March 11
HOLD STILL: This Won’t Hurt a Bit!
116th Congress Tries Healthcare Cures as Rhetorical Fever Soars
The 116th Congress has rolled out new health care legislation. The Republicans squandered their chance to repeal the ACA or otherwise bring medical care back into the hands of patients and physicians. One could look at the push for Medicare for All as an acknowledgement that the ACA was not a success. The House Medicare for All caucus is in the process of revising the prior Medicare for All bill that had been floating around since 2003. Apparently, the new bill will track Bernie Sanders’ Senate bill, S. 1804 which is more fleshed out.
Remembering ARIAS Founder, Insurance Law Leader, T. Richard Kennedy
A great friend and a true catalyst in the insurance and reinsurance communities, Dick Kennedy was a leader in the field of insurance law and in reinsurance dispute arbitration. Thomas Richard Kennedy (1935-2019), founder of the ARIAS, the national reinsurance and insurance arbitration society, passed away peacefully at the Avow Hospice House, in Naples, Florida […]
Nine Simple Steps to Avoid Employment Lawsuits
You’re striving to operate as efficiently as possible to increase your company’s profit margin. But then someone in the company steps on a legal landmine and you spend $50,000.00 to win a lawsuit. If you fight and win or lose, you could spend $150,000.00 or more, even on a weak case. You CAN take steps […]
PIANJ Applauds State Senate, Assembly for Passage of Producer Duty-of-Care Bill
Trenton, N.J.—The Professional Insurance Agents of New Jersey applauds the state Senate and the state Assembly for passing its top-priority bills S-2475/A-2034, unanimously on Feb. 21 and Feb. 25, respectively. The bills, which would prohibit application of a fiduciary standard to insurance producers, will be sent to Gov. Phil Murphy for his consideration. The bills […]
Insurance Saves
Seems like a weird title, doesn’t it? But when you really explore what insurance is all about it makes sense. Insurance protection saves lives and businesses. Helps families and businesses continue to function after serious and sometimes tragic events. Brings people healing and hope when things look desperate. Allows every facet of life and business […]
How Smart is Your Home?
By Sue C. Quimby, CPCU, AU, CIC, CPIW, DAE – Assistant Vice President/Media Editor The Internet of Things (IoT) is a term used to describe everyday objects that are connected to the Internet. Gone are the days when “high tech” meant a remote control for your tv or garage door. “Smart” technology offers convenience, energy, […]
Applied Underwriters Petitions NJ Regulators for Confirmation of Captive Reinsurance and its Use in its Widely Accepted Workers’ Compensation Format
The action holds that regulators have misinterpreted the longstanding, essential role that reinsurance plays in a widely used workers’ compensation insuring format and has attempted to restrict the program in direct violation of section 531 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which precludes state insurance regulators from rewriting the terms of an out-of-state reinsurance contract. The Petition requests confirmation that Applied’s program is a valid captive reinsurance arrangement under New Jersey law and should be affirmed at a time when the format’s desirability among businesses is growing as a preferred risk transfer vehicle among Applied’s many New Jersey based clients and their employees. The Petition protects the clients of independent agents who have implemented the Applied programs as a sound, wise choice, an alternative to “off the shelf” policies in which the buyer has little influence on costs and little benefit from favorable outcomes.
Fall from Cherry on Top But No Cake
Business Exclusion Clear and Enforceable When a farmer allows individuals access to the farm so they can pick cherries off trees in the orchard and buy the cherries at a lesser price than pre-picked cherries it is doing the business of farming. That is a reason why most farmers will buy a business liability policy […]
Exterior Public Stairways are “Sidewalks” and Require Prior Written Notice of Defects
Hinton v Village of Pulaski The Court of Appeals rules here that an exterior public stairway which connects a sidewalk with a municipal parking lot is the equivalent of a sidewalk, and therefore the municipality that owns it must have prior written notice of a defect as a condition precedent to liability for injuries.—LNR The […]
