Get to Know Some Local Officials

A lot of people blanch at the idea of hanging out with politicians. Often, and understandably so, many folks’ first thoughts go directly to bribery, graft and scandal. And it’s hard to know which ones are involved in such things and which aren’t. But that doesn’t mean your interactions with local officials in your town, your county and your state have to go in those directions.

There are polite, effective, and best of all, legal, ways to discuss your business, your goals, your industry and local events with the members of your city council, your county commission, state legislature and so on. Simply arrange a visit to his or her office, attend a committee meeting or go to a dinner where such officials might be attending. Introdu Read more…

The Beginning of the End of Employer-based Health Care?

Health reform has, thus far, produced several unintended consequences. As a result, legislators are scrambling to stave off more public backlash.  The recent wave of exemptions granted by Congress to major corporations like McDonalds and Home Depot may only be a postponement of what appears to be an intended consequence of health insurance reform. Read more…

Trends in Health Insurance Coverage in the U.S.: The Impact of the Economy

The rising number of uninsured, who they are and how they might obtain health insurance coverage were much debated during the consideration and passage of health reform in the last year. Panelists at this briefing examined the recent health insurance coverage numbers and trends, what they mean, who the newly uninsured are and the impact of being uninsured. They also reviewed what states are doing during the current economic climate and how they are preparing to cover more of their uninsured population in the future.

Read more…

Rate Review: Spotlight on State Efforts to Make Health Insurance More Affordable

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act creates a new federal role to examine “unreasonable increases” in the premiums charged for certain individual and small group health plans.  Under the health reform law, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will work with state insurance departments to conduct an annual review of unreasonable rate increases, and insurers must provide justification for such increases to HHS and to the public via their websites.  The new law also allots $250 million for state insurance departments to enhance their process for reviewing proposed rate increases.       Read more…

Five Taiwan firms bid for AIG’s unit

Email This Post  Print This Post

Five Taiwanese companies are bidding for US insurance giant AIG’s local unit, Nan Shan Life, with offers of between two and three billion US dollars, the bidders and media said Saturday.

Chinatrust Financial, Fubon Financial, Cathay Financial as well as a consortium of Ruentex Group and Pou Chen Corporation were among the bidders, said the Economic Daily News, citing unnamed sources.

The fifth — a surprise inclusion — was the Goldsun Group, which was said to be working with Hong Kong-based Primus Financial Holdings, whose previous bid for Nan Shan Life was rejected by local authorities, the report said.

The companies were offering between two and three billion US dollars. Chinat Read more…

Are online searches for automobile insurance quotes safe?

While shopping around for automobile insurance quotes, most times people end up doing an online search.  However, there might be others who have their standard insurance agents who has been doing the job for them for many years.  If one has to switch over from one insurance provider to another, then online searches is the way to go.  They do help in saving time, but one must be absolutely sure that the information they receive from the website is correct and not misleading.  If there are any doubts at all, it is wise to make a personal visit and receive clarifications before choosing the insurance plan.

With all the technological advances, it is wise to use them to shop around for the right insurance provider and get the right automobile insurance quotes.  However, sometimes people are skeptical about applying online and the prime reason for that is the fact that they have to reveal a lot of personal details and that could be available to fraudsters who may misuse the information.  However, these fears can be eliminated, as most of the reputed insurance companies will never let go of the trust of their customers.  They will ensure the information provided by the applicant is strictly confidential and do this by offering a 128-bit encryption technology in order to prevent the information from being hacked into.  Extra precautions are taken to get the personal details of the applicant.

Internet has grown beyond imagination, and companies as well as agents process applications online, as it is faster as well as convenient.  Since these websites are both safe and secure, this process saves time and money for both the applicants and the providers.  The whole procedure of obtaining a quote typically takes no longer than 15 minutes.  There is a lot of time saved due to this, as one does not have to wait in endless queues to meet the concerned officials to obtain a quote, nor does one have to deal with annoying agents trying to sell their products.

To get the quotes online it is advisable to apply only at the websites of well-known auto insurance companies.  This way, only a single quote can be obtained from a particular company only.  Applying through a referral based agent (insurance), will provide you with  multiple quotes.  It is possible to receive up to 5 quotes through a single application.

does renters insurance cover the cost of repairing a ceiling when a toilet gets clogged?

i am renting a house from a friend and she wants me to get renters insurance because we had a problem with the toilet clogging in the pipes underneath the bathroom floor and down thru the living room ceiling, which now needs repaired. This has happened twice before, but when my my friend/homeowner had been living here, herself…and the problem occured in her master bathroom, which is now mine. So she knew of the problem previously…But can renters insurance cover this kind of damage to someone elses property?

Good to know : Global health funding boosted by AIDS awareness

Email This Post  Print This Post

Wealthy nations boosted funding for health programs in poor countries more than fourfold between 1990 and 2010, thanks largely to greater awareness of the need to fight HIV/AIDS, a report released Tuesday said. Read more…