Insurance news

• Civil rights emerging as health care issue

  19-10-2015 23:43
  Civil rights disputes are at the forefront of issues that may affect health care employers soon, with disputes over abortion, contraception and the “right to die” taking the forefront, said Dan Groszkruger,...
  
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• Shareholders approve merger of Aetna, Humana

  19-10-2015 23:22
  Shareholders of Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc. on Monday overwhelmingly approved the companies' proposed $37 billion merger of the rival health insurers.
  
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• Risk managers urged to review insurers' incident reporting nuances

  19-10-2015 23:17
  Risk managers should closely review their insurance policies to understand what insurers expect for reporting incidents in a timely manner, experts said Monday.
  
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• Brokers adapt to increasingly global market

  19-10-2015 22:55
  NEW YORK — Relationships and globalization are among the topics at the 2015 Brokerslink Conference in New York, drawing delegates from nations around the world.
  
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• Drone makers cautious of Obama plans to register the craft

  19-10-2015 22:08
  
  Some drone industry representatives are reacting cautiously to plans by the Obama administration to combat a growing safety threat by requiring buyers to register their drones with the government.
  
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• Voluntary genetic testing may help some wellness efforts

  19-10-2015 22:05
  Incorporating voluntary genetic testing into workplace wellness programming could help substantially lower employers' total health care costs, according to a new study by Aetna Inc. and Toronto-based health management firm Newtopia Inc.
  
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• Despite complexity, consumers zip through health plan decisions

  19-10-2015 22:03
  
  Consumers spend little time choosing health plans even though they are confused about their own health care spending and plan options, a new study found.
  
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• Oil filter manufacturer hit with fines for 20 safety violations

  19-10-2015 21:57
  The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued 20 citations for workplace safety violations and proposed total penalties of $112,500 against an Ohio manufacturer.
  
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• Plan urges switch from rebuilding to disaster resilience, preparedness

  19-10-2015 21:43
  The federal government should use unspent funds allocated to government agencies in the wake of 2012’s Superstorm Sandy to pay for a new national resiliency effort, according to a report issued Monday by the Washington-based BuildStrong Coalition.
  
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• Q&A: Holly Meidl, Marsh L.L.C.

  19-10-2015 21:31
  
  Holly Meidl, managing director and national health care practice leader at Marsh L.L.C. in Nashville, Tennessee, says the health care industry faces risks from cyber breaches and “batch” claims.
  
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• 5 hacks to engage with Hispanics

  19-10-2015 20:34
  
  How can we effectively market to individuals who place such a large emphasis on their culture and have the largest buying power in the U.S.?
  
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• U.S. announces task force to develop drone registry

  19-10-2015 20:24
  
  (Reuters) — The Obama administration, faced with rising safety and security risks from a surge in unauthorized drone flights, announced a new task force on Monday to develop a new federal register for the owners of unmanned aerial systems.
  
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• Military contractor to pay judgment for accepting kickbacks

  19-10-2015 20:24
  
  Military contractor Kellogg Brown & Root Inc. has been ordered to pay a $108,342 judgment to the United States for accepting gifts and gratuities from subcontractors, said John M. Bales, the Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney.
  
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• Supreme Court to Hear Bids to Thwart Triple Damages in Patent Cases

  19-10-2015 20:15
  
  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider whether a $70 million jury award that Stryker Corp. won against Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. for patent infringement should be tripled. The justices agreed to hear an appeal filed by Stryker …
  
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• Typhoon Koppu kills 4 in Philippines, displaces thousands

  19-10-2015 19:14
  
  Typhoon Koppu left at least four people dead in the Philippines, shutting schools and government offices, while floods and landslides continue to threaten the nation’s main Luzon island.
  
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• Hanover Insurance CFO David Greenfield dies

  19-10-2015 19:12
  Hanover Insurance Group Inc.'s chief financial officer, David B. Greenfield, died over the weekend at age 53.
  
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• Adequacy of U.S. retirement system drops in ranking

  19-10-2015 19:06
  The United States continued to slip in this year's Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, falling to 14th place among 25 retirement income systems ranked annually by Mercer L.L.C.
  
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• XL Group faces $130 million in losses from China blast, other perils

  19-10-2015 18:55
  XL Group P.L.C. will face approximately $130 million of exposure from the Tianjin, China, port explosions and natural catastrophe perils, according to initial estimates, the company said in a statement Monday.
  
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• Missouri Glass Company to Appeal OSHA Penalties

  19-10-2015 18:54
  
  An official with a southeast Missouri glass company where a worker suffered third-degree burns says the firm will appeal proposed penalties of $122,000. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the proposed penalties on Oct. 14 for Piramal Glass …
  
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• 4 N.J. Residents Charged With Staging Car Crash, Seeking Insurance Payouts

  19-10-2015 18:51
  
  A Union County, New Jersey, man and three others were indicted on Oct. 14 for allegedly orchestrating a staged auto accident in Paterson, New Jersey, in 2012 and later seeking more than $48,000 in medical payouts from his insurer, authorities …
  
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• OSHA cites chicken plant after worker loses part of finger

  19-10-2015 18:40
  A Chicago-based poultry processing facility has been cited for five workplace safety violations after a worker lost part of his right middle finger while clearing a paper jam in April.
  
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• Global warming’s hurricane tab in U.S.: $14 billion and counting

  19-10-2015 18:38
  
  Climate change has added billions to the toll of hurricane strikes on the U.S., according to a study that challenges the prevailing scientific view that the rising cost is mainly because more buildings, towns and businesses are in the way.
  
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• Western-Themed Center in Northeast Texas Damaged by Fire

  19-10-2015 18:33
  
  A fire heavily damaged a western-themed shopping center in North Texas, just two years after it was damaged by another blaze. The Van Zandt County Fire Marshal’s Office reported that flames early in the morning on Oct. 17 damaged about …
  
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• Farmers Insurance Launches Rideshare Insurance Coverage in Kansas

  19-10-2015 18:33
  
  Farmers Insurance has introduced rideshare insurance coverage designed to provide seamless coverage for ride-hailing drivers in Kansas. Farmers worked with representatives of the Kansas Insurance Department, legislators and leaders of transportation network companies (TNCs) to develop a product designed to …
  
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• Minnesota Jury Awards Mechanic $9.1M in Medical Malpractice Suit

  19-10-2015 18:30
  
  A Minnesota jury has awarded $9.1 million to a former auto mechanic who sued his anesthesiologists after suffering spinal cord damage and paralysis in a 2012 surgery. Joseph Lakoskey’s attorney argued that an anesthesiologist left him dangerously dehydrated before surgery …
  
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• Portland Cyclist Finds Insurance Issues Complicated in ‘Gig Economy’

  19-10-2015 18:29
  
  Lucas Root says he doesn’t remember seeing the door that opened up in front of his bike, knocking him to the pavement and breaking out three teeth. But when he learned the driver was working for Uber, the app-based ride-hailing …
  
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• Takata recall said to involve more than 11 carmakers

  19-10-2015 18:19
  (Reuters) — Takata Corp.'s unprecedented recall of potentially deadly air bag inflators affects more than the 11 auto manufacturers that have already been identified, the top U.S. auto safety regulator said on Monday.
  
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• Some Central Texans Returning to Homes in Fire-Ravaged Area

  19-10-2015 18:16
  
  Firefighters in Central Texas are halfway to controlling a wildfire that’s destroyed dozens of homes, and authorities said on Oct. 17 that enough progress has been made to allow some residents to return to their neighborhoods. The Hidden Pines Fire has …
  
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• Oregon Insurance Co-Op Health Republic Closing

  19-10-2015 18:12
  
  Health Republic Insurance, one of two nonprofit insurers created in Oregon under President Barack Obama’s health care law, announced that it is shutting down. Health Republic will continue to pay claims through the rest of the year but won’t sell …
  
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• Apple Ordered to Pay $234M in U. Wisconsin Patent Infringement Case

  19-10-2015 18:10
  
  A U.S. jury has ordered Apple Inc. to pay the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s patent licensing arm more than $234 million in damages for incorporating its microchip technology into some of the company’s iPhones and iPads without permission. The amount was …
  
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• Dallas Educator Named InVEST Teacher of the Year

  19-10-2015 18:07
  
  Denise Tucker, a teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, has been named the 2015 InVEST Teacher of the Year. The program is a key driver to attract new talent to the insurance industry. Tucker has taught high school for …
  
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• Kaatman, Rubinstein Earn Ownership in Mathenia Insurance Group

  19-10-2015 17:58
  
  Mathenia Insurance Group owner Dave Mathenia announced that Bill Kaatman and Kristin Rubinstein have earned co-ownership of the insurance agency based in St. Peter, Mo. Mathenia, who has more than 35 years in the industry, will continue to serve as …
  
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• Specialty broker adds joint employer coverage

  19-10-2015 17:28
  Specialty broker FranchisePerils, a division of wholesaler Executive Perils Insurance Services, has enhanced its FranchisorSuite policy with the addition of joint employer coverage.
  
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• DALLASWHITE Property Restoration rebuilds the future for Nevada’s homeless youth

  19-10-2015 17:01
  
  Contractor volunteers provide repairs to turn houses into homes.
  
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• Charity Works: DALLASWHITE Property Restoration rebuilds the future for Nevada’s homeless youth

  19-10-2015 17:01
  
  Contractor volunteers provide repairs to turn houses into homes.
  
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• OSHA cites drilling contractor after crane-related death

  19-10-2015 16:44
  The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a Missouri drilling contractor for three serious safety violations after a 42-year-old worker was killed on a Nebraska job site in June.
  
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• Ace, Lloyd's syndicate focus on terrorism insurance coverage

  19-10-2015 16:40
  Jonathan Powell has been appointed divisional head of a new war, terrorism and political violence division of Acappella syndicate 2014, while Ace Ltd.
  
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• Former Lloyd's data head named COO of multiline syndicate

  19-10-2015 16:30
  David Lang has been appointed chief operating officer of ArgoGlobal, the Lloyd’s of London operation of Argo Group International Holdings Ltd., ArgoGlobal announced Monday.
  
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• European insurers centralizing reinsurance purchases

  19-10-2015 16:13
  
  Many large European insurers have continued to centralize their reinsurance buying and are purchasing less reinsurance, according to a report published Monday by Standard & Poor’s Corp.
  
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• China tried to hack U.S. firms even after cyber pact: CrowdStrike

  19-10-2015 15:26
  
  (Reuters) — Hackers associated with the Chinese government have tried to penetrate at least seven U.S. companies in the three weeks since Washington and Beijing agreed not to spy on each other for commercial reasons, according to a prominent U.S.
  
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• J&J Win in First Trial Against Tylenol Skirts Defective Design Claim

  19-10-2015 15:06
  
  Johnson & Johnson defeated a lawsuit claiming it had improperly designed its Tylenol pain reliever in the first case to go to trial over the link between the widely used over-the-counter drug and liver damage, according to a J&J spokesman. …
  
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• Innovations with ACORD

  19-10-2015 15:00
  
  When you adopt industry standards, you’re now in a position to collaborate with partners and replicate successful solutions easily, cheaply and confidently.
  
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• Obama Administration Considers Drone Registry

  19-10-2015 14:53
  
  The Obama administration is taking the first steps to require that buyers of drones register the unmanned aircraft with the government to combat a growing safety threat, according to a person familiar with the proposal. The U.S. Transportation Department will …
  
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• Reinsurers See Further Price Declines for 2016 in Wake of Mergers

  19-10-2015 14:48
  
  The world’s largest reinsurers are anticipating even bigger price declines when policies are renewed in 2016 than envisaged a month ago as a flurry of takeovers in the industry fails to absorb some of the excess capital. Reinsurers and brokers …
  
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• XL’s Preliminary Loss Estimates for Tianjin-$100M, $30M for Others in Q3

  19-10-2015 14:24
  
  XL Group plc announced that its preliminary loss estimates for the Tianjin disaster and other events in the third quarter of 2015 – pretax and net of reinsurance and reinstatement premium – were as follows: The mid-August 2015 Tianjin, China …
  
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• Fact of the week: Female hurricanes are deadlier than male hurricanes

  19-10-2015 14:00
  
  Do people expect storms named after women to be less damaging? The survey says “yes.”
  
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• California Woman Blinded in Eye by Flying Disc Settles Suit for $3M

  19-10-2015 14:00
  
  A woman who was blinded in one eye by a flying golf disc at a Southern California park has settled a lawsuit for $3 million. The Daily Breeze of Torrance reported that the settlement involves Noreen Goodbody. She was struck …
  
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• Reinsurers brace for double-digit price declines amid M&A frenzy

  19-10-2015 13:45
  
  The world’s largest reinsurers are anticipating even bigger price declines when policies are renewed in 2016 than envisaged a month ago.
  
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• Protecting clients’ high-value homes from winter cold

  19-10-2015 13:45
  
  Planning ahead and getting proper help, now, for your clients will maximize the probability of a safe, worry-free winter. After all, winter is coming.
  
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• Who's using what in the P&C insurance industry: October 19, 2015

  19-10-2015 13:15
  
  News from UniGroup, Verisk, Oceanwide and more.
  
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