Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Friday, October 14
Oct 14, 2011
To go directly to the section of your choice, click on a hyperlink below. Other hyperlinks to meeting information, bills and news are noted in bold type.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
9:00 a.m.–Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Long-Term Managed Care Technical Advisory Workgroup meeting. The Workgroup is scheduled to continue discussion on the process of Medicaid eligibility. To view the meeting notice, click here.
2:00 p.m.–Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation Proposed Rule Hearing. To view the hearing notice, click here.
- 69L-5.205: Loss Data Reporting
- Proposed amendments would clarify that former self-insurers must report loss data for the final period of authorization only once.
- 69L-5.217: Civil Penalties and Fines
- Proposed amendments would reduce penalties assessed against a self-insurer for late filing of required forms, reports and documents, and also recalculate penalties previously assessed against a self-insurer. If a self-insurer has already paid the penalty to the Department of Financial Services (“DFS”), the difference between the penalty paid and the new reduced penalty will be refunded, unless the self-insurer owes any outstanding, unpaid penalties to the DFS.
Substandard levees receiving repairs to protect South Florida homes
Levees relied on to protect South Florida communities from flooding are getting repairs to address safety concerns, and improvements are on track to meet tougher federal standards, state officials said Thursday.
State asks for 7th extension of Medicaid reform waiver
The Agency for Health Care Administration has asked for another two-week extension of the waiver that allows the state to operate its Medicaid reform program in five counties.
New state health exchange could become precursor to implement federal health care law
A fledgling state health insurance program could have an unintended consequence for Republicans who created it: Helping President Barack Obama implement his controversial health care law in Florida.
Florida unemployment mix-up bigger than state officials had thought
A computer mistake that delayed unemployment payouts to some jobless Floridians is more widespread than state officials originally thought.
Governor Rick Scott to jobless: You’ll work for benefits
The governor wants anyone who wants to receive unemployment compensation will have to undergo mandatory vocational retraining.
Teamsters file wage-theft complaint on behalf of prison guards
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters filed a third-party complaint Thursday with the U.S. Department of Labor on behalf of Florida prison guards, whom it claims are not being paid for work before and after their official shifts begin and end.
Census data shows DeSoto County with highest rate of uninsured persons in Florida
The rural county in the heart of Florida had an uninsured rate of more than 36 percent the past two years, while St. Johns and Leon counties had the lowest percentage of uninsured.
Blog: Florida Senator Bogdanoff — Give state vendors 5 percent preference
Florida based vendors doing business with state and local governments would get a 5 percent cushion when competing with out-of-state firms, under a measure (SB 538) filed Thursday by Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, reports the News Service of Florida.
Last week, Governor Rick Scott’s new “economic opportunity” director told legislators and reporters that the state had awarded “millions of dollars” to companies over the last decade in exchange for jobs that never materialized.
Florida legislators advocate less government intrusion
Three Republican state legislators advocated less regulation and taxes on businesses and less government in people’s lives in response to concerns from local insurance and financial advisers Thursday.
Blog: Senator Mike Fasano endorses John Legg to be his successor for Florida Senate
State Senator Mike Fasano is endorsing John Legg to be his successor in the Florida Senate.
Dispute Over Unpaid Florida Lottery Ticket Goes On
An appeals court on Wednesday declined to throw out a complaint by an Ocala woman fighting the Florida Lottery over its refusal to pay a $500,000 prize.
Offshore Insurance Tax Bill Reintroduced
Legislation designed to close a tax loophole that benefits property and casualty insurers based offshore has been reintroduced in the House and Senate.
State Farm, U.S. Senator Lock Horns Over Hurricane Deductibles in Connecticut
State Farm said a U.S. senator’s call for insurers to waive higher deductibles for Connecticut homeowners who suffered damage to their property from Hurricane Irene could create “a man-made disaster far worse than any natural one.”
MetLife May Post $135 million in Social Security Death Master Charges
MetLife Inc. will post up to $275 million in third-quarter charges, in part, on adjusting reserves related to its use of the U.S. Social Security Administration’s Death Master File and similar databases.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has charged its Financial Condition Committee with investigating how insurers are using captives to transfer third-party insurance risks, in the wake of media reports that captives were being used to create a shadow insurance industry.
Insurers, Systemic Risk Under Proposed Rule
Insurance companies could be judged to pose a systemic risk and subject to Federal Reserve supervision and strict prudential standards under newly proposed rules announced by the Financial Stability Oversight Council.
Proposed Accounting Standards ‘Fatally Flawed’
The executive chairman of a trade group representing some of the biggest U.S. insurers is calling proposals to reform international accounting standards for insurance contracts “fatally flawed and unworkable.”
National Association of Insurance Commissioners To ‘Supercommittee’: Hands Off Medigap
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is urging a special congressional deficit-cutting committee to reject potential changes to Medigap coverage that could disrupt markets and encourage new litigation.
A new National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ guidance bulletin lays out strategies for insurance companies to identify stranger-originated annuity transactions and how to safeguard against exposure to them.
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