by Marilyn M. Singleton, M.D., J.D. During the Supreme Court oral arguments in the challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s mandate to purchase health insurance, people laughed when the late Justice Scalia asked whether the government could make you buy broccoli. Never happen? The laughable has become reality. A California bill awaiting the governor’s signature […]
by Ronald C. Porter The insurance industry relies heavily on analytics to understand and predict risk when writing policies. But what happens when a disputed claim becomes a legal matter? Shouldn’t insurers apply those same kinds of analytics to understand and predict their legal exposure? Until recently, insurance litigation relied heavily on legal research, anecdotal […]
With all the talk about “evidence-based medicine,” you might think that doctors were becoming much more focused on rigorous science. But like the names attached to bills in Congress—such as the Affordable Care Act, which outlaws affordable insurance, the language used in the movement to fundamentally transform America and American medicine usually means the opposite […]
No Cover Available from Excess and Umbrella Policies Insurers use a self-insured-retention (SIR) to avoid the expense of dealing with small claims and avoid the expense of defending or indemnifying an insured until the SIR or underlying insurance is exhausted. As a result the excess insurer can charge a small premium because its exposure is […]
RAND Corp. report shows the proposal is unworkable The battle lines are being drawn as the election nears. Some have observed that the leading Democratic candidates running for Governor are tripping over themselves to move to the left and to offer every freebie available, from healthcare to college education to home pizza delivery. “Single payer” […]
Sad news: Thomas J. Moran, a successful and caring insurance leader and philanthropist, passed away August 12th at the age of 65. Tom spent more than four decades with the Mutual of America Life Insurance Company, contributing significantly to its success. As Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, he led with a style, strength, and […]
Federal and state laws require that employers pay employees for all hours worked. They define “hours worked” broadly to include (a) all time during which an employee is required to be on duty, on the employer’s premises, or at a prescribed workplace; and (b) all time during which an employee is permitted to work, in either express […]
By Sue C. Quimby, CPCU, AU, CIC, CPIW, DAE – Assistant Vice President/Media Editor A safe workplace is a basic right of every employee. Protecting employees against injury, and ensuring that they have proper medical coverage in the event of an accident, is a primary responsibility of every business owner, from the small contractor to […]
I visit many agency websites as part of my daily routine. Candidly I would have to say there are very few that are inviting to the consumer looking for information and possibly an agent to help them with their insurance protection. The worst are those that say very little and many times haven’t been updated […]
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