| Animal insurance helps lower costs, gives peace of mind
If you break a leg, get a cold or are just feeling down, you would probably go to the doctor and rely on insurance to take care of some of the cost. But what if your pet gets sick?
Pet insurance is available to help defer the cost of animal care, and experts say coverage is becoming more common throughout the United States.
Lyndsey Chapman of Lawrenceville said shes had a pet wellness plan with Banfield pet hospitals for about two years for both her cats J.C. and Deuce.
One of my cats has kidney problems and has to go to the vet a lot, Chapman said. Vet bills can be really expensive, so this plan really helps.
Most pet insurance companies offer plans for dogs and cats, and some even offer protection for birds, rabbits, ferrets and reptiles.
Veterinary Pet Insurance, based in California, insures pets around the United States, including many in Georgia.
Press Release: swiftcover.com Debuts Instant Quote-ability
LONDON, 05 April 2007 - swiftcover.com, Steak Media and creative agency MWO today launch a live motor insurance quote in an online advertisement. Steak Media and MWO developed the concept for the ad to further enhance the message that swiftcover.com makes the task of getting car insurance quicker and easier than its competitors. Steak believes it is a media first for a car insurer to have a fully functioning car insurance quote within an ad where the user doesn't have to click away to get their specific premium returned. The interactive ad, which runs from 05-30 April, will be in the form of a 300x250 MPU into which the user will be able to enter a set of short details. The user will then receive a quote instantly within the MPU and be encouraged to follow a link to swiftcover.com to complete the sale.
House Approves Children's Insurance Bill
The Texas House passed a bill Tuesday that would revoke changes made to the Children's Health Insurance Program in 2003, when thousands of children lost their coverage. The bill will go to the Senate. Currently, a family qualifies based on gross income and must reapply for coverage every six months. After applying, a child must wait 90 days before getting enrolled. "The income we're talking about is maximum right around $40,000 for a family of four," said Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston. "What this bill will do is pick up an additional 100,000 kids and put them back on the roll." Lawmakers want to change CHIP to the way it was before 2003, when a family only had to reapply every 12 months. There would be no waiting period for children, and eligibility was based on net income, which is how much the family earned minus child care and work-related expenses.
Pre-Dental club offers students a taste of wine
Plenty of wine was flowing to the beat of the live music Thursday in the Alumni Center at the Sacramento State's Pre-Dental Association's first wine tasting and dinner event, and all for a sweet cause.
"It was absolutely a success. 300 people showed up," said Don Adams, the president of the association.
The campus club sought to gather $15,000 for the Sacramento District Dental Society's(SDDS)Smiles for Kids Program. The mission was to raise enough money to purchase a brand new backpack, full of school supplies, for each of the children in the program.
"It's estimated that each backpack will be about $25," Adams said.
At press time, it was unknown how much money was raised, but Adams said they seemed to meet the goal, or at least get very close.
Mass. Would Junk Quality, Affordability Promises of Health ...
SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Draft regulations issued today to exempt high deductible health plans from minimum coverage requirements would gut the quality and affordability promises of Massachusetts' health insurance mandate. Under the regulations, the purchase of high deductible health plans (HDHPs) would satisfy the individual mandate without meeting minimum creditable coverage (MCC) rules that limit consumer cost, provide coverage of preventive care and require inclusion of prescription drugs. "We can only imagine that the Board is considering an HDHP exemption in response to criticism that health plans recently approved by the Connector are still unaffordable for many," wrote Carmen Balber, consumer advocate with the nonprofit, nonpartisan Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR), in a letter to the board implementing the Massachusetts law.
Taking Care of 'Small' Business: LIFE Foundation Offers Five ...
WASHINGTON, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Owning your own business can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. However, according to a 2005 LIMRA survey, only 1 in 4 small-business owners has a sufficient succession and continuation plan in place. By not having a plan, small business owners are putting at risk the financial futures of their business partners, their employees and their own families. "Many people dream about owning their own business, but that dream can become a nightmare for your loved ones if that asset isn't protected financially," said David F. Woods, CLU, ChFC, president of the LIFE Foundation. "Every small business owner needs to ensure that he or she has adequate insurance coverage to protect their families, their business partners and key employees so that no matter what the future holds, their business can continue to provide for those who depend on it." To help small business owners understand their insurance options, the nonprofit LIFE Foundation offers the following five tips for putting in place a proper plan that will not only protect their business, but themselves and their families.
Outspoken Physician Urges Americans to Learn How to Diffuse Their ...
Dr. Corso explains why, thousands of people die, in the prime of life, from easily preventable causes, and how readers can avoid becoming one of them. Everyone knows someone who died in their 50's or 60's from a medical ticking time bomb, they simply did not detect. Dr. Corso is an amazing guest who will give your audience powerful news and life-saving information. Bend, OR (PRWeb) April 10, 2007 -- Stupid Reasons People Die, An Ingenious Plot for Defusing Deadly Diseases is a controversial and potentially life-saving new book by Dr. John Corso, a popular public speaker and 20-year veteran of internal medicine with a unique private practice. Dr. Corso explains why, thousands of people die, in the prime of life, from easily preventable causes, and how readers can avoid becoming one of them.
Senate Judiciary Committee holds Highmark-IBC hearing
The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary was conducting a hearing Monday in Philadelphia on the proposed merger of Highmark Inc. and Independence Blue Cross, according to Scott Hoeflich, spokesman for Sen. Arlen Specter, who is the ranking member of the committee. Joe Frick, president and CEO of Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross; Dr. Kenneth Melani, president of CEO of Downtown-based Highmark; and state Sen. Don White, a Republican from Indiana County, were among the people invited to testify at the hearing, according to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Web site. .
How to lower your car costs
I hate writing checks for automobile insurance. It always seems like money down the drain - that is, until you need it; then insurance can be a lifesaver. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to get the best deal possible. You wouldn't buy a new television without comparison shopping, nor should you automatically re-enroll in the same policy year after year - at least not without considering your other options. Here are a few cost-savings suggestions to keep in mind: Raise deductible Many people choose a low-deductible policy, thinking it'll cost less should they need to file a claim. But if you raised your deductible from $250 to $1,000, your premium could drop 15 percent to 30 percent or more. Because you probably wouldn't file a claim for a minor fender-bender (for fear your rates would rise dramatically), you could save that $750 difference through reduced premiums in a few short years.
Easter on ice: Record cold damages crops
Record-breaking cold may be an inconvenience for ladies who bought short-sleeved Easter outfits with matching sandals, but its havoc on farmers. Saturday mornings temperature dipped to 25 degrees, breaking a 27-degree record for that day set in 1950. The all-time record for the coldest day in April is 24 degrees, set on April 1, 1923. Meteorologist Dave Nadler with the National Weather Service in Huntsville said the area was likely to experience another record-breaking cold Sunday morning. Nadler said North Alabama will contend with subfreezing temperatures through Monday morning. Ill be glad when global warming gets here, said Wes Isom of Isoms Orchard in Athens. I dont care what Al Gore says. Isom referred to the former vice presidents crusade to halt global warming, captured in the movie An Inconvenient Truth.
Port Authority's liberal retirement system adds to money problems
Internal Revenue Service records show that William W. Millar received $348,353 in salary and $110,183 in deferred compensation in 2004 as president/chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based American Public Transportation Association. At the same time, the Port Authority of Allegheny County sent him a $5,258 monthly pension check and paid for his health, vision, dental and prescription insurance even though he left as authority CEO more than a decade ago. Mr. Millar's situation is an example of why so much public criticism is being directed toward the transit agency, why its money problems are growing and why the board of directors is poised to enact significant reforms covering about 300 current administrative and nonunion workers effective July 1. "Management has done a horrible job the last two decades," county Chief Executive Dan Onorato said recently.
City tries to recoup firemen OT pay
A divided City Commission voted 3-2 Tuesday night in favor of reclaiming half of the $122,000 worth of overpaid wages to the Pittsburg Fire Department.
After nearly two hours of debate, Mayor Marty Beezley cast the deciding vote to recoup money that had been overpaid because of a payroll error in the city's human resources department.
"I think this moves the process along," Beezley said after the vote. "Nobody is a winner."
The payroll error, uncovered by auditors, was corrected in May 2006. Thirty firefighters received on average an extra $4,075 over the course of 2005 and the first four months of 2006. Salaried employees, including Fire Chief Don Elmer and the battalion chiefs, do not receive overtime pay and were not affected by the glitch.
Prague calls for immediate release of Belarussian
Prague. The Czech government on Tuesday called on Belarus to immediately release some 70 protesters detained by security forces in connection with a demonstration against President Alexander Lukashenko's regime, AFP reports. "We call for the immediate release of all political prisoners and individuals detained during (the demonstrations) and for the respect of human rights and democratic values in Belarus," the Czech foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Police and paratroopers on Sunday prevented up to 1,500 Lukashenko opponents from protesting in the same Minsk square where unprecedented rallies shook the former Soviet republic a year ago. Opposition groups said that around 50 people were detained during the demonstration and that a similar number had been taken into custody a day earlier in what appeared to be pre-emptive arrests aimed at crippling the protests.
Scrips for success
Despite a precipitous drop in the number of independent pharmacies in the past two decades, their numbers have actually stabilized, and even increased slightly, over the past five years. According to the National Community Pharmacists Association, the total number of independent pharmacies nationwide edged up to 24,500 in 2005, compared with 24,345 the year before. Meanwhile, the number of independent community pharmacies in Massachusetts has climbed more than 42 percent from a low of 176 some five years ago to more than 250 currently, according to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. And that number is likely higher, since NABP only counts pharmacies with less than four locations as independents. Compounding the solution The reason for the uptick, experts say, is that independent pharmacies have found niches that let them better compete with the big-box chains that continue to expand in the region and across the country.
Wilmington Mutual Insurance Company increases policies but sees ...
A total of 313 enjoyed an appreciation dinner before the 130th annual meeting of the Wilmington Mutual Insurance Company on March 16 at the Fest Building, Spring Grove.
Special guests included Steve Reller, fieldman for RAM Mutual, a statewide re-insurance company that insures the insurance company; Dick Swanson, representative of North Star Mutual, which covers 13 counties in the state; and Sharon Schmitz, office manager for Jim Barta, C.P.A., the firm that does the audit for Wilmington Insurance Company.
Financial report
As of Dec. 31, there were 1,172 policies in force with a total value of $317,602,069. This compares to 1,144 policies and $289,463,046 at the start of the year.
"We increased policies by 28," reported Kari Johnson, who is the office manager, secretary for the board, and an agent for the company.
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