Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report – Friday, December 22, 2017

Aflac, State Farm reach life insurance settlements

 Some insurance companies managed to check death rolls quietly but quite efficiently to stop paying annuities, an investigation spearheaded by Florida officials found.  Charles Elmore reports for the Palm Beach Post’s “Protecting Your Pocket” blog.

Florida Residential Property Insurer Approved to Do Business in Arkansas

Gainesville-based Tower Hill Signature Insurance Co. was formed in 2006 and currently writes residential property products in Texas and Florida, Insurance Journal reports.

Internal Watchdog to Probe FEMA Contracts to Tiny Florida Firm

Internal watchdog at the Department of Homeland Security to investigate how a tiny Florida company won more than $30 million in FEMA contracts following Hurricane Maria.  The Associated Press’ Tami Abdollah reports for U.S. News and World Report.

Arms dealer destroyed post-Irma Miami condo fire alarms with a machete

Police say Agazim, 41, was seen walking around his complex in tactical gear Sept. 15 slashing fire alarms that had been malfunctioning and wailing since Irma made landfall.   The Miami Herald’s David Smiley reports. 

State of Florida not warning parents about faltering children’s health program

 The funding shortfall does not impact the roughly 2 million children who are in Florida’s Medicaid program – but instead affects those children whose families are just above the poverty line.  THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA reports via WINK.

Florida has reported more mumps cases in 2017 than the last five years combined

In Florida, mumps cases have occurred across all ages, with the most infections reported in Broward, Collier, Duval, Hillsborough and Palm Beach counties, according to a Florida Department of Health advisory to physicians dated December 11.  Dan Chang reports for the Miami Herald.

Physician groups settle lawsuits alleging kickbacks from HMA hospitals

Two physician groups will pay more than $33 million to resolve allegations they received kickbacks from Naples-based Health Management Associates Inc. for patient referrals to its hospitals.  Laura Layden reports for the Naples Daily News.

State faces another challenge on Florida generator rules

The state of Florida faces another legal challenge to a pair of proposed rules requiring long-term care providers to have access to 96 hours of backup emergency power to keep buildings cool during electricity outages.  THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA reports via FloridaPolitics.com.

Florida leads states in Obamacare enrollment for 2018

A special enrollment period for Floridians kicked in after the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared all of the state’s 67 counties eligible for assistance as a result of Irma, which made landfall in South Florida on September 10.  Dan Chang reports for the Miami Herald.

Healthcare agency addresses coverage confusion among Puerto Rican evacuees in Florida

Following coverage concerns from Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Maria, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a fact sheet this week addressing health-care challenges faced by evacuees in Florida.  The Orlando Sentinel’s Bianca Padró Ocasio reports.

SEC:  Ex-Florida firm defrauded thousands in $1.2B scheme

The SEC filed a civil complaint Thursday in federal court in Miami claiming Robert H. Shapiro and his Woodbridge Group of Companies formerly headquartered in Boca Raton defrauded more than 8,400 investors.  The Associated Press reports.

Population growth means Florida likely to add two more Congressional districts

In 2010, just under 19 million people lived in Florida; nearly 21 million do today, the Tampa Bay Times’ Alex Leary reports.

California Commissioner Asks Insurers to Forego Detailed Home Inventories in Wake of Wildfires

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is asking insurers to help California wildfire survivors by providing relief from detailed home inventories and to provide up to 100 percent of contents coverage limits without a detailed inventory, Insurance Journal reports.

What the Insurance Industry is Saying About Effects of Trump Tax Cuts on Insurance Industry

The new law closes the so-called “Bermuda insurance loophole” that has allowed non-U.S. insurers and reinsurers with U.S. subsidiaries to avoid paying U.S. taxes by ceding reinsurance to their non-U.S. affiliated reinsurers in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, Insurance Journal reports.

Click here to follow Colodny Fass on Twitter (@ColodnyFassLaw)

 

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to news@colodnyfass.com.