Auto Insurance Rates Vary Greatly By State

According to Insurance.com's Mid-Year Auto Insurance Pricing Report, Louisiana is the most expensive state for auto insurance, with an average premium of $2,740 in the first half of 2007 (although down more than 3% from 2006).

New York continued to be the second highest-paying with an average of $2,601 for car insurance, ( a 4% decline from 2006).

Wisconsin had the most affordable auto insurance in the first half of 2007, with an average premium of $1,335, followed by Ohio at $1,342.

Individidual Health Insurance in Maine

The individual health insurance market in Maine is broken.

The superintendent of insurance has approved premium increases of more than 100% over the last five years; the average deductible sold in this market has increased substantially over the same period; and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has lost millions of dollars on this business over the last two years.

Individual insurance is for the self-employed, as well as early retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare and young people just entering the workforce.

Many individuals who have insurance are barely hanging on to it by purchasing policies with deductibles that are unreasonably high for their incomes.

So why are Maine's individual health insurance rates among the highest in the country?

The rising cost of medical care and the increased use of medical services are driving some of the increases, but Maine's insurance laws are a big part of the problem, too.

Guaranteed issue requires health insurers to provide coverage to any and all individuals seeking it. Maine's community rating law limits the factors that can be used to determine the price of coverage.

While these laws were passed with good intentions, a lot has changed in 15 years -- especially in health care.

These laws have contributed to all major insurance companies except Anthem leaving the individual market here. They have driven up premiums and deductibles, forcing many people to drop coverage.

This problem is not unique to Maine. Other states, including Idaho, Kentucky, New Hampshire and Washington, have faced a similar situation.

Phony Arizona Health Insurance

Press release

Insurance Director Christina Urias has ordered National Trade Business Alliance of America to immediately stop offering, soliciting, issuing or delivering health insurance to Arizona residents.

This unlicensed entity may also have marketed products under the names: Affinity Health Plans of America, National Trade Business Association, NTBAA, National Transportation Benefit Alliance, Qualified Administrative Specialists of America, Family Health Care Services, Inc., America’s Best Benefits, and American Employers Association.

The Texas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania insurance departments previously sanctioned some of these entities for similar unauthorized activity in their states.

This bogus health insurance plan sent an unsolicited fax to an Arizona small business and its employees. The faxed advertisement stated: “Attention Employees: Health care you can afford, $124 individual rate, $173 family rate…Expires Friday!”

Ohio Auto Insurance Rates

Press release

Ohio auto insurance rates have declined for the second straight year, according to a report released by the (NAIC). Ohio currently has the 13th lowest auto insurance rates in the nation. In 2004, Ohio was ranked 14th in the United States.

Ohio residents are paying on average $668.93 in premiums for auto insurance, far below the national average of $829.17. In 2005, Ohioans paid an average of $680.14 in auto insurance premiums.

Analysts expect that rates for automobile insurance, overall, will not change significantly in 2007. Changes in automobile insurance rates can be attributed to repair costs, medical costs, weather-related claims, and the number of cars on Ohio roads.

Ohio residents with questions about auto insurance can call the Department's consumer hotline at 1-800-686-1526.

States Battle Over Health Insurance

The battle over the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is being fought largely between members of Congress from high-income states, such as Maryland, versus members from low-income states, such as South Dakota and Mississippi, which rank near the bottom in median household income.

Eligibility Varies

Some states, such as South Dakota, currently offer CHIP only to people with incomes up to twice the federal poverty threshold, which is $20,444 for a family of four with two children.

So in those states, families with income of $40,888 are eligible.

But other states, such as Maryland, which has the highest median household income in the nation, provide CHIP coverage to people with incomes three times the poverty line.

On the decisive Senate vote to push ahead with expansion of the CHIP program, where both senators from a state voted for CHIP expansion, they came from states with an average household income of nearly $50,000.

But where both senators from a state voted against CHIP expansion, they came from states with an average household income of under $42,000, including the lowest-income states such as Kentucky, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

The economic clash works between congressional districts, too: House Republican Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri, an outspoken opponent of CHIP expansion, represents a district where the median income is $36,962.

His Republican colleague from New York, Rep. Vito Fossella, who voted to expand CHIP, represents a district that includes Staten Island and part of Brooklyn in New York City. In Fossella’s district, the median income is $62,108, nearly 70 percent higher than in Blunt’s district.

The Uninsured

About 90 million Americans (not including the elderly) were at some point uninsured during 2006-2007, as detailed in a FamiliesUSA report.

The majority of the uninsured did not have health insurance coverage for extensive periods. Almost two-thirds of them were without health insurance coverage for over six months, while about half were without insurance for at least nine months.

Percentage of non-elderly uninsured:

-- Texas - 45.7%
-- New Mexico -44.3%
-- Arizona - 41.8%
-- California - 40.5%
-- Florida - 40.1%
-- Mississippi - 38.7%
-- Nevada - 38.4%
-- Louisiana - 38.1%
-- Oklahoma - 37.7%
-- Georgia - 37.6%
-- South Carolina - 37.4%
-- Arkansas - 37.2%
-- Utah - 35.2%
-- Alabama - 35.1%
-- The District of Columbia - 35.1%
-- West Virginia - 35.1%
-- Alaska - 34.8%
-- North Carolina - 34.6%
-- Oregon - 34.6%
-- Colorado - 34.2%
-- Montana - 33.9%

According to the report, 79.3% of the uninsured were in working families, 70.6% were in full-time employment, while 8.7% worked part-time. 64.2 million uninsured people were within the 18-64 year-old age group, 34.9% were aged 25-44.

States with people uninsured for some/all of 2006-2007:

California - 13 mil
Texas - 9.3 mil
Florida - 6 mil
New York - 5.5 mil
Illinois - 3.6 mil
Georgia - 3.1 mil
Ohio - 2.9 mil
Pennsylvania - 2.9 mil
North Carolina - 2.6 mil
Michigan - 2.5 mil
New Jersey - 2.4 mil

New Florida Auto Insurance Rules

Starting October 1, you do not have to carry proof of auto insurance in your car because Florida’s no-fault automobile insurance law has officially expired.

A special session of the Legislature dealing with budget cuts, which starts Wednesday, is expected to take up the issue of mandatory auto insurance after House and Senate leaders announced a deal that revives the state’s $10,000 medical coverage for motorists and their passengers.

Although written to take effect immediately, the bill would not put all Florida motorists under the same requirements until Dec. 1.