Lawmakers worried over Allstate decision
Southern Maryland lawmakers are concerned about the potential ramifications of a decision by the state’s highest court last week which allows Allstate Insurance Co. to deny new homeowners’ policies throughout most of the region and other coastal areas of the state for fear of the effect a major hurricane could have on the insurer’s bottom line.
In a 6-1 decision, the Court of Appeals ruled Jan. 25 that Allstate, one of the nation’s top insurers, could change its policy.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Allstate decided in 2007 to stop offering coverage to new homeowners across much of the mid-Atlantic, including all of St. Mary’s County, much of Calvert and Charles counties, most of the Lower Eastern Shore and chunks of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties. The company also has stopped writing new policies in parts of Virginia and Delaware.
State law prohibits insurers from denying homeowners’ policies in a “certain geographical area” unless “the designation has an objective basis and is not arbitrary or unreasonable.”
Allstate used computer models and expert testimony to demonstrate that it was in the company’s interest to stop issuing coverage in hurricane-prone regions of the state because the “catastrophic risk” involved went against the fundamental underpinning of most insurance — that overall risk diminishes as more policies are written.
Although the models showed chances of a major hurricane making landfall in Maryland were extremely low — about four times every 100,000 years — the company argued that climate change and warmer ocean waters would cause more devastating storms to hit the mid-Atlantic.
One witness offered an example where it could take the insurer 1,200 years to recover the loss on a single home suffering $300,000 in storm damage.
“It’s a decision that is obviously of concern to major rural areas of the state because our citizens may not be able to protect themselves,” Del. Anthony J. O’Donnell (R-Calvert, St. Mary’s) said. “There’s financial reasons they make these decisions, but for the citizens its not necessarily a good decision.
Allstate Health Insurance - News
In reality, the practice includes some of the biggest names in the Health Insurance business – including Cigna, Aetna and Allstate. There is also an entire roster of late night TV ads pushing products like “A Real Healthcare Plan Starting As Little As
by JEFF NEWMAN, Staff writer Southern Maryland lawmakers are concerned about the potential ramifications of a decision by the state's highest court last week which allows Allstate Insurance Co. to deny new homeowners' policies throughout most of the
The Allstate Financial segment is the provider of life insurance, retirement and investment products, and voluntary accident and health insurance products for the enterprise's ultimate parent, The Allstate Corporation (Allcorp) [NYSE: ALL].
(Allstate; 69945). Surveys by Consumer Reports have identified health care costs as one of the most burdensome financial woes for consumers. “Consumers don't realize that a bargain on health insurance isn't like a bargain on a flat-screen TV.
17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Allstate Insurance Co. /quotes/zigman/128498/quotes/nls/all ALL +0.24% today announced the opening of a state-of-the-art onsite medical facility for employees and their families. The Allstate Wellness Center is the
Healthcare Insurance | Mini Meds For Maxi Greed
Within a established segment of Italy that mints its own coins and has a station armed forces given in planner togs from Michelangelo, when a creates a mistake, the scold and usually call for help is Mea Culpa. Well obviously it’s more similar to Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa ” but even Italians are well known to shorten their Latin is to consequence of expediency. That’s my mantra this week after final weeks post on Medical Gluttony . In that essay you highlighted a new book by Dr. Otis Webb Brawley – How We Do Harm – in that he characterized portions of our healthcaredeliverysystem as gluttonous. In all fairness, doctors and providers aremost unquestionably not alone in their greed. I never mentioned they were ” but I lend towards to error on the Italian side of life when it comes to my open Mea Culpa’s.
This week it’s time to spin our consideration to other form of healthcare impropriety ” a form of Payer Gluttony. By the time we’re completed with our mini array on gluttony, we’ll expected obtain to add Pharma Gluttony, Political Gluttony and presumably a few other gluttony’s as nonetheless to be uncovered. It’s no consternation our network is $3 trillion per year and represents 18% of GDP. In their turning point investigate from 2008 ” The Price of Excess ” PWC estimated that rounded off half of our healthcare spending is entirely wasted. The actual subject waste ” is it indeed squandered ” or is this just the greatest tray America has ever built?
Like many of healthcare’s unequivocally unhappy tales, this a isn’t new ” and it’s of course not the many gross payer offense – but it is amid the many blatant. Simply put, it’s a form of healthcare insurance that unequivocally isn’t. Earlier this week ” Consumer Reports revisited the situation of an whole operation of products with names similar to Mini-Meds, Discount Health Cards and Fixed Benefit Indemnity plans. In theory, the thought has always been to supply a few healthcare coverage, however limited, to those who couldn’t means either a high-deductible illness outline ” or inauspicious usually coverage. In reality, the use includes a few of the greatest names in the Health Insurance business ” inclusive Cigna, Aetna and Allstate. There is moreover an whole register of late night TV ads pulling products similar to “A Real Healthcare Plan Starting As Little As 25 Cents a Day” from a firm called HealthcareOne. It was estimated that HealthcareOne was receiving in about $500,000 to $600,000 per month – before regulators at last close it down.