Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, March 18
Mar 18, 2009
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Florida startup insurer People’s Trust ordered to stop writing property insurance policies
Boca Raton-based People’s Trust Insurance has agreed to stop writing property insurance policies in the state until it complies with a consent order it signed with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.
Bill to cap attorney fees in workers’ comp cases clears Florida House panel
Proposal could also give an unfair advantage to companies who can spend more on lawyers.
Big business scored a victory Tuesday when a Florida House panel voted to keep workers’ compensation costs down.
Senator files measure that would ban Florida cities, counties from charging fees in crashes
The Florida Senate began pushing back Tuesday against the dozens of cash-strapped local governments that have begun charging crash victims for police and firefighter response.
Study: Florida would save $700 million a year by boosting primary care
This week, legislators are expected to receive a research paper that concludes the state could save $700 million a year in healthcare costs by making sure Floridians had a place to go for primary care.
2 Miami-Dade doctors, 2 assistants convicted of Medicare fraud
A federal jury said two Miami-Dade doctors and two medical assistants filed $5.3 million in bogus Medicare claims.
They manipulated blood samples. Falsified medical records. Wrote prescriptions for HIV patients who didn’t need their obsolete drugs.
Tampa-based WellCare may have to pay more
Without elaborating, WellCare Health Plans signaled on Monday that it may have to pay more than it had hoped to settle a fraud investigation that became public knowledge when the company’s Tampa headquarters were raided by FBI agents in October 2007.
Obama likes Klein Insurance Backstop Bill
The Everglades, Cuba, NASA, a national insurance backup fund, offshore drilling, climate change, the Apalachicola River – all issues important to Florida that the state’s Washington representatives say will get a different look under President Barack Obama.
Florida-Based Homeowners Choice Announces Share Buyback
Homeowners Choice, Inc., a Florida-based provider of homeowners’ insurance, today announced that its board of directors has authorized a plan to repurchase up to $3 million of the company’s common shares over the next year, subject to market conditions.
State Asks Pinellas To Explain Bridge Damage
The state of Florida wants to know why Pinellas County failed to alert state engineers about a construction mishap involving a bridge under construction.
Likelihood of bank failures in Florida rises
The number of problem banks in Florida grew to 67 in the fourth quarter, according to a ratings agency.
The roster of severely troubled Florida banks jumped more than 70 percent in the fourth quarter, increasing the likelihood of more bank failures, according to ratings agency Bauer Financial.
Elections Commission director stepping down
The executive director of the state panel that enforces election laws is resigning, ending an 11-year tenure that was marked by clashes with state legislators and her own bosses.
Battle erupts over U.S. Sugar land-purchase finances
Some people call it the ”Paul Tudor Jones clause.” Water managers inserted the clause — nicknamed after the billionaire hedge fund manager and chief financier of Everglades advocacy — into the South Florida Water Management District’s financial policies in October.
‘Stimulus czar’: Florida has met all deadlines so far
Florida has met all deadlines so far and is well ahead of schedule with the submission of a key document needed to obtain billions in federal recovery money, Gov. Charlie Crist’s “stimulus czar” said Tuesday.
Cape Canaveral wins $600 million rocket launch contract
NASA awarded a $600 million contract Monday for four Atlas V rocket launches from Florida’s Space Coast during the gap between next year’s shuttle retirement and the first launches of Ares rockets and Orion spacecraft in 2015.
New Panel Set For NAIC Insurer Monitoring Standards
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners on Monday held the first session of a new panel designed to create a uniform process for monitoring how insurance companies operate in the marketplace.
U.S. bill would make insurers cover pre-existing ills
Legislation that would require health insurers to provide coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions was introduced in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday by Democratic lawmakers.
Veterans, lawmakers blast White House for benefits proposal
The administration is weighing whether to make veterans use private insurance to pay for treatment of combat injuries and other service-related health problems.
Banks react to talk of accounting rule relief
It’s the sweet relief that only an accounting rule change can bring.
U.S., Euro Companies Paying More Attention To Reputation Risk
Concerned about their reputation, more major companies globally are investing substantial resources to manage their reputation risk and have increased their efforts to do so, according to a new report from The Conference Board.
Farmers Insurance Ad Campaign Touts Its Financial Stability During Recession
While most of the United States is in the midst of an economic recession, the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies(R) continues to grow its business and attract new customers just as it has since its founding in 1928. Farmers Insurance is playing up these facts in a new advertising campaign, which touts the company’s financial solvency, stability and strength.
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