Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Friday, July 31
Jul 31, 2009
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Feds: Jackson Memorial patients’ records were sold in scheme
A Miami man was charged Thursday with buying confidential patient records from a Jackson Memorial Hospital employee over the past two years, and selling them to a lawyer suspected of soliciting the patients to file personal-injury claims.
Crist’s veto of deregulation irks industry
When Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed House Bill 1171, which deregulated a portion of the insurance industry, State Rep. Lake Ray called for a special legislative session to address what he called a “crisis” in the state’s property insurance market.
Florida Workers’ Comp Claims Costs Grew in Years after Reform
Medical costs for workers’ compensation claims in Florida grew between 5 and 7 percent in 2005 and 2006, according to a new study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
Health care fund nearly insolvent
The Florida fund that pays the health care bills for tens of thousands of state employees will become insolvent in two years unless something drastic is done, state economists say. Someone has to fix the fund, either the taxpayers or state workers, and a top state senator says it should not be the taxpayers.
State universities step up hurricane research
In the quest to more accurately predict and prepare for hurricanes, some Florida universities are stepping up their game.
State probing report of overcharges
State Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty confirmed Thursday that regulators are looking into whether some Florida health plans have been using a flawed database to figure out how much to pay out-of-network doctors. If so, patients may have been shouldering more than their share of the bill for years.
CFO Alex Sink’s blind trust limits public financial disclosure
When Alex Sink became Florida’s top financial watchdog almost three years ago, she put her assets in a blind trust, which she said would help her avoid conflicts of interest.
Bank of America units to pay Florida $4.8 million to settle auction rate securities claims
Two sister companies, Banc of America Securities and Banc of America Investment Services, will pay $4.8 million to Florida in settling claims that they misled investors about the safety of the auction rate securities market.
Stop Sending Homeless to Fla, Orange Mayor Crotty Tells NYC Mayor Bloomberg
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been getting blasted for, which sends families out of the Big Apple on one-way tickets to far-flung destinations, with Florida and Puerto Rico among the most common destinations, published reports say.
Certain homeless getting one-way tickets out of Florida
A report that New York City officials have been flying their homeless to Florida and elsewhere on one-way tickets is causing an uproar here, but Broward and Palm Beach counties do the same thing.
Website touts Florida counties as job magnets, despite high unemployment rates
The website, a joint venture of Time-Warner’s cable news station and its popular Money and Fortune magazines, recently published ”Where the jobs are,” a list of 25 counties – five in Florida – that ”have experienced the most job growth over the last eight years.’
Opposition squares off on growth amendment
City and county governments have treated growth-management plan changes “like Halloween candy” for developers and voters need a “veto,” the head of a controversial constitutional-amendment campaign said Thursday.
Editorial: Don’t forget commercial space
For more than a half century, Florida’s economy has been greatly enhanced by our nation’s space program. With the retirement of the space shuttle program in 2010 and NASA facing a hiatus in its human launches, the Space Coast stands to lose a vital economic engine that will result in thousands of job losses.
Road contractors lose automatic pay raises
The Department of Transportation said Thursday that it will not allow private contractors to receive automatic pay hikes this budget year — a savings of at least $10 million — after a state senator called attention to the practice in a public records request.
Democratic Caucus Web Site Launched— WWW.FLHOUSEDEMS.COM
Florida House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands (D-Weston) today announced the launch of a new web site designed to facilitate more direct communication of the priorities of the 44-member Florida House Democratic Caucus.
Frank Will Seek Wind Coverage In Any New NFIP Leg.
The House hopes to hold hearings this fall on flood insurance issues and will seek to persuade the Senate to add wind coverage and other provisions to the National Flood Insurance Program, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said on the House floor this week.
Bill Closing Tax Loophole For ‘Offshores’ Introduced
Controversial legislation that would bar foreign-owned insurers from moving their U.S. earnings into tax havens through a reinsurance transaction with an affiliate was introduced late Thursday in the House.
Thirteen Domestic Insurance Companies Urge Quick Passage of Bill to End Insurance Tax Haven Loophole
Judge: Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Must Hand Over Documents
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has lost a legal fight with the state’s legislative auditor and said that he’ll give auditors “hundreds of thousands” of documents they demanded from his agency.
Insurers’ Use Of Third Party Investment Managers Soars
The number of insurers using third party investment managers is rising quickly, according to data compiled by a consulting firm.
FTC extends compliance deadline for anti-fraud rule
The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday extended to Nov. 1 its deadline for organizations to comply with its anti-fraud regulation known as the Red Flags Rule.
U.S. Insurers Plan Investments In Claims Technology, Survey Finds
U.S. property and casualty insurers intend to invest in claims technology over the next two years, mostly to ensure customer satisfaction, according to a Towers Perrin survey of claim officers.
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