OLDWICK, N.J.— A.M. Best Co. has assigned a financial strength rating (FSR) of B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb-” to Specialty Insurance Company (BSIC) (Metairie, LA), a member of Bankers Insurance Group (Bankers). Concurrently, A.M. Best has affirmed the FSR of B+ (Good) and ICRs of “bbb-” of Bankers and its other [...]
By Bob Graham - Maryland’s acting insurance commissioner says the process to resolve medical loss ratio for health insurers is in the “very early” stages. Maryland and other states, working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, must resolve what to place in the group of medical expenses and what should be deemed [...]
Smokers cannot save Florida from its economic crisis. Each family in ceFlorida pays nearly $700 a year in taxes to cover the states massive Medicaid burden caused by smoking related illnesses. Health insurance companies blame smokers for the unreasonable and costly co-pays and deductibles these taxes are paid by everyone even the nonsmokers. The raised [...]
Consumers almost have no breathing room in this land of inflated premiums. Aetna and Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which are based out of Jacksonville, own almost 45% of the Florida’s market. They can “reap oversized profits and raise premiums with impunity,” Health Care for America Now had stated in a recent report. As a health reform advocacy group, Health [...]
Retired physician of more than 20 years, Cleaves Bennett, seeks to explain the reasons for today’s skyrocketing health care costs in this country. While he recognizes that this is a tall order, there are certain factors that are plain to see. Bennett places a lot of blame on certain health problems which have come about [...]
Along the Treasure Coast, free and low cost health clinics have been the saving grace for Floridians without health insurance. As the economy has declined, and more people have lost their jobs and group health insurance coverage, citizens are seeking treatment at these public facilities. Lines have recently been out the door however, and the [...]
Bay County Florida has decided to name May as Women’s Health Month. Women, in an effort to care for family and friends, all too often neglect their own health. This can not only jeopardize their own wellness, but also their ability to continue caring for friends and family. It is in this spirit that Bay [...]
Representatives from the health insurance industry have made the promise to end the practice of gender disparity in health insurance premiums in an effort to stave off the formation of a universal health care system which could eventually spell the end of private insurance. The health insurance companies fear that a government run system will [...]
Florida made a number of difficult decisions recently to balance the state budget, and there are a lot of taxes involved. A number of budget cuts are threatening state jobs as well, as many as 800, however the new budget will offset this by creating 10,000 new jobs. Workers who earn over $45,000 yearly will [...]
New research indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau estimate for the number of uninsured Americans, said to be at about $46 million in 2007, is woefully outdated. New estimates show that the number of Americans without insurance has gone up to approximately $52 million now, with the unemployment rate and recession having a heavy impact. [...]