Progressive Insurance’s December Profits Down 32 Percent

Progressive Insurance announced Thursday that December 2011 profits were down nearly one-third from the year before, dropping from $112.8 million in December 2010 to $76.3 million a month ago. The results for the fourth quarter of 2011 are a little bit rosier. The year-over-year change in profits for that period was a decline of 14 [...]

Indiana Legislators Submit Pair of Car Insurance Proposals

Indiana lawmakers are considering two pieces of legislation that would require auto insurers to make “good faith” efforts to reach policyholders who have filed accident claims and set a deadline for coverage providers to notify state officials about cancellation of their Indiana car insurance policies. One of the bills, sponsored by state Sen. Ron Grooms [...]

Drivers in Iowa, ND and SD Paid Lowest Average Premiums in 2009

Drivers in Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota had the most affordable average car insurance premiums nationwide for  in 2009, while Louisiana and D.C. had the highest average premiums, according to a new report from a national association of regulatory officials. The state with the lowest combined rates for private vehicle coverage was Iowa, where residents [...]

Maryland Gets $28.3M Health Performance Bonus

The state of Maryland has received a $28.3 million performance bonus for its efforts in enrolling children in federal health programs. The money was given to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for fiscal year 2011. The state has expanded coverage to more than 300,000 [...]

Planning Health Care Reform In Tennessee

As in other Republican-controlled states, Tennessee’s top officials are in a needless fret over whether to initiate planning for a state insurance exchange, the entities that states must have in place beginning in January 2014 to help uninsured citizens buy competitively priced, reasonably comprehensive health insurance. Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says he fears being seen [...]

Uninsured Turn To Daily Deal Sites For Health Care

The last time Mark Stella went to the dentist he didn’t need an insurance card. Instead, he pulled out a Groupon. Stella, a small business owner, canceled his health insurance plan more than three years ago when his premium rose to more than $400 a month. So when a deal popped up on daily deals [...]

Free Health Care Starts For 1,700 In Yuba-Sutter

About 1,700 low-income Yuba-Sutter residents will receive free health care coverage beginning Sunday, after the federal government granted a waiver under health care reform for the Path2Health program . As a result, residents with income at the federal poverty level, or about $10,890 for one person, will be able to get checkups as well as [...]

California Revises Insurance Regulations Regarding Fault

In a move that could affect whether some California motorists qualify for good-driver discounts, state officials have amended auto insurance regulations to make it simpler for coverage providers to determine whether a motorist was principally at fault in an accident. The amendments, which were approved this week by the state Office of Administrative Law, also [...]

Lawsuits: No Retreat On NY Retiree Health Care Rise

Public employee unions are suing over the state’s decision to increase the health care contributions for current retirees, claiming the 2 percent increases that took effect in October are unconstitutional. The Retired Public Employees Association filed a similar lawsuit in state court earlier this month. Late Wednesday, the Public Employees Federation, Civil Service Employees Association, [...]

Insurance Claims from Pennsylvania Turnpike Incident Exceed $1 Mil

Travelers Insurance has asked a federal court in Pennsylvania to appoint a “special master” to evaluate and settle the claims of hundreds of motorists whose vehicles were damaged after a tanker truck insured by the coverage provider spilled a gooey petroleum product all over the Pennsylvania Turnpike in November. A lawyer representing Travelers confirmed this [...]

California’s Blue Shield To Pay $2M to Settle Los Angeles Civil Action

Blue Shield of California has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a civil enforcement action filed by the Los Angeles City Attorney to resolve its past practices of improperly rescinding health insurance policies. The settlement amount will be split between the City Attorney’s Office and Los Angeles County, and Blue Shield will agree to [...]

Amount Spent on Claims per Insured Vehicle Is on the Rise

Auto insurance policyholders are filing more injury claims than in recent years, and the increased frequency is driving up insurer costs and has altered the previous trend of fewer claims being filed, but for greater dollar amounts, according to a new report. The Insurance Research Council says personal injury protection (PIP) claims in particular are [...]