Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Monday, August 4

 

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Small companies dominate Florida insurance market

More than half of homeowners policies are written by smaller insurers based in the state or region. Many serve niches, like mobile homes or multimillion-dollar residences.

The popular notion is that Florida’s insurance market is dominated by the likes of State Farm, Allstate and Nationwide as well as Citizens Property Insurance, the state-run insurer.

Finding the fun in insurance

“Insurance is not a job that most people dream of when they grow up,” said Matz, president of Tower Hill Insurance, who grew up in western Pennsylvania wanting to be a pilot. “Once I got into it, I realized there are so many disciplines involved.”

Surplus lines companies’ rates unregulated

With two quiet years on the hurricane front, another group of insurance companies has turned to the Florida market: surplus lines companies.

Explorer Expands Florida Auto Coverage Options

Santa Clarita, Florida-based Explorer Insurance Co., the auto insurance carrier and member company of ICW Group, announced a new brand platform based on partnership with independent insurance agents.

Brown & Brown grows in Northwest

Brown & Brown Inc. officials said Friday they have acquired Fullerton & Co., a Portland, Ore., insurance agency.

CFO Sink Urges Self-Employed to Buy, Review Health Insurance Coverage During August Open Enrollment

Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink urges Florida’s self-employed individuals to take advantage of the August open enrollment period that allows single-group employers, sole proprietors, independent contractors and others to obtain health insurance or switch plans on a guaranteed-issue basis. 

EDITORIAL:  No help for storm supplies this season

In case you didn’t notice with all the other noise that went on when the State of Florida tried to cut its budget to offset losses from tax revenues, one thing cut was something that helped almost every Florida resident: the 12-day hurricane supply tax break, which usually begins in early June.

Site keeps close eye on storms

To everyone but weather buffs, cloud swirls off Africa’s coast have never generated much interest. Only when those swirls grew into cyclones did the South Florida masses take note.

Broward cities study fees for traffic accidents

Prepare to pay more if you get into a traffic accident.

Davie this month will likely vote on whether to bill drivers from outside the town who are cited in collisions requiring the attention of police and firefighters. Plantation, Miramar and Southwest Ranches are exploring similar proposals.

JaxCare’s ex-clients hope for the best

With the health plan out of business, former patients go uncovered.

Since July 1, when Yvette O’Steen’s government-subsidized health-care plan went out of business, the Avondale woman has been enrolled in a different kind of plan: The Crossed-Fingers Plan.

Health First ends Omni contract

Health First Health Plans said Friday it is ending its decade-long relationship with Omni Healthcare, a multispecialty physician group in Melbourne, as of Oct. 1.

OP-ED:  America needs and deserves single payer health care system

These words still ring true today. The injustice is not aimed solely at those millions of Americans who are not insured, but also at those of us who have ‘adequate’ coverage. As our present health care system stands, ranked No. 37 in the world, 47 million citizens are not covered, and another 50 million are often denied care by their insurance companies. Meanwhile, executives in the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries are earning millions of dollars because of huge profits in these areas.

Medicare fraud rampant in South Florida

Whenever Alexander McCray lights up his crack pipe, U.S. taxpayers help pay for his habit.
McCray has defrauded Medicare by selling his government-issued health card number to private clinics in exchange for kickbacks of $150 to $300 a visit — as often as three times a day, three times a week over seven years, according to federal records and his own admission.

Clinics make a mint on fake HIV treatment

Scores of Miami-Dade healthcare clinics are defrauding the U.S. government by billing for bogus HIV drug infusion treatment as part of a multibillion-dollar underground economy.

The men show up on foot, on bicycles, by van or car.

Prosecutors called their business ‘All-Fraud’

Starting in their 20s, a Miami-Dade couple built what would turn out to be one of the largest Medicare fraud schemes in the country.

Officials uncertain of Amendment 5’s future impact

Three months from now, Florida voters will be asked to give themselves a property-tax break that could cut their bills by at least one-fourth.

Three political veterans vying for seat of Florida Senate minority leader

One of Florida’s legislative leaders is being term-limited out of office, and those vying to fill his seat are not exactly political rookies.

House District 67 GOP Race Focuses On Insurance, Taxes

The two Republicans seeking the District 67 State House seat agree more attention must be paid to the state’s economy and the high costs of property taxes and homeowners insurance.

Candidates share views, not backgrounds

The three Republicans seeking their party’s nomination for the District 17 seat in the Florida House of Representatives all want to prevent the state from draining the St. Johns River.

Ex-House members eye Senate seat

Call it a classic case study of legislative term limits.

With longtime state Sen. Steve Geller, D-Cooper City, leaving the Legislature this year, three former state representatives — each forced out of the House because of term limits in 2006 — are vying for his seat.

Economy, education top Senate District 29 election concerns

Florida Senate District 29 begins in a wide swath of Broward County in central Fort Lauderdale, then narrows into a strand stretching east along Interstate 95 all the way up to Riviera Beach in northern . Its leaders tend to come from the predominantly black communities of Broward County.

Vietnam Vet, Student Vie In Democratic Senate Primary

The Democratic primary for Senate District 11 pits a college student against a Vietnam War veteran old enough to be his opponent’s father.

Donations pour in to agenda pushers

The daughter of Wal-Mart’s founder wrote a check for $836,000 in May to a group working to pass two questions on the November ballot to expand school vouchers in Florida.

Fla. senator seeks money for slain woman’s parents

Al Lawson, a Tallahassee Democrat, filed legislation Friday saying Tallahassee police did not follow proper procedures in Rachel Hoffman’s case.

Florida 6th in jobs lost to China

2.3 million U.S. jobs have been lost to the Asian powerhouse since it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

With the world’s attention turning to the Beijing Olympics next week, a new report has quantified the impact of trade with China on the American worker.

Quince fighting $17M budget cut to court system

Keeping a promise she made in June at her swearing in ceremony, Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy Quince is fighting a proposed $17 million in additional cuts to the state court system.

Poll finds most Florida voters are in favor of offshore drilling

Democrats vilified Republican presidential candidate John McCain when he came out in support of offshore drilling in June.

Judge hears, refuses to remove voucher amendments

A judge has refused to remove two pro-school voucher proposals from Florida’s Nov. 4 ballot.

Deep Division Over Federal Regulation Reiterated At Latest Senate Hearing

The wide divide within the insurance industry between those who want to retain state regulation and others who prefer an optional federal charter was once again on vivid display last week, as a parade of association officials testified at a U.S. Senate hearing. Some in the industry seek a middle ground, with Washington setting national benchmarks for state oversight.

Time May Be Biggest Hurdle In Passing Regulatory Reforms

The chair of the Senate Banking Committee cautioned last week that while “the 101st senator—that’s the clock”—is emerging as a huge hurdle, he suggested that historic legislation might yet be passed this year that would begin the process of creating a greater federal role in insurance regulation.

Insurers mining records of pill use

Health and life insurance companies have access to a powerful new tool for evaluating whether to cover individual consumers: a health ‘credit report’ drawn from databases containing prescription drug records on more than 200 million Americans.

Report: Workers Compensation Claim Frequency Down Again in 2007

The decline in claim frequency for workers compensation injuries continued into 2007, but the magnitude is much smaller than in the previous two years, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

Marsh Survey of National Oil Companies Finds Increased Risks

A new report published by Marsh examines the possible consequences of the current state of the petroleum industry. Marsh identified “limited oil and gas resources; the recruitment and retention of a qualified workforce; and, energy price volatility as the most critical risk issues currently facing the world’s national oil companies (NOCs).”

Hartford Proposes National Cat Plan Featuring Federal Backstop, IRA-Type Fund

The Hartford last week launched a campaign to promote its new public-private plan to deal with natural catastrophes, which would include a federal backstop for insurers and an IRA-like vehicle to allow homeowners to save for disaster expenses.

PCI And NAMIC Square Off On OIR Question

Two of the largest property-casualty insurance trade groups have offered different approaches to the question of federal involvement in insurance regulation.

NAIC Releases 21st Edition of IDRR

Report Contains Key Statistics on State Insurance Department Resources and Regulatory Activities

State insurance departments effectively manage their available resources in order to meet the challenge of regulating an increasingly complex and competitive industry.

Buying smaller car may not be a bargain

A new study suggests that switching to a smaller, more fuel-efficient car will likely result in higher insurance premiums.

In the rush by consumers to find more fuel-efficient vehicles, one aspect of switching to a small car from a pickup or SUV easily can be overlooked: It generally costs more to insure the smaller vehicle.

Mississippi Insurance Department Set to Release State Farm Review

Mississippi’s insurance commissioner says a long-awaited review of State Farm’s handling of insurance claims after Hurricane Katrina is nearly complete.

Do you need umbrella liability insurance?

Enough insurance already, right? Why shell out for umbrella liability insurance, especially in an economic crunch when every little payment stings more than usual?

House Bill Would Block Federal Rule on Workers’ Chemical Exposure

A House committee chairman is trying to stop the Bush administration from implementing a late-term rule that could make it harder to limit worker exposure to dangerous chemicals in the workplace.

Expand Risk Disclosure, Group Urges FASB

An investor group that urges manufacturers to eliminate toxic chemicals said it has asked the organization developing new U.S. corporate accounting standards to expand requirements for company disclosure of severe long-term risks.

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