| Television movies for the week of March 25
Abducted '07. Sarah Wynter. The wife of a prison warden learns about the ulterior motives of her kidnapper. (NR) (2:00) LIFE: Sun. 8 P.M., Thu. 2 P.M. (CC) Ace Ventura: Pet Detective '94. Jim Carrey. A bungling gumshoe uncovers more than just a simple kidnapping when he searches for the Miami Dolphins' missing mascot. (PG-13) (1:30) TMC: Thu. 8 P.M. (CC) Aces: Iron Eagle III '92. Louis Gossett Jr. Four ex-fighter pilots fly refurbished World War II planes against a drug lord in the jungles of South America. (R) (1:45) MAX: Tue. 4:05 P.M. (CC) Action in the North Atlantic '43. Humphrey Bogart. The captain, mates and crew of a Liberty Ship dodge U-boats, dive bombers and foul weather to reach port. (NR) (2:15) TCM: Sat. noon (CC) Adventure in Manhattan '36. Jean Arthur.
Report on Health Insurer Promised
The Connecticut Insurance Department, needled by the attorney general, said Thursday it will issue findings early next week on its investigation of Assurant Health's denial of claims. The department and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal have received consumer complaints that Assurant unfairly denied health insurance claims by saying they stemmed from medical problems that patients should have known about and disclosed when applying for policies. The department had said it expected to issue the results of its market conduct investigation by the end of February. On Thursday, a Blumenthal press release said the department ``must act now to complete its long delayed audit'' and cited a new South Carolina court ruling that underscores concerns about Assurant, whose companies include Fortis and John Alden Life.
Attorney General Says Insurance Department Failed To Penalize ...
After seven months of prodding and cajoling the DOI into action, Blumenthal said patients who complained to his office will likely get the benefits they are owed from Assurant Health Insurance (a.k.a. Fortis and John Alden Company) under a consent order announced today. However, Blumenthal said the agreement fails to penalize the company for its abusive practices. .
BlueCross hires Giblin as CFO
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee announced today that John Giblin has joined the Chattanooga-based insurer as chief financial officer.
Mr. Giblin, formerly chief financial officer for Crawford & Co. in Atlanta and the Amedisys home health nursing company in Baton Rouge, La., was confirmed last week by BlueCross directors. A certified public accountant, Mr. Giblin began his career with Arthur Andersen LLP in Atlanta.
John brings to BlueCross the leadership, strategic thinking and change management experience that are needed for us to grow and flourish in the future, BlueCross President Vicky Gregg said in a prepared statement.
BlueCross also announced today that Jim Srite, a former actuary for a UnumProvident Co. predecessor in Chattanooga, is the new chief actuary for BlueCross.
Report Released on Use of Occupation and Education as Factors in ...
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) today issued a report analyzing the insurance industry's use of occupation and education for the underwriting and rating of auto insurance policies. The report finds the use of these practices unintentionally harms minorities and low-income individuals in determining auto insurance premiums and insurance eligibility. "Let me be perfectly clear," states Commissioner Kevin McCarty, "this practice is legal under current Florida law. However, similar to insurance companies' past use of credit scoring, this practice creates unintended effects that policymakers may find unacceptable." In 2003, the Florida Legislature passed Section 626.9741 severely limiting the use of credit scoring in insurance underwriting after this practice was also shown to disproportionately impact minorities and low-income individuals.
Medicare for all would be a healthy move
"I am proposing the federal government as the single payer of health care in this country. Only the federal government has the ability to fund one large risk pool through a payroll deduction. As the single payer, the federal government could negotiate hospital and physician payments even more effectively than it does now with Medicare.
.
AM Best Comments on Penn Treaty's Under Review Status
OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2007--A.M. Best Co. has commented that the financial strength rating of B (Fair) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of "bb" of Penn Treaty American Corporation's (Penn Treaty) (NYSE: PTA) subsidiaries remain unchanged and under review with negative implications. Penn Treaty's subsidiaries include Penn Treaty Network America Insurance Company, American Network Insurance Company and American Independent Network Insurance Company of New York (New York, NY). All companies are domiciled in Allentown, PA unless otherwise specified. On March 26, 2007, Penn Treaty filed its 2005 10-K. Penn Treaty's delay in filing its 2006 audited GAAP financials is of concern to A.M. Best. A.M. Best believes Penn Treaty's "old" long-term care block, whose performance is not reflected in its statutory operating results, will again show weak results when its 2006 GAAP financials are made public.
NeoStem Announces Sponsorship of Landmark Retreat to Explore Next ...
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 28, 2007 - NeoStem, Inc. (OTCBB:NEOI), the first company to specialize in the collection, processing and storage of stem cells from healthy adults for personal use in times of critical medical need, has announced that the Company recently sponsored the "Diabetes Mellitus Retreat" held in New York City. Dr. Wayne A. Marasco, Chairman of the Company's Scientific Advisory Board, delivered the opening lecture with an overview of NeoStem's next generation biotechnology services. "It is an honor to have gathered some of the most influential academic voices on the subject of discovering new and innovative adult stem cell therapies to treat diabetes," said Dr. Marasco. "I believe that we made some significant progress in our discussions and I look forward to working with these colleagues as NeoStem continues working to ensure the highest quality and most advanced technology for expanding the Company's important pioneering services." .
Some bleeding hypocrites
HYPOCRITES: Sri Lankans have to be biggest hypocrites in the world. Last week one Sripathy who apparently is also a big Danapathy was given a table thumping welcome by Ranil's men at Diyawanna because he had decided to rat on his former colleagues not simply about their peccadilloes but also about very confidential if not secret state security matters which are now very public. Had Ranil forgotten something very murderously serious? Is this Sripathy the same man who a few years ago at the last General Election was supposed to have been involved, according to the media and never denied by Ranil, in an assassination plot on Ranil as he frolicked along in a campaign bus (how very USA Presidential and also 'machan' like). The weapons for the ambush were not to be any ordinary normal weapon but something esoteric to fit Ranil.
Lending a helping hand
Christopher Harper said he learned the hard way that medical insurance doesn't cover all expenses when making a home handicapped accessible. They said it was not a medical necessity, Harper learned after making claims to his insurance company. A Blue Cross/Blue Shield spokeswoman said that home improvement projects are not covered under health insurance plans. But an idea from his 16-year-old son, Joey, gave Harper hope that other families won't have to face the same problem. Joey, who has lived with Duchenne muscular dystrophy since he was 6 years old, founded The Wheeled Scotsman Foundation. The nonprofit organization aims to provide families with equipment needed to make a house more comfortable for a person using a wheelchair, Harper said. The installment of pull bars and ramps as well as the widening of doors are all projects the organization hopes to fund.
Teen Passenger Limits Delayed
TALLAHASSEE - A proposal to restrict the number of underage passengers in vehicles driven by teenagers was held up in a state House committee Thursday after a lawmaker argued it would hinder teens from getting to work. Filed by Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton, the bill was designed to prevent teens from becoming distracted and causing accidents. It would restrict drivers younger than 18 from carrying more than one underage passenger in the vehicle, creating a $60 fine plus court costs and adding three points to the driver's license. The risk of a fatal crash is twice as high for a teen driver when there's one other teen in the car; it can be three times higher with more teens in the car, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Seven Questions to Ask a Benefits Broker
When selecting health benefits, one of the most important decisions small business owners will make is who will help them choose the benefits. WSJ.com spoke with broker Trent Bryson, president of Bryson Financial Group, an employee-benefits consulting firm in Long Beach, Calif., about what to ask a broker before signing on the dotted line. Checking references, licenses and registrations is a must. Beyond these basics, here are seven questions: 1. Where do you think the employee-benefits market is heading? The answer will speak volumes about whether a broker is up to speed on new business trends. "Having an outlook is ... .
bellwetherreport.com: Conseco Inc is Added to the Bellwether Watch ...
Conseco, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, marketing, and administration of supplemental health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, and other insurance products in the United States. It operates in three segments: Bankers Life, Conseco Insurance Group, and Colonial Penn. The Bankers Life segment markets and distributes Medicare supplement insurance, life insurance, long-term care insurance, Medicare Part D prescription drug program, and various annuity products to the senior market. The Conseco Insurance Group segment offers specified disease insurance, Medicare supplement insurance, and various life and annuity products to the senior and middle-income markets. It markets its products under the 'Conseco' and 'Washington National' brand names. The Colonial Penn segment provides graded benefit and simplified issue life insurance directly to customers through television advertising, direct mail, the Internet, and telemarketing.
Shush! Financial experts share trade secrets
AS I'M about to divulge a few trade secrets of financial advisers, kindly keep them strictly between us or they might not talk to me again. If it's no deal, just turn the page. Oh good, you're still there. So, you probably think that if only you saved a bit more, you'd be a lot wealthier. Advisers know otherwise. Sure, at some point you have to spend less, but instead of saving it you need to invest it. There's a difference. For a start, you have to take some risk and, yes, I know what happened to Fincorp. Since you mentioned it, Fincorp is the perfect example of the difference between saving and investing. Chasing high-yielding debentures is a misguided attempt to save. Investing is buying assets that will increase in value.
When a person evaluates potential banks for personal finances, how ...
CHRIS MURRAY: Service. I think that with all of the mergers and acquisitions these days people still want to know that their business is important to the bank and they expect/demand good service no matter how many times they change the sign on the building. Of course you have to consider the line-up of products and services, as well as the convenience of branch locations and ATM access. But at the end of the line it's about your banker smiling when you make a deposit or withdrawal, sitting and listening to you when you are trying to get a loan for something important to you and your family, etc. The wave of consolidation is no where near complete and most consumers realize that. So now more than ever you should expect good service to compensate for any other disruptions you may encounter due to a new owner coming to your town.
|
