Monday, February 1, 2010

Insurance news and lots of it: MA will allow insurance appeals for some Toyota drivers, Iowa looks at credit scoring, and Indiana balks at climate survey for insurers

Insurance Journal: MA insurance regulators will allow some Toyota drivers who were involved in accidents linked to unintended acceleration to appeal insurance surcharges assessed by their carriers. Click here.


AMedNews: WA issues cease and desist orders to five companies allegedly selling illegal health insurance.
NY Times: Lawmakers on Thursday announced legislation designed to protect people hit by a family death or other life event that can cause their credit scores to drop and insurance rates to soar. (A death, serious illness, military deployment, identity theft or natural disaster can hurt credit score, says legislator.)

NY Times: With plans to pass sweeping healthcare reform stalled in Congress, the White House is targeting smaller efforts to improve the nation’s healthcare system, such as increasing use of cheaper, generic medicines and boosting electronic medical records.

NY Times: Indiana officials will not impose climate regulations on insurance companies, making it the first state to abandon the landmark measure before it goes into effect nationwide this spring.

AMedNews.com: Medical inflation continues to exceed inflation. (e.g.:Hospital charges rose 7.1 percent)
Denver Westword news blog: Jurors explain stunning $37 million verdict against Assurant Health: Story about rescissions and the largest bad-faith insurance verdict in Colorado history.