| Insurance commissioner tours Columbus' damage, urges homeowners to ...
Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine examined tornado damage in Columbus Tuesday morning and brought two messages. The first was for people whose homes and businesses were affected by the March 1 storm. "If you have a problem with insurance, if you have any questions about what should be covered," he said, "don't hesitate to call us." The second was for people who escaped untouched by the heavy winds and rain. "This is just the beginning of tornado season in Georgia," he cautioned. "People need to check their insurance and make sure they are properly covered." For the latter group, Oxendine suggested taking a digital camera and photographing each room "so you can remember what you had." Standing near the rubble of a flattened home on Brookstone Boulevard, he said it's unlikely that the residents will be remembering just what they had, making it difficult to replace the lost items.
SC Gov. and Insurers Call Senate Workers' Comp Bill 'Weak'
The South Carolina Senate has passed workers' compensation reform legisaltion but many observers are not impressed and hope the House will do a better job. The bill, S. 332, moves to the House this week. Backers hope it will hep employers save on premiums. "The bill will lead to stability in premiums over time, said Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg. "But none of this is going to happen on anybody's next month's premium,'' he said. The bill calls for businesses that understate how much they pay workers or classify workers improperly face felony charges. The legislation also would eliminate the Second Injury Fund, a program intended to cover future injuries of workers with past workplace injuries and illnesses. Problems with payments for arthritis and a surge of claims have made payments to that fund skyrocket in recent years, costing state businesses hundreds of millions of dollars.
Dallas-based Direct Pet Health to acquire assets of First Pet Life
DALLAS Direct Pet Health Holdings Inc. announced today the finalization and agreement to acquire certain assets of First Pet Life. Through this acquisition Direct Pet Health has acquired the insurance contract as well as the back end support of a trusted pet insurance company, enabling DPHG to start writing policies and generating revenue instantly. .
Wildwood man gets probation in insurance fraud
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — Wildwood resident Joseph Venziano was sentenced Thursday to five years' probation for insurance fraud. Venziano, 66, was indicted in November and pleaded guilty to theft by deception, a third-degree crime, in February. He previously admitted that between Oct. 18, 2002, and Dec. 30, 2003, he falsely represented that he remained married to his former wife so she would be eligible for spousal health insurance benefits. According to the state Attorney General's office, which prosecuted the case, health insurance benefits were provided through Venziano's employer by the Aetna Life Insurance Company, and the policy provided that those benefits would end if the marriage ended. Venziano was divorced in 1998, but Aetna paid $9,393 to various health care providers for services rendered to the former wife between 2002 and 2003.
Medicare That Works to Your Advantage
Joe Cameron, 78, pays $93.50 a month for health insurance through a Medicare Advantage HMO. That's the same premium he would pay for Medicare Part B alone -- and he doesn't need to buy a Medicare-supplement policy and separate prescription-drug coverage. Five years ago, Cameron, who lives in Fort Worth, suffered a massive heart attack and was flown to Dallas for a bypass operation. His medical bills totaled more than $1.3 million -- but he paid only $2,300 out of pocket. Cameron now requires medications that could cost him more than $900 per month. But with generic substitutes and the coverage provided by his UnitedHealth SecureHorizons plan, his monthly cost is about $120. Cameron, who is back to playing golf twice a week, says that with all the complications, he's glad he didn't have to submit claims to multiple insurers.
Event Backgrounder: President Bush participates in a Meeting on ...
The President will participate in a meeting on Health Savings Accounts in the Roosevelt Room of The White House. Today, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) released a report showing the number of individuals covered by Health Savings Accounts has increased by 43 percent over the last year, from about 3.2 million in January 2006 to about 4.5 million in January 2007. In addition, according to the report, twenty- seven percent of the new enrollees in the individual market were previously uninsured. BIOGRAPHIES OF PARTICIPANTS Secretary Mike Leavitt, Department of Health and Human Services Lucia Ward Alexander, Product Manager, CareFirst, Blue Cross Blue Shield (Pikesville, Maryland) Lucia Alexander, age 55, has worked for CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) (an affiliate of BCBS that services the DC Metro area) for 22 years.
Johnson and Miller: Invest in kids' health
Sometimes a dollar is just a dollar, but in the case of the Children?s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), one dollar equals $3.64. The fiscally responsible approach to funding a program in Texas should include the overall impact on the taxpayer at local, state and federal levels. For example, for each state dollar invested in CHIP, Texas receives $2.64 in federal matching funds (which come, of course, from Texas taxpayers). And the reverse is true — if we do not put up the dollar, we actually lose our $2.64 to other states. So far, Texas has forfeited more than $900 million in Texas federal matching funds by not fully funding CHIP. These funds have been returned to the U.S. Treasury and spent by other states. Most recently, the state sought to ?save? money in 2003 by removing 180,000 children from CHIP coverage.
AMERICA'S UGLY ENDING
This week, beloved movie director Bob Clark suffered death by Hector Valesquez Navi, a drunken illegal alien who crossed over the center line for a head-on crash. Clark enjoyed fame, but thousands of average Americans suffer death annually at the hands of illegal aliens. They disregard the rule of law! Migrants cross into our country unlawfully. They forge documents, work illegally, steal jobs from Americans, traffic drugs, steal cars, rob stores, fill our prisons, overwhelm our schools and inundate our hospitals without paying. A listener on my radio show last week supported my guests contention that California cannot be saved from its sinking into the morass of another Mexico City. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villiaragosa carries his La Raza and Mecha cards closer to his heart than the U.S.
New law caps car title loan rates
Cash-strapped Iowans will soon have to turn elsewhere to get emergency loans because LoanMax will be forced out of business, its owner said Tuesday, by a new Iowa law that bans triple-digit interest rates on car title loans.
Iowa lawmakers were jubilant Tuesday as Gov. Chet Culver signed into law House File 5, which reins in annual interest rates of 300 percent or more on such loans.
Right now, LoanMax can charge customers $251 to borrow $400 for about two and a half months. After July 1, the company will be able to charge only $33 for the same loan.
"That's not enough to keep the lights on and keep the employees and pay for their health insurance," said Rod Aycox, the owner of Georgia-based LoanMax, which has 12 offices in Iowa.
But House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Democrat from Des Moines, said: "It's a great day for Iowa and a victory for consumer protection.
Health savings accounts found to cost women more
High-deductible health insurance plans favored by many employers often wind up being an unfair burden to women, a new study says, largely because women need many routine medical exams that quickly add up. The median expense for men under 45 in these plans was less than $500. But for women it was more than $1,200, according to a study by Harvard Medical School researchers. They also found that only a third of insured men in that age group spent more than $1,050 in annual medical costs, while 55 percent of women did. "High-deductible plans punish women for having breasts and uteruses and having babies," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, the study's lead author. .
Spring flooding could be disastrous without right insurance
As the last remnants of the winter snows melted away the past few weeks, residents along area rivers and creeks noticed a swelling in water levels. While those levels are nearing back to normal, hydrologist Mike Gillispie with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls said that with the early spring rains, the potential for flooding is still there.
Most of the time, Gillispie said, in the past most (flooding) has occurred anywhere from mid-March to mid-May.
But no worries, flood damage is covered in home owners insurance, right? Wrong.
Thats a big misconception, said Kelly Sunde, an American Family Insurance agent at 57th Street and Marion Road. People often think that their home owners covers flood damage and thats not true. They have to buy a separate policy.
Vine Show: Our Favorite Lostaways Answer Your Q's--Straight from ...
18 mosquito bites. 11 cast member interviews. And just about the best memories of any set visit I've ever done in my tenure as E!'s resident obsessive TV fan. This is what I carry with me after my forage deep, deep into the jungle (okay, so we were mostly on the beach) to check out the latest happenings on the set of that show we fans can't get enough of, ABC's Lost, on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii.I've said it before, and I'll say it again: My job doth not sucketh.Very soon, I will be bringing you our third annual Lostapalooza (try not to mosh pit; it's dangerous), with enough in-depth interviews, on-set secrets and Skate versus Jate goodness to last you 'til the show bows out of its third season next month. But in the meantime, while our video elves work overtime to process the enormously large box of videotapes, I bring you my latest Vine show, which was shot entirely behind the scenes on the set of Lost.
The Week Ahead: Correcting Past Mistakes (CarMax, Hertz, Pep Boys ...
There is a lot going on next week otherwise I would have spaced these articles out, or at least saved this email for Monday. The automakers will release March vehicle sales on Tuesday afternoon. Morgan Stanley will be hosting an automotive investor conference in New York on Wednesday and Thursday, And press Days for the New York Auto Show will also be held on Wednesday and Thursday. Corrections: Hertz, Pep Boys, CarMax Let me begin with a few corrections. I know it is tough to imagine, but from time to time I make mistakes in the newsletter. I usually try to correct it the next day. But with everything that has been going on over the last couple weeks, a few corrections have "stacked up." So I wanted to provide these corrections/clarifications, and give you a quick thought about CarMax's (KMX) used gross profit figure (and why maybe they should re-think the way they report/account for those gross profits).
Fueled by fraud?
As president of The Ad Ranch, Chris Greta heard a lot of bold startup ideas from high-tech companies. But even he was surprised and intrigued by the plan that Angela Harkness and Gary D. Jones pitched to him in June 2002. "They said Angela had been a bikini model at some races, and they wanted to get into NASCAR," said Greta, who was hired to create their promotional material. Harkness, a former stripper who said she had taught kindergarten, and Jones, a bank vice president, had no experience in racing, where running a team on the second-tier Busch Series circuit can cost $6 million a year. But five months later, after little background checking by NASCAR and the Ford Motor Co. and other suppliers, the Austinites had put together a dream team for the 2003 racing season.
Conseco Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End Results
CARMEL, Ind., March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Conseco, Inc. (NYSE:CNO) today reported results for the fourth quarter and full year 2006. "I'm disappointed with our poor overall financial results," said Jim Prieur, reporting on his first full quarter as CEO, "but we are taking the necessary steps that will fundamentally change Conseco for the better. The results for the quarter reflect a number of adjustments, many of which we believe are one- time in nature, and there are many signs of progress, including strong full year sales growth in our core operating businesses, emerging efficiencies from the consolidation of our back office operations, and progress on our initiatives to improve the performance of our run-off long-term care block." Fourth quarter 2006 results: - Net operating income (1): $5.7 million, compared to $70.4 million in 4Q05 - Net operating income per diluted share: 4 cents, compared to 44 cents in 4Q05 - Net income (loss) applicable to common stock: $(3.7) million, compared to $67.6 million in 4Q05 (including $9.4 million of net realized investment losses in 4Q06 vs.
How much is too much to save family pet’s life?
That number has steadily increased, but the biggest change, Phillips said, concerns whos spending the most money. About 10 years ago, 60 percent of the medication money was spent on livestock and 40 percent on pets or companion animals. Now, its 60 percent for pets and 40 percent for livestock. Many veterinarians and pet owners say that as long as theres a good chance for recovery, its reasonable to put thousands of dollars into saving a pet how much is up to the owner. Instead of remodeling a kitchen, shed rather plunk down $20,000 for her dog, said Dr. Terri DeFrancesco, the associate professor of critical care and cardiology who helped care for Phipps dog at North Carolina State. He does have a good prognosis. Tonys doctors hope that he will live at least another six years.
Premier Wen Jiabao's Press Conference
Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council, met the Chinese and foreign press and answered their questions at a press conference of the Fifth Session of the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC) held at the Great Hall of the People on the morning of 16 March at the invitation of NPC Spokesman Jiang Enzhu. Premier: Ladies and Gentlemen, Comrades, this is my last press conference as the premier of this government during the sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. People all over China have followed the two Sessions with keen interest. Over one million questions are posted for me on the internet, which have been read by over 26 million people. Yesterday, I browsed a website and came cross this question: How close does the Premier feel to us in his heart? What is on his mind? Yesterday afternoon, I received a letter written to me by pupils from a primary school forwarded by a deputy.
Independent Research Firm Names Oracle's Siebel CRM a Leading ...
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., March 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Forrester Research, a leading independent research firm, has recognized Oracle's Siebel CRM as having the strongest current offering in the latest Forrester Wave Evaluation: Enterprise CRM Suites for Financial Services, Q1 March 2007. Forrester also names Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM and Siebel CRM On Demand as strong performers in this recent report. To assess the state of the CRM market, Forrester analyzed strengths and weaknesses of the leading enterprise CRM suites vendors across 464 criteria in three areas of current offering, strategy and market presence. According to the vendor summary cited in the report, "Through years of experience, the Siebel CRM product has developed in such a way that it routinely provides critical but undervalued functionality.
Escondido councilman upset over 'divisive' art exhibit on illegal ...
ESCONDIDO -- An art exhibition that addresses illegal immigration and takes a jab at Councilman Sam Abed is too "political" and "divisive" to be displayed in the partially city-funded California Center for the Arts, Escondido, Abed said Wednesday.
View A VideoHowever, instead of calling for the removal of the exhibit, the councilman wants everyone to go see it. The exhibit, which is called "Mi Corazon Escondido," or "My Hidden Heart," was created by Cal State San Marcos professor David Avalos and other area teachers, students and artists. It is meant to reflect life in Escondido as experienced by Escondidans with Mexican roots, Avalos has said. .
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