About.com Business Insurance

DocRock From Cigna

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:35:41 +0000

I had a number of health insurers contact me to point out that they also have some form of kid/young adult friendly health education and awareness campaign after my post about Aetna's yesterday.

The one that I missed, that everyone else seemed to know, was the DocRock series of videos offered by Cigna. Dr. Mache Seibel, a.k.a. DocRock, is a real doctor with the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. He has teamed with CIGNA to launch the H1N1 Rap video at www.youtube.com/cignatv. One video "raps" for kids about 5 tips to avoid Swine Flu.

The series may be a bit too kid-centered to be an effective tool in an employment setting. But they are fun to watch. Perhaps letting employees know and share the videos with their kids may help those with kids stay healthy.

DocRock From Cigna originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 13:35:41.

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H1N1 Advice - From Kids

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:47:43 +0000

Health insurer Aetna has taken an interesting, and entertaining, approach to increasing prevention awareness for the H1N1 virus infection. The insurer has created a video featuring kids talking about prevention.

The kid advice is great. "If you cough onto someone, they can get sick. So cough into a tissue. Then throw it into the garbage and wait for the garbage truck to come." Or this reminder: "If you sneeze into your hands and then grab the remote to change the channel, there are germs on the remote." Bill Fried, MD, Aetna's medical director heading the company's pandemic flu response initiative, states, "Kids listen to other kids. Adults should listen too. We've all heard the advice about washing your hands and covering your cough, but sometimes kids say it best. After all, who knows more about germs than kids?"

I agree. The video is available on YouTube and the insurer's website. It is readily accessible, and, especially where your employees are younger, is a great use of media.

H1N1 Advice - From Kids originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 13:47:43.

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NAIC Consumer Information Source is a Good Resource

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:08:48 +0000

When choosing business insurance, doing preliminary research into insurance companies is a good idea.

One resource we have looked at before are state boards of insurance. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) website is also an excellent resource. The Consumer Information Source on the site has links regarding AIG and any replacement insurers. It has a search feature allowing a search of filed complaints against insurers. There are a number of useful resources that allow you to compare insurers.

NAIC Consumer Information Source is a Good Resource originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 15:08:48.

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Price Gouging Hotline is Open in Florida

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:25:59 +0000

Unscrupulous merchants and contractors in Florida seeking to take advantage of Hurricane/Tropical Storm victims beware! The State's Attorney General set up a "price gouging hotline" at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226). Florida resident are encouraged to report any storm related price gouging.

The Attorney General offered the following advice to residents to avoid scams (and these tips are good anywhere):

Require home repair contractors to obtain all necessary government licenses and permits.
Make sure contractors have proper occupational licenses as required by state law.
Work only with reputable, established businesses. Take caution with "contractors" who knock on doors and offer to fix roofs and windows. Try to obtain more than one estimate for the repair work.
Before signing a contract, check the payment terms and other provisions carefully.
Do not pay cash to home repair contractors or tree removal services.

Price Gouging Hotline is Open in Florida originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 11:25:59.

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House Passes Health Care Bill - Not Law Yet

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:26:22 +0000

Given the hype surrounding the U.S. House's passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962 - NOTE: this is a link to the .pdf of the whole Bill and it is large) one would think the Bill is now the law of the land. It is not.

The House's Bill does not correspond to the version prepared for debate in the U.S. Senate. The Senate may or may not pass their version, it may be subject to a filibuster, and, once passed, will need to be reconciled with the House version. In other words, passage in the House was important, and a first step, but far from being an overhaul of the U.S. health care system.

The House Bill exempts most small businesses from the health insurance mandate. Businesses with less than $500,000 in payroll would be exempt and there would be graduated penalties for non-compliance for businesses with $500,000 to $750,000 in payroll. Unfortunately, for small businesses, the availability of an exchange program is gradual: in 2013 employers with less than 25 employees could enter such exchanges and that gradually increases over the next years to include larger employers.

Also, the promise of insurance companies being allowed to compete across state lines was eviscerated in this Bill. The Bill calls for the creation of "compacts" where states could choose to allow out of state insurance companies to compete. However, state legislatures are left with the power to approve such competition. Experience dictates that means no competition.

I, like anyone who reads the Bill, can find some truly innovative ideas, some terrible pork giveaways, some really rotten ideas, and some expensive things that just don't belong. But that is the process and this is a first step.

House Passes Health Care Bill - Not Law Yet originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 10:26:22.

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Hurricane Ida Weakens to a Tropical Storm

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:40:55 +0000

As I write this, the National Hurricane Center has issued an advisory downgrading Hurricane Ida to a Tropical Storm. Good news for businesses along the Gulf Coast as winds have weakened to 65-70 mph and further weakening is expected.

Still, Governor Jindal has declared a State of Emergency for Louisiana and there is plenty of available information for residents of Louisiana at emergency.louisiana.gov. The Louisiana Department of Insurance has many links to resources and information available on its hurricane site as well.

The key to business survival after a weather disaster is pre-planning. Adequate flood insurance is a must if you business is in a flood zone. Conducting a review of existing coverage to make sure your property insurance is sufficient and developing a plan before the storm is critical to good pre-planning.

Hurricane Ida Weakens to a Tropical Storm originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 13:40:55.

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Get Out and Vote!

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:03:45 +0000

Today is Election Day in the U.S. and there are a number of great battles going on across the country. But, you cannot be involved unless you vote - so, get out there!

My favorite election watch today (besides Casinos for Ohio) is the New York 23rd Congressional District. There, third-party Conservative Party candidate, Doug Hoffman, after a conservative Republican revolt, is the main candidate running against the Democrat. The original Republican candidate, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, has come out in support of Democrat Bill Owens and against Hoffman.

That prompted some really virulent attacks on Scozzafava by the talk show folks, including Limbaugh who stated, "we can say that she's guilty of widespread bestiality. She has screwed every RINO in the country." Nice. I also love Doug Hoffman's website where he decries his opponent as a "Nancy Pelosi Democrat who has marshaled ACORN and the labor unions to get-out-the-vote on his behalf."

So, to tie all of this back to business insurance, I am pretty sure that Mr. Hoffman would not support efforts at health insurance reform should he be elected.

Get Out and Vote! originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 15:03:45.

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The Resilient Coasts Blueprint

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:41:29 +0000

A Coastal Risk Symposium, hosted by the Travelers Institute takes place today at the Maritime Center in Charleston, S.C. with the purpose to "bring together business, government and community leaders to identify strategies and solutions to protect and insure the coastal region."

Part of the discussion will focus on the Resilient Coasts Blueprint prepared by the Heinz Center and Ceres. The Blueprint concisely states a proposed strategy to address risks posed by coastal development and the commercial insurance costs associated with such risks. It proposes cost effective and common sense solutions to mitigate risks and losses. For example, the introduction discusses how commercial customers of insurer FM Global experienced 85% less damage from Hurricane Katrina owing to the insurer's hurricane loss and prevention program. The claim is that the insurer's $2.5 million investment in pre-disaster prevention resulted in a $500 million savings in avoided losses. Pretty incredible.

The Plan encompasses adaptable building codes, research, and allowing premiums to reflect real risks to "communicate" the real cost to consumers along with other common sense proposals. If you or your business is among the over 50% of Americans who live and do business in a coastal region, the Blueprint is definitely worth taking a look at.

The Resilient Coasts Blueprint originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 10:41:29.

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FMLA Coverage Expanded for Servicemembers and Their Families

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:04:59 +0000

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) passed in 1993 extended legal rights and protections to employees caring for themselves or family members in times of medical need.

The FMLA can be difficult for both employees and employers to navigate. And, as with many laws, gaps in coverage cause result in situations that are fundamentally unfair or divergent from the purpose of the law. Unfortunately, our men and women serving in the military and their families were not explicitly covered by this pre-911 law.

Most Americans would assume that FMLA benefits would be extended to family members caring for injured servicemembers or that working spouses of servicemembers could attend to family needs during deployments. However, that was not always the case. Prior amendments (2008) to the law addressed some discrepancies, but the Defense Authorization Act for 2010, signed by the President on Wednesday, explicitly extends FMLA benefits to servicemembers and their families in the following situations:

A next of kin can take up to twenty-six weeks of unpaid leave to care for a seriously injured or ill veteran (as long as the injury manifests within 5 years of discharge).
Employees will be entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to attend to "exigencies" when a family member is deployed overseas and is applicable to reservists, National Guard and regular active duty members.

Both clarifications are important. First, psychological, neurological and traumatic brain injuries often manifest years after service. Second, the 2008 amendments left a great deal of confusion regarding whether active-duty regular servicemembers and their family were covered in the event of a deployment. The Department of Labor adopted the position that "family members of those in the Regular Armed Forces" were not covered by the FMLA exigency provisions.

FMLA Coverage Expanded for Servicemembers and Their Families originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 10:04:59.

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Flood and Storm Victims SBA Deadline is November 23

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:11:34 +0000

The Small Business Administration is urging victims of the Atlanta Georgia area flooding that occurred from September 18 through October 8, 2009, to complete and return applications for emergency assistance and loans by November 23, 2009.

The SBA is concerned that many business and home owners will not have settled with their insurance company by that time. Thus, the victim will not know what portion of the damage will be covered by insurance and what portion will need to be covered by a loan. The SBA is urging victims to complete and return the paperwork even if the amount of the insurance settlement is unknown. The SBA will make the full loan in return for reimbursement when settlement insurance proceeds are recovered.

Businesses and non-profit organizations of any size (in a specific geographic area affected by the flooding) may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. Interest rates are as low as 4 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant's financial condition.

Business loan applications may be downloaded from www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Applications may be returned to one of the Business Recovery Centers or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, Texas, 76155. Anyone unable to visit one of the Centers may obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA's Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (or 1-800-877-8339 for the hearing impaired) Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT, or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Flood and Storm Victims SBA Deadline is November 23 originally appeared on About.com Business Insurance on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 13:11:34.

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