Skagit Valley Herald: Fewer WA employers offer medical care (55 percent, down 2 percent from previous year)
NY Times editorial: Health reform law "eliminates a corporate tax advantage on retiree drug benefits that amounts to double-dipping"
Auburn Reporter: Kreidler: Work on health care reform is already under way
ABC News: Scam alert issued on new health care law
L.A. Times: New health care law is full of unknowns
Bismarck Tribune: N.D. joins lawsuit over health care bill
Selasa, 06 April 2010
Three plead guilty in insurance fraud case
A Tacoma couple and a neighbor have pleaded guilty to fraud-related charges for their involvement in false insurance claims totaling thousands of dollars.
Anthony Mezias, 37, has pleaded guilty to 1st degree theft, a class B felony. His wife Melissa Mezias, 34, pleaded guilty to "attempted false claims or proof" in an insurance claim, which is a gross misdemeanor.
Sentencing of the two is scheduled for July 12th. In the meantime, the couple must repay $8,800 to State Farm. Investigation work on the case was done by State Farm and by the state insurance commissioner's Special Investigations Unit.
Four years ago, the couple reported that their home was burglarized while they were on a clam-digging trip. Among the items listed in their $50,000 homeowners' insurance claim: a $5,000 plasma TV and $3,000 Persian rug. They said they bought the TV from a Seattle man.
During the investigation, State Farm insurance investigators discovered that the Mezias' neighbor, Brian Emmett, 41, had reported a burglary at his home in Tacoma earlier in 2006. He bought several replacement items, copied the receipts, returned the items to the stores, then submitted the receipts to State Farm anyway. He also submitted a falsified invoice for sports cards he claimed were stolen. All told, investigators found, Emmett filed $11,785 in false claims.
Emmett has pleaded guilty to one count of false claims or proof, a class C felony. He has also agreed to pay back State Farm and to testify against the Mezias', who claimed that he had sold them the $3,000 Persian rug. He says he did not sell them a $3,000 rug.
Note: this post has been updated. The Seattle man was originally charged with one count of false claims or proof, but the charge was dismissed after he testified against the Mezias'.
Anthony Mezias, 37, has pleaded guilty to 1st degree theft, a class B felony. His wife Melissa Mezias, 34, pleaded guilty to "attempted false claims or proof" in an insurance claim, which is a gross misdemeanor.
Sentencing of the two is scheduled for July 12th. In the meantime, the couple must repay $8,800 to State Farm. Investigation work on the case was done by State Farm and by the state insurance commissioner's Special Investigations Unit.
Four years ago, the couple reported that their home was burglarized while they were on a clam-digging trip. Among the items listed in their $50,000 homeowners' insurance claim: a $5,000 plasma TV and $3,000 Persian rug. They said they bought the TV from a Seattle man.
During the investigation, State Farm insurance investigators discovered that the Mezias' neighbor, Brian Emmett, 41, had reported a burglary at his home in Tacoma earlier in 2006. He bought several replacement items, copied the receipts, returned the items to the stores, then submitted the receipts to State Farm anyway. He also submitted a falsified invoice for sports cards he claimed were stolen. All told, investigators found, Emmett filed $11,785 in false claims.
Emmett has pleaded guilty to one count of false claims or proof, a class C felony. He has also agreed to pay back State Farm and to testify against the Mezias', who claimed that he had sold them the $3,000 Persian rug. He says he did not sell them a $3,000 rug.
Note: this post has been updated. The Seattle man was originally charged with one count of false claims or proof, but the charge was dismissed after he testified against the Mezias'.
New info: How the new health law affects you
We've posted new web pages detailing what the federal health reform law means, both within the next few months and as full implementation takes place over the next several years.
Here's the main page, with a breakdown of provisions taking effect within 90 days, 6 months, this year, in 2011, 2014, and later. And the information also broken down by effects on:
Here's the main page, with a breakdown of provisions taking effect within 90 days, 6 months, this year, in 2011, 2014, and later. And the information also broken down by effects on:
- -working families
- -seniors
- -children
- -young adults
- -small businesses
- -hospitals and health-care providers
- -and state government
Senin, 05 April 2010
Insurance news: health insurance pools launch in June, insurers sue MA over rate-hike denial, and lessons from the Baja quake
NYT: New health initiatives put spotlight on prevention
NYT: Insurance pool to offer reduced-rate coverage
Boston Glob: Health insurers sue Massachusetts on rate denial
Chicago Sun-Times: High-risk health insurance pools set to begin in June
Insurance Information Institute: Baja earthquake offers reminder of U.S. vulnerability (to this) type of natural disaster
NYT: Insurance pool to offer reduced-rate coverage
Boston Glob: Health insurers sue Massachusetts on rate denial
Chicago Sun-Times: High-risk health insurance pools set to begin in June
Insurance Information Institute: Baja earthquake offers reminder of U.S. vulnerability (to this) type of natural disaster
Jumat, 02 April 2010
Natl Weather Service: wind storm predicted for Puget Sound, gusts up to 43 mph
The National Weather Service is predicting high winds this afternoon in much of western Washington, with gusts of up to 43 miles an hour in Seattle. Weather Underground is predicting gusts up to 50 miles an hour.
So what if a tree falls on your carport, or your boat at the marina sinks in high winds? And who pays to clean up all those branches that fell into your yard?
We've posted answers for all these storm-related questions on our website. Take a look.
(And here's some good news: the wind's supposed to let up by this evening.)
If you have damage and have questions or problems with your insurer (and live in Washington state), call our consumer affairs hotline at 1-800-562-6900. It's not a phone tree; it's staffed by live people.
So what if a tree falls on your carport, or your boat at the marina sinks in high winds? And who pays to clean up all those branches that fell into your yard?
We've posted answers for all these storm-related questions on our website. Take a look.
(And here's some good news: the wind's supposed to let up by this evening.)
If you have damage and have questions or problems with your insurer (and live in Washington state), call our consumer affairs hotline at 1-800-562-6900. It's not a phone tree; it's staffed by live people.
Kamis, 01 April 2010
WA insurance commissioner: Work on health care reform is already underway
Work to launch federal health care reforms is already underway, Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said Thursday.
“This is a time of exhilarating change, and we’re already in the thick of it,” Kreidler told reporters in Seattle. “Every single health insurance plan in Washington state – and there are thousands of them – will change this year.”
Here are six key changes to policies that will take effect by the end of 2010:
No more out-of-pocket costs (like co-pays) for preventive care.
No more lifetime caps on benefits. (Many policies now include $1 million or $2 million limits.)
Children can no longer be denied coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions.
Parents will be able to keep adult dependent children on their health plans until age 26.
For seniors, the coverage gap in Medicare’s prescription drug plan (the very unpopular “donut hole”) will gradually close, starting with a $250 rebate this year.
Individuals with pre-existing conditions who have been uninsured for several months can get financial assistance for coverage through Washington state's Health Insurance Pool (WSHIP).
“These changes all apply regardless of whether you buy coverage on your own or through your employer,” said Kreidler.
The public is clearly watching this issue closely. Within hours of the legislation passing Congress, the Insurance Commissioner’s Office began receiving emails and phone calls from people wondering how health care reform will affect them. The agency is posting detailed information on its website.
“We have our work cut out for us,” said Kreidler, whose staff must review and approve an estimated 2,000 new health insurance policies over the next few months. “But given what’s at stake, I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
“This is a time of exhilarating change, and we’re already in the thick of it,” Kreidler told reporters in Seattle. “Every single health insurance plan in Washington state – and there are thousands of them – will change this year.”
Here are six key changes to policies that will take effect by the end of 2010:
No more out-of-pocket costs (like co-pays) for preventive care.
No more lifetime caps on benefits. (Many policies now include $1 million or $2 million limits.)
Children can no longer be denied coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions.
Parents will be able to keep adult dependent children on their health plans until age 26.
For seniors, the coverage gap in Medicare’s prescription drug plan (the very unpopular “donut hole”) will gradually close, starting with a $250 rebate this year.
Individuals with pre-existing conditions who have been uninsured for several months can get financial assistance for coverage through Washington state's Health Insurance Pool (WSHIP).
“These changes all apply regardless of whether you buy coverage on your own or through your employer,” said Kreidler.
The public is clearly watching this issue closely. Within hours of the legislation passing Congress, the Insurance Commissioner’s Office began receiving emails and phone calls from people wondering how health care reform will affect them. The agency is posting detailed information on its website.
“We have our work cut out for us,” said Kreidler, whose staff must review and approve an estimated 2,000 new health insurance policies over the next few months. “But given what’s at stake, I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
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