| Insurance for Spot and Fluffy
Catherine Walsh's first Scottish terrier had a deformity. He required years of treatment, which racked up astronomical veterinarian's bills. At one point in that process, Walsh remembers, someone at her vet's office mentioned pet insurance. It was too late for that dog policies don't cover pre-existing conditions. But after he died, Walsh of Buckingham bought another Scotty pup. And an insurance policy. They've been wonderful, Walsh says of her insurer, Veterinary Pet Insurance. It was cheaper to do it that way. Walsh is one of a growing number of people who are buying insurance policies for their pets. Last year, more than 17,400 Pennsylvanians held insurance policies for their pets through VPI, up 25 percent in two years. In Philadelphia, 1,655 people held VPI pet insurance policies last year, up from 1,550 two years earlier.
'Brits want new cars with lower motor insurance'
Despite many drivers wanting to find a car with a lower motor insurance quote, most are not shopping around for the best motoring deals, an expert has claimed.According to research by AA Personal Loans, demand for sporty cars is slipping while environmentally-friendly vehicles are growing in popularity.A quarter of Britons are planning to purchase a new car sometime this year, with the number being driven by environmental issues, the financial services provider suggests.Some 31 per cent stated that they wanted a new car which was cheap to maintain, while 27 per cent wanted a vehicle which fell into a lower motor insurance group and had better fuel economy.Those planning to buy a 'green' car rose from six per cent in February to 20 per cent.Lloyd East, Director of AA Personal Loans, said that money issues were becoming difficult to separate from environmental factors as consumers were looking for vehicles in low motor insurance groups which are cheap to maintain and to run."Our concern at the AA is that the savvyness people show in the cost of running a car is not mirrored in how they buy them.
Merger of Blues gets full hearing hearing
There will be hearings, and lots of them. A U.S. Senate committee hearing in Philadelphia kicks things off this morning. Expect state legislative hearings, too. And the Insurance Department will convene meetings across Pennsylvania. This time around, everybody will have a chance to praise, protest or otherwise prattle on about the proposed consolidation of Pittsburgh's Highmark Inc. and Philadelphia's Independence Blue Cross, a marriage of the state's two largest health insurers. This wasn't quite so in 1996, when Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania and Harrisburg's Pennsylvania Blue Shield combined to form Highmark, the state's largest insurer. The state Insurance Department gathered little public input on the deal and was later rebuked by the state Commonwealth Court for the inaction of its commissioner, Linda Kaiser.
Highmark merger plan brings scrutiny
Politicians, competing insurance companies and health care providers expressed concern Wednesday that a combination of the state's two largest health insurers, Highmark Inc. and Independence Blue Cross, will damage competition and raise health care costs. Ending two years of discussions, Pittsburgh's Highmark and Philadelphia's Independence announced yesterday that they intend to merge, creating a new company that will dwarf all other competitors in the state combined. The new company will insure 7.1 million of the state's 12.4 million residents. Such dominance has roused the state House and Senate to take a closer look at such deals. Yesterday, the state Senate approved a bill by a 48-0 vote that would increase state Department of Insurance oversight of such deals between non-profit entities.
Pennsylvania's 2 largest health insurers to merge
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Pennsylvania's two largest health insurers, Highmark Inc. and Independence Blue Cross, said they have agreed to merge, creating the third-largest Blue Plan health insurer in the United States. The companies provide health insurance to about 8 million people. .
Lincoln Employer Markets Announces Strategic Hires
Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) recently named six new members of its Lincoln Employer Markets Group Insurance team in its Omaha and Atlanta offices. Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) March 16, 2007 -- Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) recently named six new members of its Lincoln Employer Markets Group Insurance team in its Omaha and Atlanta offices. Lincoln Employer Markets offers a broad breadth of products focused on Retirement, Group Insurance and Executive Benefits and was strategically created to provide employers with integrated solutions for all non-healthcare-related benefits. Timothy Bird, Assistant Vice President of Risk Services
Timothy Bird has been named Assistant Vice President of Risk Services for Lincoln Employer Markets Group Insurance business segment.
Deal Would Cut Jobs
PHILADELPHIA -- The proposed merger of Pennsylvania's two largest insurance companies could result in about 1,000 lost jobs, mostly through attrition, a company executive said Monday.
Highmark CEO Dr. Kenneth Melani made the comments after a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Philadelphia on the planned merger of Independence Blue Cross and Highmark Inc., two nonprofit companies that are not traded publicly.
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Flexcar Delivers Philadelphia Freedom — From Car Payments
Flexcar (www.flexcar.com) today announced it has expanded to the city of Philadelphia with an initial fleet of 30 low-emission vehicles, growing to more than 100 by year's end. The vehicles are available to residents and businesses by the hour for a simple fee which includes gas, insurance, parking, maintenance, 24×7 roadside assistance and 150 free miles per day. The fleet includes hybrids, sedans, minivans, pickup trucks and sporty cars, including MINI Coopers. Philadelphia becomes Flexcar's 11th U.S. city, extending the company's national footprint. Flexcar gives its members the freedom of owning a car without the cost and hassles. Flexcar's “point-click-drive" system lets members have a car just when they need it, paying for it just when they use it. Initially, vehicles will be located primarily in downtown garages.
Bank company's insurance arm adding office
Commerce Banc Insurance Services said Monday that it will open a new office in Center City Philadelphia staffed by 50 employees. The new site in the One Commerce Square building at 2005 Market St. will serve the insurance brokerage's commercial and employee- benefits insurance customers when it opens in June. A subsidiary of Commerce Bancorp Inc. (NYSE:CBH) of Cherry Hill, N.J., the company said its market expansion has traditionally followed the bank's footprint. .
Fattah's TV ads to start this week
With the most recent Keystone Poll showing his lead in the mayor's race melting away, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah will launch television advertising this week, campaign aides said yesterday. He is the last of the major candidates in the Democratic primary to go on the air. Fattah plans to debut "Transform," a 30-second spot that highlights his family history of fighting gang violence and his career as a legislator, on Tuesday. The campaign has purchased an estimated $250,000 to $300,000 worth of air time for the piece, according to political sources who track such spending. "We've had a detailed plan in place for months, and we are following it as planned," said Rebecca Kirszner, a senior adviser to the Fattah campaign. She said the Keystone Poll did not cause the campaign to pull the trigger.
MGIC acquisition of Radian clears federal review
MGIC Investment Corp.'s planned $4.9 billion purchase of Radian Group Inc. -- a deal that would create a $15 billion mortgage insurance company -- has cleared federal regulatory review. Radian Group said Monday that a 30-day waiting period required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act expired April 5 without any action being taken by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission or the U.S. Department of Justice. .
For a real mayor's race, just look at Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA -- When Democratic Councilman Bill Peduto dropped his mayoral challenge to incumbent Luke Ravenstahl, it ensured a snooze-fest for the May 15 Pittsburgh primary. But in the City of Brotherly Love and Cheese Steaks five -- count 'em FIVE -- heavyweight Democratic candidates are battling it out to see who will be mayor. The contenders are sitting U.S. Reps. Chaka Fattah and Bob Brady, longtime state Rep. Dwight Evans, former City Councilman Michel Nutter, and wealthy businessman Tom Knox. Mr. Brady, 62, has been in Congress since 1998 and has been chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party since 1986. He has strong ties to organized labor and is close to many Democratic officials in the region. Mr. Evans, 53, has been a state legislator since 1980 and currently chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
For Grad Students, Child Care Can Be Lacking
We are at the end of National Public Health Week, and Emory has held a number of events to call attention to issues such as disease prevention, emergency preparedness and awareness of pandemics such as pandemic influenza and avian flu.
This is all great, but lost in their concerns for epidemic preparedness is another, more banal yet no less important, concern for the health of the University community - child care.
My wife and I do not have children, but we have recently been considering the prospect of becoming parents. Yet, it is a decision we greet with some ambivalence. She works in an office and I am a full-time graduate student working on my dissertation defense. We want kids, but the thought of raising them while she works and I finish school fills us with apprehension.
Video: Providers, Hospitals Can Now Access Consistent Health ...
WASHINGTON, April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthcare providers and hospitals can now access in seconds consistent eligibility and benefits information required to verify patient health insurance coverage thanks to new standard business rules developed by the CAQH Committee on Operating Rules for Information Exchange (CORE). To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/caqh/27654/ Currently, provider practice staffs often spend hours researching and making follow-up calls at significant cost to obtain and verify insurance information. The CORE rules, which build on the HIPAA eligibility (X12 270/271) transaction, make electronic administrative data communications seamless, streamlined and predictable, regardless of the technology -- in many cases eliminating the need for practice staff phone calls.
Sen. Clinton Addresses Communications Workers on America
My goodness. Thanks so much. And it is great to be here with all of you. I thank Barbara for that introduction. She is a friend of mine. She's been a friend of mine for a long time. And she's a great leader, not only for CWA, but for women in the labor movement across America. (APPLAUSE) I also want to thank Jeff. Thanks for ceding your place to Barbara, Jeff. (LAUGHTER) And I did whisper to Barbara -- Barbara was the best-looking member of the executive board. (APPLAUSE) But, Jeff, I know that you've done a lot to keep people in good spirits here this morning. And I appreciate that because, you know, we're on the march. Let's be in a good humor. We're taking back our country. (APPLAUSE) We're going to get back to supporting the right values in America.
Illinois makes big strides in covering all kids
By Doug Trapp, AMNews staff. April 16, 2007. Washington -- The 11-year-old boy is 4 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. His single mother, who does not speak English, is worried that he might be having seizures while he sleeps. His mother takes two buses to get him to Carrie Nelson, MD, a North Aurora, Ill., family physician and associate director of the Family Medicine Residency Program at the Rush-Copley Medical Center. .
San Diego To Receive Funding To Pay For Uninsured Patients' Health ...
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Health and Human Services Agency will receive $39 million over three years to pay for health care for uninsured individuals, the governor's office announced Thursday. The health department in Orange County will get $50.4 million, and Los Angeles County will receive $162 million. The funding is part of a federal hospital financing waiver, which established the state's Health Care Coverage Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to expand coverage for people who are uninsured and not eligible for insurance through existing programs such as MediCal. .
Silicon Valley News Notes
There's only about 580 more days until the next presidential election, so if you're gnashing your teeth in anticipation of those hilarious campaign commercials, gnash no longer—they're here already! On YouTube! Just head over to the San Bruno-based company's site and click on "channels" near the header. Then click on "Politicians" in the left column. All your favorites are there: John McCain, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama. For those keeping score at home, Romney has a pack-leading 65 videos on his YouTube channel, and McCain, Joe Biden and John Edwards are in the game with 33, 31 and 27, respectively. Though these videos might not be as watchable as, say, a kitten falling asleep, or a bum fight, they're still tons o' fun. So poke around in there—listen to Rudy Giulliani blather on about fiscal conservatism, or Dennis Kucinich pontificate on the war.
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