Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Jun 17, 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 Board of Employee Leasing Companies meeting. Teleconference: (888) 670-3525; conference code: 2295006118. To view the agenda, click here.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related News
Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance officials on vetoed bill: Expect to see it again
Officials with state-run Citizens Property Insurance said Tuesday they foresee a version of a consumer protection bill recently vetoed by Governor Rick Scott returning in the next year’s legislative session. The Palm Beach Post’s Charles Elmore reports.
Florida remains lightning leader of the nation
From 2003 to 2014, there have been 62 lightning deaths in Florida, more than the next two states – Texas (27) and Colorado (26) – combined. The Gainesville Sun’s Joe Callahan reports.
Florida Blue, Sacred Heart dispute could affect thousands of clients
If Sacred Heart Hospital System and Florida Blue fail to reach a new contract agreement by midnight June 30, the hospital system would become “non participating providers” for seven plans, according to a June 3 letter to patients signed by Sacred Heart Health System President and CEO Susan Davis. Tom McLaughlin reports for the Panama City News Herald.
Medicaid HMOs having trouble meeting state financial solvency requirements
While hospitals’ financials have been under the microscope during the Regular and Special Legislative Sessions, another player in Florida’s Medicaid delivery system – managed-care plans – have escaped much of the scrutiny. SaintPetersBlog.com‘s Christine Jordan Sexton reports.
Tick Tock . . . Budget is on the desks
The Florida Constitution requires the Legislature to wait 72 hours before passing the General Appropriations Act and calling the session to an official end, SaintPetersBlog.com‘s Christine Jordan Sexton reports.
Governor Scott vetoes a trio of bills including one championed by Tom Lee
Governor Rick Scott on Tuesday vetoed a trio of bills, including one by Senate budget chief Senator Tom Lee and another he said he didn’t even need to reject. SaintPetersBlog.com‘s Christine Jordan Sexton reports.
Lawmakers Show How to Spend $1.3 Billion in 30 Minutes
Around 11:15 p.m. Monday, as the deadline for getting a deal on the state budget drew closer, Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon, brought to order a joint House-Senate negotiating committee hammering out the final details of a spending plan. THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA’s Brandon Larrabee explains via SunshineStateNews.com how this week’s late-night Budget deal was made.
Federal Reserve Plan for Insurer Capital Standards Rests on States
The U.S. Federal Reserve is considering a proposal for new nationwide insurance capital standards that would rely heavily on the current system of state-based regulations, according to a copy of the plan seen by Reuters and people familiar with the deliberations. Reuters’ Douwe Miedema reports via Insurance Journal.
Windstorm Insurance Bill Stirs Lively Debate in Texas House
Differences of opinion on the never-ending problem of what to do about property insurance along the coast had lawmakers from coastal areas pitted against inland representatives in the waning days of the Texas legislative session. Insurance Journal’s Stephanie K. Jones reports.
Ethics of Self-Driving Cars: Should They Kill a Driver to Save Others?
How will a Google car, or an ultra-safe Volvo, be programmed to handle a no-win situation – a blown tire, perhaps – where it must choose between swerving into oncoming traffic or steering directly into a retaining wall? The University of Alabama asks the question via Insurance Journal.
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