Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report–Thursday, March 5, 2015
Mar 5, 2015
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
10:00 a.m.–Florida Citizens Property Insurance Claims Committee meeting. Teleconference: (866) 361-7525; conference ID: 5219676193#. To view the meeting materials, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Florida Catastrophe Model Proposal Dialed Back
A proposal that would have allowed Florida property insurers to use multiple models when calculating a potential loss tied to a hurricane has been stripped out of legislation, but language that would more than double the time use old model data remains in play. Risk Market News reports.
During the 2015 Legislative Session, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater is focused on supporting Florida’s workforce, streamlining government and fighting fraud. His legislative priorities include creating a college-to-career pathway for Florida’s insurance professionals and expanding the state’s unclaimed property program.
Florida Senate health care plan emerging as Low Income Pool negotiations heat up
Work requirements, co-payments, and commercial insurance or managed care companies are likely to be featured in a health plan that will emerge from the Senate next week as the chamber begins to discuss a health care plan the state could use if a $2 billion Medicaid financing is cut off by the federal government. Christine Jordan Sexton reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Senate Insurance Panel OKs Florida Medical Association’s “Right Medicine, Right Time Act”
The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee gave the green light to the Florida Medical Association’s top priority: a bill that precludes insurance companies and HMOs from limiting direct access to medications without prior approval from a government-housed clinical committee. Christine Jordan Sexton reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Florida leads nation in fraud, ID theft
Florida remained the hotspot for fraud and identity theft in 2014, burdened by the highest per-person rate of consumer complaints in the nation. William E. Gibson and Donna Gehrke-White report for the Sun-Sentinel.
Federal judge throws out whistleblower lawsuit filed by Florida prison inspectors
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by five prison inspectors and a probation officer who claimed that their bosses at the Florida Department of Corrections threatened them after they tried to expose corruption and cover-ups. Julie K. Brown reports for the Miami Herald.
Scott quietly pulls the plug on drug-testing appeal
Florida Governor Rick Scott will not seek U.S. Supreme Court review of a law that would have required applicants for welfare benefits to submit to mandatory drug testing, the Associated Press reports via the Miami Herald.
House water bill faces questions, teed up for floor vote
Democrats questioned a House water policy bill on the floor Wednesday while environmentalists said they are turning their hopes to the Senate for a stronger bill. Phil Ammann reports for SaintPetersBlog.com.
Emergency gun bill passes committees with limited opposition
A matching pair of proposals to allow Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a permit during certain emergency situations passed committees in both legislative chambers on Wednesday. SaintPetersBlog.com’s Ryan Ray reports.
Top U.S. regulators request more time in MetLife lawsuit
U.S. regulators on Tuesday asked for more time to react to a complaint by MetLife over their decision to subject the insurer to tougher oversight, and requested a judgment in the lawsuit early next year.
Redmer Takes Oath of Office as Maryland’s Insurance Commissioner
The Maryland Insurance Administration announced that Al Redmer Jr. took the oath of office on February 27 to serve as Maryland’s insurance commissioner. He succeeds Therese M. Goldsmith, who stepped down from the post when Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. assumed the Maryland governor’s office on January 21, Insurance Journal reports.
Connecticut Debates How to Regulate Rideshare Services
Connecticut is the latest state to grapple with how to regulate Uber and other ride-hailing services being embraced by the public but angering the long-established taxi and livery industry. The Associated Press’ Susan High reports via Insurance Journal.
Surplus Line Association of California Names Brady Chair
The members of the Surplus Line Association of California have named Denis Brady, president of Burns & Wilcox Brokerage in San Francisco, chair of the SLA Board of Directors, Insurance Journal reports.
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