»Posted On: March 18, 2010
The cheapest cars to insure
I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but it turns out I made a pretty good choice the last time I purchased a vehicle. According to new rankings of car insurance rates from Insure.com, the Honda Odyssey EX is among the least expensive vehicles to insure. Read on…
»Posted On: March 17, 2010
California investigating health insurers for illegal business practices
Based on reports that the five largest health insurance companies in California are denying up to 39.6 percent of insurance claims, California’s attorney general recently announced an investigation into potentially illegal business practices. Read on…
»Posted On: March 15, 2010
Don’t kiss that frog!
I’ve always tried to steer my children away from petting zoos that are at carnivals and other events. In my mind, the only place germier than a petting zoo is the pediatrician’s waiting room. Read on…
»Posted On: March 9, 2010
Where are your mental health records?
Think only your therapist sees your mental health records? Think again. Your mental health records may be shared with your health insurance company, and even with a state agency that oversees your insurer. In New Jersey, state agencies and health insurance companies require psychiatrists and therapists to turn over confidential mental health records for patients in order to authorize payment for care. Read on…
»Posted On: March 9, 2010
Think your health insurance policy is incoherent? You are correct!
If you’ve ever felt that trying to read your health insurance policy is like deciphering gobbledygook, you’re not alone. DALBAR, Inc., a Boston-based company that evaluates customer-service experiences for the financial services industry, has evaluated 34 leading insurance companies (including the federally funded Medicare program) and found that most of them fail to explain benefits well to their clients. Read on…
»Posted On: March 5, 2010
Insurance makes economic recovery possible for Chile
The catastrophic earthquake that struck central Chile last week is estimated to have caused billions of dollars in insured and economic losses. Insured losses are being estimated between U.S. $2 billion to $8 billion and total economic losses may cost between U.S. $15 billion to $30 billion. Read on…
»Posted On: March 3, 2010
Goodbye to the most obnoxious vehicle on the road
Farewell, Hummers! I’ll be glad to see you eventually disappear from the road! GM announced last week that the sale of its Hummer brand to a Chinese auto maker fell through after the buyer was unable to get Chinese regulators to approve the sale. Read on…
»Posted On: March 2, 2010
Sorry dude, find another ride! Tougher laws for teen drivers
A New York law that took effect this month reduces the number of passengers youthful drivers are allowed to have in the car and increases supervised driving hours. If you’re under the age of 21 in New York, you will now only be allowed to have one other non-family passenger in your car. Read on…
»Posted On: March 2, 2010
“Not for public disclosure”
The state of Oregon has done something groundbreaking — and it may be a boon to health insurance consumers everywhere. Oregon’s Insurance Division recently started publishing health insurance rate filings online. What does this mean? Any member of the public now has online access to previously confidential information about rate hikes that insurance companies are requesting from the state. This new transparency gives more power to consumers. Read on…
»Posted On: March 2, 2010
State Farm snags top spot in customer satisfaction survey
When it comes to property and casualty (P&C) insurance, State Farm appears to be leading the way in keeping its customers happy. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), developed by the University of Michigan, periodically measures consumer satisfaction with products and services – and State Farm recently snagged the top spot for P&C insurance. Read on…
