minus 4.6 percentage points, said Jennifer Harris, a spokeswoman for the commission.
Patti Everitt, executive director of the Children's Defense Fund of Texas, said more than half of the children who left CHIP are without insurance.
The report "confirms our concern that thousands of Texas children who have lost CHIP coverage remain uninsured without timely access to the health care they need," Everitt said.
CHIP covers children whose families cannot afford or don't have access to private insurance but aren't poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Erie Insurance ranks highest in collision repair
Press Release
ERIE, Pa., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
Erie Insurance Group earned the highest ranking in the J.D. Power and Associates Collision Repair Satisfaction Study of consumers who file an auto insurance claim.
The 2004 Collision Repair Satisfaction Study is based on responses from consumers who had collision repair or body work performed on their vehicles in the past 12 months. According to the study, Erie Insurance ranks first overall among the country's major auto insurance companies, and performed particularly well in areas of claims representatives and claim policies and procedures. The study measures customer satisfaction with insurance carriers when claims are filed. A more detailed listing of the results by insurance provider is available at the J.D. Power Consumer Center at http://www.jdpower.com/cc .
"While this study specifically addresses claims service, the impressive showing of Erie Insurance Group reflects the commitment and effort of every Employee and Agent to provide superior service at every opportunity," says Jeffrey A. Ludrof, Erie Insurance president and chief executive officer. "We are pleased to receive this prestigious honor from J. D. Power and Associates. The work our Employees and Agents do, in underwriting, processing, information technology and every area in between, positively affects the service our Policyholders receive from frontline claims staff."
The Collision Repair Customer Satisfaction Index Study is one of three J.D. Power studies focusing on customer satisfaction with the property/casualty insurance industry. Earlier this year, ERIE ranked second in J.D. Power and Associates' National Auto Insurance Study and earned third place honors overall in J.D. Power and Associates' 2004 study of customer satisfaction among homeowners customers. In 2002 and 2003, ERIE earned first- and third-place honors, respectively, in the collision study.
ERIE, Pa., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
Erie Insurance Group earned the highest ranking in the J.D. Power and Associates Collision Repair Satisfaction Study of consumers who file an auto insurance claim.
The 2004 Collision Repair Satisfaction Study is based on responses from consumers who had collision repair or body work performed on their vehicles in the past 12 months. According to the study, Erie Insurance ranks first overall among the country's major auto insurance companies, and performed particularly well in areas of claims representatives and claim policies and procedures. The study measures customer satisfaction with insurance carriers when claims are filed. A more detailed listing of the results by insurance provider is available at the J.D. Power Consumer Center at http://www.jdpower.com/cc .
"While this study specifically addresses claims service, the impressive showing of Erie Insurance Group reflects the commitment and effort of every Employee and Agent to provide superior service at every opportunity," says Jeffrey A. Ludrof, Erie Insurance president and chief executive officer. "We are pleased to receive this prestigious honor from J. D. Power and Associates. The work our Employees and Agents do, in underwriting, processing, information technology and every area in between, positively affects the service our Policyholders receive from frontline claims staff."
The Collision Repair Customer Satisfaction Index Study is one of three J.D. Power studies focusing on customer satisfaction with the property/casualty insurance industry. Earlier this year, ERIE ranked second in J.D. Power and Associates' National Auto Insurance Study and earned third place honors overall in J.D. Power and Associates' 2004 study of customer satisfaction among homeowners customers. In 2002 and 2003, ERIE earned first- and third-place honors, respectively, in the collision study.
Health Insurance Demograpghics
DALLAS, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/
The latest issue of the Federal Reserve
Bank of Dallas' Southwest Economy examines the demographics of health
insurance coverage in Texas, productivity gains in service industries and the
reason for Mexico's export decline.
In "Who Doesn't Have Health Insurance and Why," economist Anil Kumar notes
that lack of health insurance is on the rise, with 45 million people
nationwide going without coverage sometime during 2003. With the rate of
uninsured running about 10 percent higher than the national average, Texas is
especially affected.
In 2003, 27 percent of Texans were uninsured, Kumar writes, and more than
half of them were Hispanic. The numbers reflect Texas' higher Hispanic
population and may also be due to Hispanics' larger presence at the lower end
of the income distribution and their probability of working for smaller firms
that do not offer health coverage.
Employer-sponsored health insurance is the primary source of coverage in
the United States. Ironically, Kumar says, most of the uninsured are employed
but unable to get health coverage through their job. "Therefore," he
concludes, "the workplace could prove to be an important avenue through which
to reduce the number of uninsured."
The latest issue of the Federal Reserve
Bank of Dallas' Southwest Economy examines the demographics of health
insurance coverage in Texas, productivity gains in service industries and the
reason for Mexico's export decline.
In "Who Doesn't Have Health Insurance and Why," economist Anil Kumar notes
that lack of health insurance is on the rise, with 45 million people
nationwide going without coverage sometime during 2003. With the rate of
uninsured running about 10 percent higher than the national average, Texas is
especially affected.
In 2003, 27 percent of Texans were uninsured, Kumar writes, and more than
half of them were Hispanic. The numbers reflect Texas' higher Hispanic
population and may also be due to Hispanics' larger presence at the lower end
of the income distribution and their probability of working for smaller firms
that do not offer health coverage.
Employer-sponsored health insurance is the primary source of coverage in
the United States. Ironically, Kumar says, most of the uninsured are employed
but unable to get health coverage through their job. "Therefore," he
concludes, "the workplace could prove to be an important avenue through which
to reduce the number of uninsured."
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Michigan residents get insurance settlement
LANSING -- About 165 Michigan residents or their descendants will be part of a settlement with New York Life Insurance Company related to past race-based pricing.
The settlement, announced by state officials Friday, stems from a multistate deal struck this summer with the insurance company. It covers Michigan policies dating from 1920 through 1948.
Black policyholders who were charged higher premiums on endowment policies due to race will be eligible for refunds with interest. The amount will vary depending on what customers were charged, length and type of policy and other factors.
"Insurance should be based on risk factors, not race factors," said Linda Watters, commissioner of Michigan's Office of Financial and Insurance Services. "Basing rates on race is just plain wrong."
The settlement, led by New York state insurance officials, was announced this summer. Other states have signed onto the settlement since, New York Life said Friday.
The agreement stems from an investigation started in 2000 by the New York State Insurance Department. It focused on different premium rates, compensation rates and other factors.
The agreement is similar to one announced in June with Cincinnati Life Insurance Co.
At least 14 Michigan policyholders are involved in that case, which involved higher charges for minorities on certain relatively low-cost life insurance policies sold between 1947 and 1968.
Those policies were issued by Inter-Ocean Insurance, which later was bought by Cincinnati Life.
The settlement, announced by state officials Friday, stems from a multistate deal struck this summer with the insurance company. It covers Michigan policies dating from 1920 through 1948.
Black policyholders who were charged higher premiums on endowment policies due to race will be eligible for refunds with interest. The amount will vary depending on what customers were charged, length and type of policy and other factors.
"Insurance should be based on risk factors, not race factors," said Linda Watters, commissioner of Michigan's Office of Financial and Insurance Services. "Basing rates on race is just plain wrong."
The settlement, led by New York state insurance officials, was announced this summer. Other states have signed onto the settlement since, New York Life said Friday.
The agreement stems from an investigation started in 2000 by the New York State Insurance Department. It focused on different premium rates, compensation rates and other factors.
The agreement is similar to one announced in June with Cincinnati Life Insurance Co.
At least 14 Michigan policyholders are involved in that case, which involved higher charges for minorities on certain relatively low-cost life insurance policies sold between 1947 and 1968.
Those policies were issued by Inter-Ocean Insurance, which later was bought by Cincinnati Life.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Los Angeles Insurance fraud ring
December 21, 2004
Warning drivers that anyone can become a victim of insurance fraud, Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and the California Highway Patrol announced the bust of an alleged auto insurance fraud ring that cost insurers - and ultimately policyholders - at least $1.5 million in the past year alone.
Task force investigators estimate that $1.5 million in fraudulent insurance claims have been generated by the alleged crime ring as a result of at least 75 staged auto collisions over the past year. This ring operated primarily on busy Los Angeles County freeways.
Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force (AIFTF) members arrested 13 suspects on Dec. 17, 2004. Four suspects remain at large. Task force actions included executing ten search warrants in Los Angeles on five law offices, two medical clinics and three private residences. Previous search warrants allowed investigators to recover items such as fraudulent documents, falsified insurance paperwork, and information detailing many of the staged collisions. Numerous victim interviews were also conducted, as well as photographic line-ups which implicated several suspects involved in multiple collisions.
The AIFTF investigation began in March 2004 after Task Force investigators received information about a staged auto collision ring. Authorities said it detailed what is a typical maneuver for similar types of rings, where they allegedly orchestrate a collision that appears to be the fault of an innocent victim, then file fraudulent insurance claims for financial gain. They reportedly target vehicles which they feel would be fully insured.
Following the collisions, the parties involved either exchange information with the innocent driver, or the police (usually CHP) arrive and handle the collision report.
Complicit legal offices and medical clinics, typically attorneys and chiropractors themselves, allegedly work with the involved parties to indicate injuries on the proper forms and use the fake identities throughout the claim. The attorneys subsequently submit the claims to the insurance companies and refer the suspect drivers and passengers to medical clinics.
Suspects arrested in connection with the scam face various charges from an 85-count complaint, ranging from insurance fraud to assault with a deadly weapon. All suspects reside in Los Angeles. Those arrested include Beatriz Mejia Campos, Patricia Cardenas, Edgar Leonel Catalan, Sonia Cisneros, Jabbar Enrique Moulton, Inocente Nunez, Adilia Palacios, Yolanda Palomares, Evelyn Xiomara Torrento,
Francesca Vidaur, Mary Kathryn Vines, Denise Wilds and Ramiro Zavala.
Several suspects are not yet in custody, including Rodrigo Daniel Flores, Roberto Edgardo Tobar Barraza, Constantino Guillen Pineda, 33 and Jose Carlos Vera.
The case is being prosecuted by the LA District Attorney's Auto Insurance Fraud Division. Anyone who suspects they may have been a victim of these crimes, or has information about the whereabouts of suspects still at large, should call the Department of Insurance hotline at 1-800-927-HELP.
Warning drivers that anyone can become a victim of insurance fraud, Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and the California Highway Patrol announced the bust of an alleged auto insurance fraud ring that cost insurers - and ultimately policyholders - at least $1.5 million in the past year alone.
Task force investigators estimate that $1.5 million in fraudulent insurance claims have been generated by the alleged crime ring as a result of at least 75 staged auto collisions over the past year. This ring operated primarily on busy Los Angeles County freeways.
Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force (AIFTF) members arrested 13 suspects on Dec. 17, 2004. Four suspects remain at large. Task force actions included executing ten search warrants in Los Angeles on five law offices, two medical clinics and three private residences. Previous search warrants allowed investigators to recover items such as fraudulent documents, falsified insurance paperwork, and information detailing many of the staged collisions. Numerous victim interviews were also conducted, as well as photographic line-ups which implicated several suspects involved in multiple collisions.
The AIFTF investigation began in March 2004 after Task Force investigators received information about a staged auto collision ring. Authorities said it detailed what is a typical maneuver for similar types of rings, where they allegedly orchestrate a collision that appears to be the fault of an innocent victim, then file fraudulent insurance claims for financial gain. They reportedly target vehicles which they feel would be fully insured.
Following the collisions, the parties involved either exchange information with the innocent driver, or the police (usually CHP) arrive and handle the collision report.
Complicit legal offices and medical clinics, typically attorneys and chiropractors themselves, allegedly work with the involved parties to indicate injuries on the proper forms and use the fake identities throughout the claim. The attorneys subsequently submit the claims to the insurance companies and refer the suspect drivers and passengers to medical clinics.
Suspects arrested in connection with the scam face various charges from an 85-count complaint, ranging from insurance fraud to assault with a deadly weapon. All suspects reside in Los Angeles. Those arrested include Beatriz Mejia Campos, Patricia Cardenas, Edgar Leonel Catalan, Sonia Cisneros, Jabbar Enrique Moulton, Inocente Nunez, Adilia Palacios, Yolanda Palomares, Evelyn Xiomara Torrento,
Francesca Vidaur, Mary Kathryn Vines, Denise Wilds and Ramiro Zavala.
Several suspects are not yet in custody, including Rodrigo Daniel Flores, Roberto Edgardo Tobar Barraza, Constantino Guillen Pineda, 33 and Jose Carlos Vera.
The case is being prosecuted by the LA District Attorney's Auto Insurance Fraud Division. Anyone who suspects they may have been a victim of these crimes, or has information about the whereabouts of suspects still at large, should call the Department of Insurance hotline at 1-800-927-HELP.
Health Insurance increases for West Palm Beach
By Pat Beall
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
WEST PALM BEACH — For the fifth time in as many years, the city of West Palm Beach is facing a double-digit hike in health insurance costs.
Insurance premiums for most city employees such as clerks, planners and engineers, will jump by 13 percent Jan. 1.
For police, insurance premium costs are set to rise by 9.2 percent.
Both groups of workers are covered through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida.
Despite the hikes, "We have done relatively well," said Thomas Harris, chief financial officer for the city. Deductibles and co-payments remain modest, he added.
Insuring government employees in Florida can be pricey. Between 2001 and 2002, the most recent year for which independent figures are available, health insurance premiums for state employees surged by 15 percent.
The city's pending insurance bill has hikes above 2004's average 5.5 percent reported by employers with fewer than 499 workers, according to a recent Mercer Human Resource Consulting study.
But other studies conclude that cities, towns and states typically have higher premium costs because they typically offer generous benefits. Some are related to job descriptions. For example, the West Palm Beach police department contract this year doubled provisions for physical therapy from $1,000 a year to $2,500 a year.
Other benefits offered to municipal workers are similar to those offered by large corporations. For example, lifetime maximum insurance payouts for West Palm Beach workers who are not on the police force top out at $5 million in one Blue Cross plan. In another Blue Cross plan being offered they are unlimited.
On a percentage basis, the continuing hike in rates "certainly outpaces our revenues," Harris said. That's not to say trimming benefits or passing costs on to workers through higher deductibles is on the horizon. The city budgeted enough money to fund the extra health insurance bills.
Even so, Harris said the city is concerned about the pattern: "We're trying to come up with some alternatives to try and turn that trend around."
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
WEST PALM BEACH — For the fifth time in as many years, the city of West Palm Beach is facing a double-digit hike in health insurance costs.
Insurance premiums for most city employees such as clerks, planners and engineers, will jump by 13 percent Jan. 1.
For police, insurance premium costs are set to rise by 9.2 percent.
Both groups of workers are covered through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida.
Despite the hikes, "We have done relatively well," said Thomas Harris, chief financial officer for the city. Deductibles and co-payments remain modest, he added.
Insuring government employees in Florida can be pricey. Between 2001 and 2002, the most recent year for which independent figures are available, health insurance premiums for state employees surged by 15 percent.
The city's pending insurance bill has hikes above 2004's average 5.5 percent reported by employers with fewer than 499 workers, according to a recent Mercer Human Resource Consulting study.
But other studies conclude that cities, towns and states typically have higher premium costs because they typically offer generous benefits. Some are related to job descriptions. For example, the West Palm Beach police department contract this year doubled provisions for physical therapy from $1,000 a year to $2,500 a year.
Other benefits offered to municipal workers are similar to those offered by large corporations. For example, lifetime maximum insurance payouts for West Palm Beach workers who are not on the police force top out at $5 million in one Blue Cross plan. In another Blue Cross plan being offered they are unlimited.
On a percentage basis, the continuing hike in rates "certainly outpaces our revenues," Harris said. That's not to say trimming benefits or passing costs on to workers through higher deductibles is on the horizon. The city budgeted enough money to fund the extra health insurance bills.
Even so, Harris said the city is concerned about the pattern: "We're trying to come up with some alternatives to try and turn that trend around."
Monday, December 20, 2004
Bush purchases HSA
President Bush this week established a tax-deferred health savings account despite the fact that, as commander in chief, he receives health care at no cost from the military. Bush set up the account, which allows people to save money tax-free to spend on medical expenses, "for practical as well as political reasons," according to the LA Times.
Trent Duffy, a White House spokesperson, said Bush felt the account was "the best move for his current and future health care needs," adding that Bush wanted to set an example. Although Bush receives health care at no cost, he has a private insurance plan for his family similar to that offered to all federal employees.
To qualify for HSAs, individuals must be covered by a catastrophic health insurance policy with an annual deductible of at least $1,000, or $2,000 for families. The accounts are portable and individuals can contribute as much as $2,600 annually and families can contribute up to $5,150 annually. In his closing remarks at a two-day White House conference on the economy on Thursday, Bush said that he was "pleased to report that ... health savings accounts are beginning to work their way through our markets. After all, I just signed up for one two days ago. When it makes it to my level, you know it's going to be widespread these days. But HSAs are making a difference."
Opposing Viewpoint
Although some analysts believe HSAs will help address rising health care costs, others believe use of the accounts by the young and healthy could "deplete the large pool of health insurance consumers, thus destroying the concept of shared risk, resulting in higher premiums for those in traditional plans," according to the Times.
Drew Altman, president and CEO the Kaiser Family Foundation, said, "The fair thing to say about HSAs is there isn't a lot of experience with them yet. ... HSAs may be good for some people but may be bad for the health insurance system." Some labor unions and economists have said that the accounts could prompt businesses to eliminate traditional health plans in favor of policies that cover only catastrophic expenses, leaving employees to pay "routine expenses" from HSAs, the Times reports (Chen, Los Angeles Times, 12/17).
Trent Duffy, a White House spokesperson, said Bush felt the account was "the best move for his current and future health care needs," adding that Bush wanted to set an example. Although Bush receives health care at no cost, he has a private insurance plan for his family similar to that offered to all federal employees.
To qualify for HSAs, individuals must be covered by a catastrophic health insurance policy with an annual deductible of at least $1,000, or $2,000 for families. The accounts are portable and individuals can contribute as much as $2,600 annually and families can contribute up to $5,150 annually. In his closing remarks at a two-day White House conference on the economy on Thursday, Bush said that he was "pleased to report that ... health savings accounts are beginning to work their way through our markets. After all, I just signed up for one two days ago. When it makes it to my level, you know it's going to be widespread these days. But HSAs are making a difference."
Opposing Viewpoint
Although some analysts believe HSAs will help address rising health care costs, others believe use of the accounts by the young and healthy could "deplete the large pool of health insurance consumers, thus destroying the concept of shared risk, resulting in higher premiums for those in traditional plans," according to the Times.
Drew Altman, president and CEO the Kaiser Family Foundation, said, "The fair thing to say about HSAs is there isn't a lot of experience with them yet. ... HSAs may be good for some people but may be bad for the health insurance system." Some labor unions and economists have said that the accounts could prompt businesses to eliminate traditional health plans in favor of policies that cover only catastrophic expenses, leaving employees to pay "routine expenses" from HSAs, the Times reports (Chen, Los Angeles Times, 12/17).
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Tackling Insurance Fraud
By Matt Carroll, Globe Staff | December 19, 2004
Susan Powell of Randolph received a surprise in her mail in August 2003 -- a letter from her auto insurer stating that a month earlier her 1992 Ford Taurus had collided with a red 1995 Chevy Blazer on Main Street in Brockton.
Powell's insurer, Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance Co., wanted to know why she hadn't reported the July 22 collision, in which five people in the Blazer, including two children, suffered neck and back injuries. According to investigators' reports, the five eventually claimed more than $25,000 in chiropractic treatments.
But Powell had not been in an accident. However, her daughter, Alicia Chin, then 21, told her that on that date she and a friend, Rebecca Fagone, then 20, had turned down an offer to make $400 each in an auto insurance scam.
Powell relayed the information to her insurance agent, and the result was the first successful prosecutions by the Brockton auto insurance fraud task force, a joint team formed by the office of Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and the Insurance Fraud Bureau, a public/private organization funded by insurance companies to root out fraud.
The task force officially started in October but began work less formally in the summer, spurred on by the fact that the city sees more fraudulent insurance claims per capita than most other communities in the state.
Brockton had 93 personal injury claims per 100 car accidents in 2003, compared with a statewide average of 43, said Daniel J. Johnston, executive director of the Insurance Fraud Bureau. Only Lawrence, with 134 injuries, and some Boston neighborhoods -- Roxbury, Dorchester, Hyde Park, and Roslindale -- had higher rates than Brockton.
Fraudulent claims cost Brockton's vehicle owners plenty. The average auto insurance bill in Brockton is $1,795 -- $619 higher than the statewide average, said Johnston. The bill would be $350 higher if not for the rest of the state's drivers, who subsidize Brockton's rates, Johnston said.
The Brockton auto insurance fraud task force has 12 cases pending. Two Plymouth County prosecutors, a Brockton police officer, and an insurance fraud investigator are assigned to the group, which focuses exclusively on fraud. The Insurance Fraud Bureau, while not specifically providing funding for the task force, gave the district attorney's office $50,000 this year, said Cruz. The squad, modeled after similar task forces in Lawrence, Lynn, Boston, Lowell, and the Springfield/Holyoke area, offers a $5,000 reward for information that leads to arrests and convictions.
The Brockton group's first successful case began with Chin's interview by an insurance investigator on Feb. 18. (Notes of investigators' interviews with Chin and her mother, details about the scam, and information about those arrested for the crime are in Brockton District Court case files created by insurance investigators and Brockton police.)
complete article
Susan Powell of Randolph received a surprise in her mail in August 2003 -- a letter from her auto insurer stating that a month earlier her 1992 Ford Taurus had collided with a red 1995 Chevy Blazer on Main Street in Brockton.
Powell's insurer, Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance Co., wanted to know why she hadn't reported the July 22 collision, in which five people in the Blazer, including two children, suffered neck and back injuries. According to investigators' reports, the five eventually claimed more than $25,000 in chiropractic treatments.
But Powell had not been in an accident. However, her daughter, Alicia Chin, then 21, told her that on that date she and a friend, Rebecca Fagone, then 20, had turned down an offer to make $400 each in an auto insurance scam.
Powell relayed the information to her insurance agent, and the result was the first successful prosecutions by the Brockton auto insurance fraud task force, a joint team formed by the office of Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and the Insurance Fraud Bureau, a public/private organization funded by insurance companies to root out fraud.
The task force officially started in October but began work less formally in the summer, spurred on by the fact that the city sees more fraudulent insurance claims per capita than most other communities in the state.
Brockton had 93 personal injury claims per 100 car accidents in 2003, compared with a statewide average of 43, said Daniel J. Johnston, executive director of the Insurance Fraud Bureau. Only Lawrence, with 134 injuries, and some Boston neighborhoods -- Roxbury, Dorchester, Hyde Park, and Roslindale -- had higher rates than Brockton.
Fraudulent claims cost Brockton's vehicle owners plenty. The average auto insurance bill in Brockton is $1,795 -- $619 higher than the statewide average, said Johnston. The bill would be $350 higher if not for the rest of the state's drivers, who subsidize Brockton's rates, Johnston said.
The Brockton auto insurance fraud task force has 12 cases pending. Two Plymouth County prosecutors, a Brockton police officer, and an insurance fraud investigator are assigned to the group, which focuses exclusively on fraud. The Insurance Fraud Bureau, while not specifically providing funding for the task force, gave the district attorney's office $50,000 this year, said Cruz. The squad, modeled after similar task forces in Lawrence, Lynn, Boston, Lowell, and the Springfield/Holyoke area, offers a $5,000 reward for information that leads to arrests and convictions.
The Brockton group's first successful case began with Chin's interview by an insurance investigator on Feb. 18. (Notes of investigators' interviews with Chin and her mother, details about the scam, and information about those arrested for the crime are in Brockton District Court case files created by insurance investigators and Brockton police.)
complete article
Your Health Care Rights
(New London-WTNH, Dec. 17, 2004 5:50 PM)
Are you in the middle of a dispute with your health insurance company?
It can be frustrating making all those calls that seem to go nowhere.
Finding out what your rights are under managed health care in our state can be only one phone call away.
Hairdresser Susan Ramos needed to keep her 17-year-ol daughter in rehab treatment.
"There wasn't a stone I didn't leave unturned," says Susan.
But her health insurance denied her claim.
"We had that service entitled to us and we were being denied."
Susan was finally directed to the State's Office of Managed Care ombudsman where her daughter's issue was resolved.
Maureen Smith, Office of Managed Care ombudsman, says,"I made the call and said this is an issue. It needs to be resolved in a very timely manner and within a half hour I had a call from their senior medical director."
Kevin Lembo says,"Our primary role is to educate folks about their insurance coverage to help them understand their different plan designs and what those really mean for them when they show up at their doctor's office."
Newly sworn in state ombudsman Kevin Lembo says his staff of three fields an average of 2,500 calls a year from families like Susan Ramos.
Another responsibility this office tackles is assisting patients who are denied treatment through an appeals process in place.
"I don't come into this office assuming that the health insurance companies are wrong in their determinations but I do come to this office assuming that when a doctor says you need treatment you need it."
For Susan Ramos an independent advocate was all she needed.
"I knew that each state had its own ombudsman but I didn't realize that as far as health care issues that we had one strictly for health care."
If you have a problem or concern about your managed care plan you can call the office of managed care ombudsman at this toll free number 866-460-4446.
Are you in the middle of a dispute with your health insurance company?
It can be frustrating making all those calls that seem to go nowhere.
Finding out what your rights are under managed health care in our state can be only one phone call away.
Hairdresser Susan Ramos needed to keep her 17-year-ol daughter in rehab treatment.
"There wasn't a stone I didn't leave unturned," says Susan.
But her health insurance denied her claim.
"We had that service entitled to us and we were being denied."
Susan was finally directed to the State's Office of Managed Care ombudsman where her daughter's issue was resolved.
Maureen Smith, Office of Managed Care ombudsman, says,"I made the call and said this is an issue. It needs to be resolved in a very timely manner and within a half hour I had a call from their senior medical director."
Kevin Lembo says,"Our primary role is to educate folks about their insurance coverage to help them understand their different plan designs and what those really mean for them when they show up at their doctor's office."
Newly sworn in state ombudsman Kevin Lembo says his staff of three fields an average of 2,500 calls a year from families like Susan Ramos.
Another responsibility this office tackles is assisting patients who are denied treatment through an appeals process in place.
"I don't come into this office assuming that the health insurance companies are wrong in their determinations but I do come to this office assuming that when a doctor says you need treatment you need it."
For Susan Ramos an independent advocate was all she needed.
"I knew that each state had its own ombudsman but I didn't realize that as far as health care issues that we had one strictly for health care."
If you have a problem or concern about your managed care plan you can call the office of managed care ombudsman at this toll free number 866-460-4446.
Friday, December 17, 2004
BCBSFL upgrades online resources
Press Release
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/
To better meet the needs of uninsured, low-income and underserved Floridians, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. (BCBSF) earlier this year successfully launched For Florida's Health, a comprehensive electronic database of health care service programs and resources in Florida. BCBSF has launched an upgraded version of the web site, adding a Spanish language option and funding resources for health care services in local communities, with links to various funding organizations throughout the state.
For Florida's Health provides contact information for health care assistance programs across the state. Data is searchable by zip code, county, program name and service type. Consumers may also access directions to program facilities and descriptions of transportation options where applicable. Navigation options are now available in Spanish. Program listings are updated daily. For Florida's Health may be accessed at http://www.forfloridashealth.com and is available free of charge.
"Many uninsured Floridians have limited access to personal computers and depend on case workers and social workers who are utilizing health resources on the Internet," said Dr. Michael Hutton, grants manager for The Blue Foundation. "The upgraded For Florida's Health site is an invaluable research tool for those health workers in assisting those in need of services."
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/
To better meet the needs of uninsured, low-income and underserved Floridians, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. (BCBSF) earlier this year successfully launched For Florida's Health, a comprehensive electronic database of health care service programs and resources in Florida. BCBSF has launched an upgraded version of the web site, adding a Spanish language option and funding resources for health care services in local communities, with links to various funding organizations throughout the state.
For Florida's Health provides contact information for health care assistance programs across the state. Data is searchable by zip code, county, program name and service type. Consumers may also access directions to program facilities and descriptions of transportation options where applicable. Navigation options are now available in Spanish. Program listings are updated daily. For Florida's Health may be accessed at http://www.forfloridashealth.com and is available free of charge.
"Many uninsured Floridians have limited access to personal computers and depend on case workers and social workers who are utilizing health resources on the Internet," said Dr. Michael Hutton, grants manager for The Blue Foundation. "The upgraded For Florida's Health site is an invaluable research tool for those health workers in assisting those in need of services."
MA auto insurance rates to go lower
BOSTON -- State insurance regulators are setting 2005 auto insurance rates lower that what drivers paid in August.
But the new rate still represents an increase from the rate set at this time last year.
Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler lowered the rate paid in August by 1.7 percent. However, that's roughly 1½ percent, or $16, above the rate established at this time last year.
State auto insurers wanted a 5.8 percent rate increase for next year, citing a slight increase in major policy claims.
Massachusetts is the only state that sets insurance rates. Each year, the industry files recommendations on rates for the following year. The new rates take effect in January.
But the new rate still represents an increase from the rate set at this time last year.
Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler lowered the rate paid in August by 1.7 percent. However, that's roughly 1½ percent, or $16, above the rate established at this time last year.
State auto insurers wanted a 5.8 percent rate increase for next year, citing a slight increase in major policy claims.
Massachusetts is the only state that sets insurance rates. Each year, the industry files recommendations on rates for the following year. The new rates take effect in January.
State Farm Lowers TN rates
NEWARK, Ohio (AP) -- State Farm is lowering its insurance rates for drivers in Tennessee by an average of two percent in 2005.
Overall premium changes depend on the coverage carried, the discounts already approved and how much each person drives.
State Farm insures 994,000 drivers in Tennessee, or about one in four cars. The total savings for the state's motorists will be more than $12 million.
The cost of collision coverage is going down the most when the new rates take effect January 1st.
Overall premium changes depend on the coverage carried, the discounts already approved and how much each person drives.
State Farm insures 994,000 drivers in Tennessee, or about one in four cars. The total savings for the state's motorists will be more than $12 million.
The cost of collision coverage is going down the most when the new rates take effect January 1st.
CA Health Insurance for children
A new report shows more California children than ever have health coverage either through private or state plans. Still, a UCLA report shows more than a million children under the age of 19 have no coverage at all.
As a result of information such as that contained in the UCLA report, a new effort has been launched to offer insurance to all children in the state.
The plan is the brainchild of a trio of child advocacy organizations. Children Now, the Children's Defense Fund of California and the Children's Partnership are backing the Healthy Kids Program, which would take existing plans such as Healthy Families and Medi-Cal and roll them into one program. The aim is to get all California children insured by 2007. The program would also include some middle income families whose employers don't provide health coverage.
The plan would cost the state an additional $250 million a year. Supporters hope some of the funds would come from Proposition 10, the tobacco tax. "What we're proposing is a shared approach where parents help pay the cost, employers help pay, and government because no one sector can really afford it alone," said Wendy Lazarus of the Children's Partnership.
A coalition of leaders from churches, education, and business backgrounds support the plan. The Legislature will need to approve it before the plan goes into effect.
As a result of information such as that contained in the UCLA report, a new effort has been launched to offer insurance to all children in the state.
The plan is the brainchild of a trio of child advocacy organizations. Children Now, the Children's Defense Fund of California and the Children's Partnership are backing the Healthy Kids Program, which would take existing plans such as Healthy Families and Medi-Cal and roll them into one program. The aim is to get all California children insured by 2007. The program would also include some middle income families whose employers don't provide health coverage.
The plan would cost the state an additional $250 million a year. Supporters hope some of the funds would come from Proposition 10, the tobacco tax. "What we're proposing is a shared approach where parents help pay the cost, employers help pay, and government because no one sector can really afford it alone," said Wendy Lazarus of the Children's Partnership.
A coalition of leaders from churches, education, and business backgrounds support the plan. The Legislature will need to approve it before the plan goes into effect.
California Health Insurance rises
Press Release
OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 2004
Health insurance premiums for California workers grew 11.4 percent in 2004, significantly slower than 2003's 15.8 percent, but still the fourth consecutive year of double-digit increases, according to the 2004 Annual California Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the California HealthCare Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET).
The California increase of 11.4 percent in premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance was statistically equivalent to the national average of 11.2 percent and over six times the California inflation rate of 1.7 percent. Between 2000 and 2004 premiums have increased a total of 61 percent.
Historically, premiums in California have been lower than national premiums, but over the past several years they have steadily approached the U.S. average. At $10,013, a typical family policy in California is about the same as the national average of $9,950, the survey found. Single coverage averaged $3,685 in California in 2004, compared to $3,695 nationally. This year for the first time, the average cost for a family PPO plan in California exceeds that in the U.S. by 15 percent.
HMOs remained the least expensive type of health plan, costing nearly 30 percent less for single coverage than PPO plans. About 50 percent of California workers were enrolled in HMOs in 2004, compared to 25 percent nationally. However, health plan enrollment in California has shifted somewhat to PPOs over the past year. PPOs increased their market share from 29 percent in 2003 to 36 percent in 2004, according to the survey.
The percentage of California employers offering health insurance to their workers was 67 percent in 2004, about the same as in 2003. As with prior years, firms cited the high cost of coverage as the primary reason they did not offer health benefits.
On average, workers in California contributed $2,580 for family coverage and $474 annually for single coverage in 2004. Compared to 2003 levels, worker contributions grew 5 percent for family coverage and 13 percent for single coverage. However, workers' average share of the premium costs in 2004 fell slightly to 27 percent for family and 13 percent for single coverage.
"Health insurance premiums in California continued their double-digit climb and the average cost of a family plan is now the same in California as the rest of the nation. These increases are hard for employers as well as for working families who have seen their contributions for family coverage go up repeatedly over the past several years," said Mark D. Smith, M.D., president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation.
The California Employer Health Benefits Survey of is an independent survey based on the national employer survey conducted annually by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and HRET. Between 2000 and 2003, KFF conducted surveys in both California and the nation as a whole. Beginning this year, the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) assumes sponsorship from KFF of the California survey, which is separate from and not included in the national survey.
"The California HealthCare Foundation's sponsorship of this special study makes it possible to compare our state with the nation on health care costs and coverage, issues which are very much on the minds of Californians," Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman said.
A detailed chart pack summary of the survey is available at chcf.org. Results of the national survey, which was released in September 2004, is available at kff.org.
"The annual cost of health insurance for a California family of four is now equivalent to 75 percent of the annual earnings of a fully-employed minimum wage worker. This is one more indicator that the cost of health insurance is prohibitively expensive for many employers and workers," said Jon Gabel, vice president for Health Systems Studies at the Health Research and Educational Trust and one of the survey directors.
Other survey highlights include:
-- Nearly all large California employers - those with 200 or more workers - offered health insurance and 55 percent of the smallest companies with 3 to 9 workers provided coverage. Only 20 percent of California employers offered coverage to part-time workers.
-- Eighteen percent of small firms offered a high deductible health plan (a deductible of more than $1,000 annually for single coverage), compared with just 8 percent of all large firms.
-- Employees in California have much greater choice of health plans than workers nationwide. The survey found that 93 percent of workers in large firms (200 or more workers) in California were offered more than one health plan option in 2004, compared to 82 percent of workers in large firms nationally.
-- Almost half of all large firms (44 percent) reported that they were very likely to increase the amount employees pay for premiums in 2005.
-- Few employers viewed current cost containment strategies as highly effective with just 13 - 15 percent reporting disease management, higher employee cost sharing, or tighter managed care networks as "very effective."
-- Thirteen percent of California firms reported that they vary the contribution for family coverage based on whether an employee's family member has the option of obtaining coverage elsewhere.
-- About half of all covered workers faced some form of cost sharing for hospital admissions.
-- While nearly all active workers with insurance coverage had drug coverage in 2004, the use of tiered cost sharing, with higher co-payments for brand name drugs than generics, has grown rapidly with 81 percent of workers now in plans that use them. While average payments for drugs in each of the three tiers (generic, preferred, and non-preferred) increased in 2004, the average co-payment in California for a non-preferred drug ($25.90) remained lower than the national average ($33).
About the California HealthCare Foundation
The California HealthCare Foundation, based in Oakland, is an independent philanthropy committed to improving California's health care delivery and financing systems. Visit www.chcf.org for more information.
OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 2004
Health insurance premiums for California workers grew 11.4 percent in 2004, significantly slower than 2003's 15.8 percent, but still the fourth consecutive year of double-digit increases, according to the 2004 Annual California Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the California HealthCare Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET).
The California increase of 11.4 percent in premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance was statistically equivalent to the national average of 11.2 percent and over six times the California inflation rate of 1.7 percent. Between 2000 and 2004 premiums have increased a total of 61 percent.
Historically, premiums in California have been lower than national premiums, but over the past several years they have steadily approached the U.S. average. At $10,013, a typical family policy in California is about the same as the national average of $9,950, the survey found. Single coverage averaged $3,685 in California in 2004, compared to $3,695 nationally. This year for the first time, the average cost for a family PPO plan in California exceeds that in the U.S. by 15 percent.
HMOs remained the least expensive type of health plan, costing nearly 30 percent less for single coverage than PPO plans. About 50 percent of California workers were enrolled in HMOs in 2004, compared to 25 percent nationally. However, health plan enrollment in California has shifted somewhat to PPOs over the past year. PPOs increased their market share from 29 percent in 2003 to 36 percent in 2004, according to the survey.
The percentage of California employers offering health insurance to their workers was 67 percent in 2004, about the same as in 2003. As with prior years, firms cited the high cost of coverage as the primary reason they did not offer health benefits.
On average, workers in California contributed $2,580 for family coverage and $474 annually for single coverage in 2004. Compared to 2003 levels, worker contributions grew 5 percent for family coverage and 13 percent for single coverage. However, workers' average share of the premium costs in 2004 fell slightly to 27 percent for family and 13 percent for single coverage.
"Health insurance premiums in California continued their double-digit climb and the average cost of a family plan is now the same in California as the rest of the nation. These increases are hard for employers as well as for working families who have seen their contributions for family coverage go up repeatedly over the past several years," said Mark D. Smith, M.D., president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation.
The California Employer Health Benefits Survey of is an independent survey based on the national employer survey conducted annually by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and HRET. Between 2000 and 2003, KFF conducted surveys in both California and the nation as a whole. Beginning this year, the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) assumes sponsorship from KFF of the California survey, which is separate from and not included in the national survey.
"The California HealthCare Foundation's sponsorship of this special study makes it possible to compare our state with the nation on health care costs and coverage, issues which are very much on the minds of Californians," Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman said.
A detailed chart pack summary of the survey is available at chcf.org. Results of the national survey, which was released in September 2004, is available at kff.org.
"The annual cost of health insurance for a California family of four is now equivalent to 75 percent of the annual earnings of a fully-employed minimum wage worker. This is one more indicator that the cost of health insurance is prohibitively expensive for many employers and workers," said Jon Gabel, vice president for Health Systems Studies at the Health Research and Educational Trust and one of the survey directors.
Other survey highlights include:
-- Nearly all large California employers - those with 200 or more workers - offered health insurance and 55 percent of the smallest companies with 3 to 9 workers provided coverage. Only 20 percent of California employers offered coverage to part-time workers.
-- Eighteen percent of small firms offered a high deductible health plan (a deductible of more than $1,000 annually for single coverage), compared with just 8 percent of all large firms.
-- Employees in California have much greater choice of health plans than workers nationwide. The survey found that 93 percent of workers in large firms (200 or more workers) in California were offered more than one health plan option in 2004, compared to 82 percent of workers in large firms nationally.
-- Almost half of all large firms (44 percent) reported that they were very likely to increase the amount employees pay for premiums in 2005.
-- Few employers viewed current cost containment strategies as highly effective with just 13 - 15 percent reporting disease management, higher employee cost sharing, or tighter managed care networks as "very effective."
-- Thirteen percent of California firms reported that they vary the contribution for family coverage based on whether an employee's family member has the option of obtaining coverage elsewhere.
-- About half of all covered workers faced some form of cost sharing for hospital admissions.
-- While nearly all active workers with insurance coverage had drug coverage in 2004, the use of tiered cost sharing, with higher co-payments for brand name drugs than generics, has grown rapidly with 81 percent of workers now in plans that use them. While average payments for drugs in each of the three tiers (generic, preferred, and non-preferred) increased in 2004, the average co-payment in California for a non-preferred drug ($25.90) remained lower than the national average ($33).
About the California HealthCare Foundation
The California HealthCare Foundation, based in Oakland, is an independent philanthropy committed to improving California's health care delivery and financing systems. Visit www.chcf.org for more information.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
GEICO lowers rates for Phoenix
Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/
GEICO announced today that it has
reduced auto insurance rates for its policyholders in Phoenix. The average
rate decrease is six percent for GEICO and GEICO General policyholders.
"Improved driver experience, which has resulted in a decrease in accidents
and fewer losses for our company, is the main reason for the rate decrease,"
said Martha Furnas, assistant vice president and manager of the company's
Tucson office. "We're glad we can provide our policyholders with some
savings, and we hope to attract new customers with our lower rates."
Overall premium changes for individual motorists will vary depending on
factors such as the coverage they carry and discounts for which they qualify.
TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/
GEICO announced today that it has
reduced auto insurance rates for its policyholders in Phoenix. The average
rate decrease is six percent for GEICO and GEICO General policyholders.
"Improved driver experience, which has resulted in a decrease in accidents
and fewer losses for our company, is the main reason for the rate decrease,"
said Martha Furnas, assistant vice president and manager of the company's
Tucson office. "We're glad we can provide our policyholders with some
savings, and we hope to attract new customers with our lower rates."
Overall premium changes for individual motorists will vary depending on
factors such as the coverage they carry and discounts for which they qualify.
Americas Health Insurance Plan launches New HSA plan
Press Release
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will launch a one-stop online clearing house for consumer information on Health Savings Accounts (HSA's). The Web site will feature an online learning center cosponsored with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) where small business owners will be able to learn more about this important new health insurance coverage and savings opportunity.
Please Join Karen Ignagni President and CEO of AHIP and the SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto for the rollout of this new online tool.
WHAT: Launch of New HSA Web site and Online Learning Center
WHO: Hector V. Barreto, Administrator Small Business Administration
Karen Ignagni, President & CEO America's Health Insurance Plans
WHEN: Friday December 17, 2004 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time
WHERE: National Press Club (Zenger Room), 529 14th Street NW, Washington DC
America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) will launch a one-stop online clearing house for consumer information on Health Savings Accounts (HSA's). The Web site will feature an online learning center cosponsored with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) where small business owners will be able to learn more about this important new health insurance coverage and savings opportunity.
Please Join Karen Ignagni President and CEO of AHIP and the SBA Administrator Hector V. Barreto for the rollout of this new online tool.
WHAT: Launch of New HSA Web site and Online Learning Center
WHO: Hector V. Barreto, Administrator Small Business Administration
Karen Ignagni, President & CEO America's Health Insurance Plans
WHEN: Friday December 17, 2004 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time
WHERE: National Press Club (Zenger Room), 529 14th Street NW, Washington DC
California Health Insurance battle
Sacramento, CA, Dec. 15 (UPI)
A new political battle is shaping up in California over the idea of requiring all state residents to have some form of health insurance.
The Los Angeles Times said Wednesday the idea received a boost recently from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who agreed with the medical lobby that 5 million uninsured Californians is too many.
Voters in November rejected a proposal that would have required nearly all employers to offer insurance for their workers, and some analysts predict a law requiring individuals to have insurance will prompt a large number of companies to drop their coverage and pocket the savings.
There were also concerns the cash-strapped state would have to provide heavy subsidies for low-income residents, and premiums would jump.
Nevertheless, the Times said the combined support of the influential medical and business lobbies has given proponents of the measure an increased level of confidence that they could push the measure through the Legislature.
A new political battle is shaping up in California over the idea of requiring all state residents to have some form of health insurance.
The Los Angeles Times said Wednesday the idea received a boost recently from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who agreed with the medical lobby that 5 million uninsured Californians is too many.
Voters in November rejected a proposal that would have required nearly all employers to offer insurance for their workers, and some analysts predict a law requiring individuals to have insurance will prompt a large number of companies to drop their coverage and pocket the savings.
There were also concerns the cash-strapped state would have to provide heavy subsidies for low-income residents, and premiums would jump.
Nevertheless, the Times said the combined support of the influential medical and business lobbies has given proponents of the measure an increased level of confidence that they could push the measure through the Legislature.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Geico v Google
BY SAM HANANEL
ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A federal judge heard arguments Monday in a trademark dispute that could threaten millions in advertising revenue for Google.
Attorneys for auto insurance giant Geico told U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema that Google should not be allowed to sell ads to rival insurance companies that are triggered when Geico's name is typed into the Google search box.
Geico claims that Google's AdWords program, which displays the rival ads under a ''Sponsored Links'' heading next to a user's search results, causes confusion for consumers and illegally exploits Geico's investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in its brand.
But Google said the ad policy is no different from a supermarket giving out coupons for one product in the checkout line when a customer buys the same product from a different company.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A federal judge heard arguments Monday in a trademark dispute that could threaten millions in advertising revenue for Google.
Attorneys for auto insurance giant Geico told U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema that Google should not be allowed to sell ads to rival insurance companies that are triggered when Geico's name is typed into the Google search box.
Geico claims that Google's AdWords program, which displays the rival ads under a ''Sponsored Links'' heading next to a user's search results, causes confusion for consumers and illegally exploits Geico's investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in its brand.
But Google said the ad policy is no different from a supermarket giving out coupons for one product in the checkout line when a customer buys the same product from a different company.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
BCBSM saves seniors $75M
Press Release
DETROIT, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- A Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan drug
savings program developed several years ago has saved seniors in the state an
estimated $75 million in out-of-pocket prescription drug costs. This month
the company introduced a new online drug price comparison tool that helps
seniors see the approximate price they would pay under the program, keeping in
mind that some variance will exist among pharmacies.
The program is sponsored solely by the Michigan Blues for seniors not
enrolled in coverage through a group.
Called Affinity Rx, the savings program is available at no extra cost to
the nearly 200,000 Michigan seniors who purchase their Medicare Supplemental
health coverage directly from the Blues because they are not part of a group.
Seniors simply show their Michigan Blues identification card at one of nearly
2,000 participating Michigan pharmacies to obtain the savings.
The savings amount varies but the average savings is 25 percent off the
average retail price of the drug, depending on the drug and pharmacy used.
Nearly all Michigan pharmacies honor the program.
Glen Perry, director of pharmacy services for the Michigan Blues, said
"The use of the Affinity Rx program continues to grow. It is unique because
it does not require carrying a separate card or a separate fee outside of the
premium for Blues Medicare Supplemental coverage." Medicare Supplemental
covers many of the medical and surgical expenses Medicare doesn't pay for.
A new online feature introduced this month allows users to search drugs
most often prescribed to Blues customers to find out the average price that
current members pay for any of 250 common medications with the Blues Affinity
Rx discount. The site offers a pull-down menu from which users can select a
drug name, are asked to supply the drug dosage, and then receive price
information. In addition, the site flags drugs that have a generic available.
The information is provided on the Blues' Web site, http://www.bcbsm.com ,
under the "members and groups/pharmacy services" page.
Seniors who use Affinity Rx can still apply for a government-approved
Medicare drug discount card and simply continue to use their Affinity Rx
discount when it represents the best value.
A similar savings program, called Blues Advantage Rx, is available to
individuals under age 65 who purchase health care coverage directly through
the Michigan Blues because they are not part of a group.
The program was designed in 1999 with input from the Michigan Office of
Financial and Insurance Services, the Michigan Office of Services to the
Aging, the Michigan attorney general's office and Michigan pharmacies.
"It's a homegrown program," Perry said. "We considered whether we should
discontinue it after the government introduced Medicare drug discount cards,
but it was working so well here in Michigan that we decided to keep it until
the new Medicare drug benefit becomes available to seniors."
DETROIT, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- A Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan drug
savings program developed several years ago has saved seniors in the state an
estimated $75 million in out-of-pocket prescription drug costs. This month
the company introduced a new online drug price comparison tool that helps
seniors see the approximate price they would pay under the program, keeping in
mind that some variance will exist among pharmacies.
The program is sponsored solely by the Michigan Blues for seniors not
enrolled in coverage through a group.
Called Affinity Rx, the savings program is available at no extra cost to
the nearly 200,000 Michigan seniors who purchase their Medicare Supplemental
health coverage directly from the Blues because they are not part of a group.
Seniors simply show their Michigan Blues identification card at one of nearly
2,000 participating Michigan pharmacies to obtain the savings.
The savings amount varies but the average savings is 25 percent off the
average retail price of the drug, depending on the drug and pharmacy used.
Nearly all Michigan pharmacies honor the program.
Glen Perry, director of pharmacy services for the Michigan Blues, said
"The use of the Affinity Rx program continues to grow. It is unique because
it does not require carrying a separate card or a separate fee outside of the
premium for Blues Medicare Supplemental coverage." Medicare Supplemental
covers many of the medical and surgical expenses Medicare doesn't pay for.
A new online feature introduced this month allows users to search drugs
most often prescribed to Blues customers to find out the average price that
current members pay for any of 250 common medications with the Blues Affinity
Rx discount. The site offers a pull-down menu from which users can select a
drug name, are asked to supply the drug dosage, and then receive price
information. In addition, the site flags drugs that have a generic available.
The information is provided on the Blues' Web site, http://www.bcbsm.com ,
under the "members and groups/pharmacy services" page.
Seniors who use Affinity Rx can still apply for a government-approved
Medicare drug discount card and simply continue to use their Affinity Rx
discount when it represents the best value.
A similar savings program, called Blues Advantage Rx, is available to
individuals under age 65 who purchase health care coverage directly through
the Michigan Blues because they are not part of a group.
The program was designed in 1999 with input from the Michigan Office of
Financial and Insurance Services, the Michigan Office of Services to the
Aging, the Michigan attorney general's office and Michigan pharmacies.
"It's a homegrown program," Perry said. "We considered whether we should
discontinue it after the government introduced Medicare drug discount cards,
but it was working so well here in Michigan that we decided to keep it until
the new Medicare drug benefit becomes available to seniors."
Progressive launches website for agents
Press Release
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2004
The Progressive group of companies, the third largest auto insurance group in the country based on premiums written, today announced the debut of its newest Web site, driveinsurance.com, highlighting the important role that independent agents and brokers play in Progressive's business model. Drive Insurance from Progressive(SM) is the new brand designed to help independent agents and brokers grow their business and was introduced by the company in September.
The Web site is a key component of Drive's marketing campaign, which communicates to consumers the advantages that independent agents provide over captive agents. Consumers who see Drive television advertising will be directed to driveinsurance.com to get more information and to find a local agency.
-- Find an Agent - Consumers can search for an independent agency that sells Drive(SM) products, using criteria as general as a ZIP code and address or as specific as products offered and languages spoken at the agency. The Web site will list up to 10 local agencies, their contact information and e-mail/Web site link (if applicable).
-- Get an Online Quote - Consumers can get an auto insurance quote and have their referral information sent electronically to an agency of their choice to complete the sale.
-- Manage Your Policy - Drive customers can login for convenient, secure, 24-hour access to their policy. They can make payments, view and print policy documents, track claims, make routine policy changes, and more, but are referred back to their Drive agency for more complex changes.
The Web site also offers independent agents and brokers valuable marketing opportunities through the Find an Agent and quoting/referral functions. "We've been talking to agents about the Drive brand for a few months now, and the biggest 'buzz' we hear from them is about driveinsurance.com," said Bob Williams, group president, Drive Insurance from Progressive. "They're pleased that we're applying our Internet know-how to a Web site designed for people who buy from agents, and are really excited at the chance to use the site to help grow their agencies. We'd love for consumers as well as agents and brokers to give driveinsurance.com a test drive."
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2004
The Progressive group of companies, the third largest auto insurance group in the country based on premiums written, today announced the debut of its newest Web site, driveinsurance.com, highlighting the important role that independent agents and brokers play in Progressive's business model. Drive Insurance from Progressive(SM) is the new brand designed to help independent agents and brokers grow their business and was introduced by the company in September.
The Web site is a key component of Drive's marketing campaign, which communicates to consumers the advantages that independent agents provide over captive agents. Consumers who see Drive television advertising will be directed to driveinsurance.com to get more information and to find a local agency.
-- Find an Agent - Consumers can search for an independent agency that sells Drive(SM) products, using criteria as general as a ZIP code and address or as specific as products offered and languages spoken at the agency. The Web site will list up to 10 local agencies, their contact information and e-mail/Web site link (if applicable).
-- Get an Online Quote - Consumers can get an auto insurance quote and have their referral information sent electronically to an agency of their choice to complete the sale.
-- Manage Your Policy - Drive customers can login for convenient, secure, 24-hour access to their policy. They can make payments, view and print policy documents, track claims, make routine policy changes, and more, but are referred back to their Drive agency for more complex changes.
The Web site also offers independent agents and brokers valuable marketing opportunities through the Find an Agent and quoting/referral functions. "We've been talking to agents about the Drive brand for a few months now, and the biggest 'buzz' we hear from them is about driveinsurance.com," said Bob Williams, group president, Drive Insurance from Progressive. "They're pleased that we're applying our Internet know-how to a Web site designed for people who buy from agents, and are really excited at the chance to use the site to help grow their agencies. We'd love for consumers as well as agents and brokers to give driveinsurance.com a test drive."
Fewer AR children go without Health Insuance
A new report says the share of Arkansas children not covered by health insurance declined from 19.4 percent in 1996 to 11 percent in 2002—lower than the national average of 12 percent.
Rhonda Sanders, director of health policy for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, credited the improvement to the ARKids First program. That program was set up by the Legislature in 1997, at the urging of Gov. Mike Huckabee.
About 50,000 more children have health insurance today than in 1996, according to the report released by Sanders' group, but about 82,000 remain uninsured.
Some of the greatest reductions in uninsured rates occurred in families with incomes below 201 percent of the officially defined poverty level. The report also says that the percentage of insured children in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty level is nearing the percentage of covered children in homes with incomes above that level.
"The ARKids First enrollment effort has actually reduced for the first time the insurance gap between the low-income children and the higher income children in Arkansas,'' Sanders said.
The ARKids First legislation expanded the income eligibility for Medicaid, allowing more children to qualify for the government health insurance.
To help the 11 percent of children who are still uninsured, Sanders said, her group plans to support the Medicaid budget request from the state Department of Human Services.
The department's 2005 budget includes $426.2 million for prescription drugs, including $86.5 million in state general revenue, and $1.96 billion for hospital and medical services, including $376.4 million in state general revenue.
Sanders said that budget allows for growth in the ARKids program at the rate seen over the past several years.
Rhonda Sanders, director of health policy for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, credited the improvement to the ARKids First program. That program was set up by the Legislature in 1997, at the urging of Gov. Mike Huckabee.
About 50,000 more children have health insurance today than in 1996, according to the report released by Sanders' group, but about 82,000 remain uninsured.
Some of the greatest reductions in uninsured rates occurred in families with incomes below 201 percent of the officially defined poverty level. The report also says that the percentage of insured children in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty level is nearing the percentage of covered children in homes with incomes above that level.
"The ARKids First enrollment effort has actually reduced for the first time the insurance gap between the low-income children and the higher income children in Arkansas,'' Sanders said.
The ARKids First legislation expanded the income eligibility for Medicaid, allowing more children to qualify for the government health insurance.
To help the 11 percent of children who are still uninsured, Sanders said, her group plans to support the Medicaid budget request from the state Department of Human Services.
The department's 2005 budget includes $426.2 million for prescription drugs, including $86.5 million in state general revenue, and $1.96 billion for hospital and medical services, including $376.4 million in state general revenue.
Sanders said that budget allows for growth in the ARKids program at the rate seen over the past several years.
Lower Health Insurance costs in the future for hoosiers?
With more than 700,000 Hoosiers without any health insurance, with 56 percent of smaller businesses unable to offer employees coverage because it’s just too expensive and with premiums that go up every year, we have a real crisis on our hands,” said Simpson.“We can’t wait for the system to fix itself and we can’t wait for Washington any longer. Too many Hoosier families and businesses are left unprotected. The bills I am introducing today are reasonable steps to create a more efficient system where more people will have the opportunity to access the coverage they need and deserve.”Among the bills Simpson will introduce is a measure to aid Indiana’s small businesses by allowing them to purchase health insurance through the state. If enacted, the Private Employer Health Insurance Program would provide small businesses, those with 100 or fewer employees, with access to the state employee health insurance plan or a separately established pool.“All too often health insurance is an impediment to economic investment and job creation, particularly for small businesses,” said Simpson. “This is no longer just a health care issue, it’s a jobs issue, it’s an economic development issue and it’s a quality of life issue.”With 109,000 eligible small businesses and more than 886,000 employees throughout the state, the legislation requires the State Budget Agency to develop and implement a program no later than July 1, 2006. Simpson is also introducing a cost-saving measure, which would merge the state’s colleges and universities health care plans with state employee’s plan in order to seek better prices and products.Currently each university has its own plan, creating discrepancies in both cost and services among the institutions. With the varying plans, they spend a total of $325 million each year to cover 172,000 employees and their dependents. At the same time, the state employee plan covers more than 85,000 employees and their families, at an annual cost of $252 million. “With our state’s fiscal situation and the growing cost of health care, going it alone no longer makes sense,” said Simpson. “By working together we can more than double the number of people covered through the state’s health insurance program. That strengthens our ability to negotiate for better prices and products and ultimately it reduces the program’s total costs.”A third piece of legislation Simpson is introducing calls for standardizing the administrative requirements surrounding the delivery of health care services. Duplicative and cumbersome administrative paperwork and processes between providers, payers and insurance carriers significantly adds to the overall cost. Under the senator’s proposal, standardized operating procedures would be implemented to create common credentialing, medical records review and pre-certification standards for all health care entities operating in Indiana. The plan also calls for making the various forms, directories and certificates of coverage available electronically and on the web for more efficient and timely transactions. “Too much of what the average person pays in health care costs goes towards red-tape and paperwork and not toward actually helping them,” said Simpson. “Each health care insurer has a different set of forms, each one has a different set of processes and each one has a different approval process.”“What this bill does is to simplify those procedures by creating a common language from which all entities can work. With the technology we have available today, streamlining this just makes sense from both a business and customer service standpoint.” The final piece of Simpson’s plan calls for the expansion of the Bulk Prescription Drug Purchasing Program, which she worked to create last session. Under Simpson’s plan, which she has previously announced, Indiana-based small businesses, county hospitals and nonprofit organizations would be allowed to enter the state’s drug purchasing pool. The move would significantly reduce the overall costs to small businesses by expanding the state’s pool, providing more leverage to bargain for lower drug costs. The proposal would also delete language in existing law prohibiting the state’s Medicaid program, which covers approximately 800,000 Hoosiers, from joining the pool. “These are all common sense measures we can take today that will have a profound impact on people’s ability to access quality health care. Health care is not a luxury item, and it shouldn’t be priced as one,” added Simpson. “Affordable health care is a basic right too which everyone is entitled. And this session, I intend to work with my colleagues in the General Assembly and the incoming administration to make sure every Hoosier enjoys that right.” In her 20 years in the Indiana State Senate, Simpson has been a leading voice on health and human services issues. Simpson has authored or sponsored successful legislation establishing the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), creating a HMO Patients' "Bill of Rights," establishing the Office of Women's Health in State Health Department, providing mental health "parity" in health insurance and expanding state oversight of HMOs. She successfully lobbied for additional state funds for the CHOICE home health care program and co-authored the Long Term Care Reform Act, which focuses on the building of community based options for senior citizens.
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