A proposal to penalize drivers without car insurance even if they do not cause a wreck collides with skeptics at the capitol. The proposal says that an uninsured motorist who is hurt in a crash with a driver who HAS insurance cannot sue the insured motorist for noneconomic damages—such things as pain and suffering, loss of employment and loss of a physical relationship with another person [Read more...]
Truth in insurance bill under study at Capitol
February 5, 2009 By
Some Missourians have learned too late that a Medicare supplemental plan they have bought is not a supplement at all. The legislature is being asked to pass a law keeping agents from misleading Medicare recipients about what they’re being sold.
So here’s a simple thing to remember: No matter what your agent tells you, a Medicare Advantage policy is not a supplement for your Medicare policy. It’s a replacement and the purchaser might find out that they cannot go to their usual healthcare provider because that provider is not part of the program.
Director Pat Selby with Heartland Retired and Senior Volunteers in Kirksville admits the insurance industry has improved the way the policies are pitched. But she says there are still some bad-actor agents and brokers.
She has told a Senate committee, “During the month of December, 2008, two beneficiaries enrolled in an advantage plan with one particular agent. They were told of the money they would save….Both ended up in an advantage plant heir doctors did not participate in.”
The committee is studying a proposed law requiring insurance-sellers to make it clear that the policy is a replacement, not a supplement, and giving purchasers a couple of days to contact their doctors and other healthcare providers to see if they are included in the policy’s coverage.
A lobbyist for Missouri’s independent insurance agents says 95 to 98 percent of agents do a good job. He says the bill will help the others do a better job it if becomes law.
Hospitals see increase in uninsured, underinsured emergency room patients
January 27, 2009 By
The Missouri Hospital Association reports a dramatic increase in uninsured and underinsured patients checking into emergency rooms.
Spokeswoman Mary Becker says the problem is multi-faceted and that employers have been offering less insurance to employees for a few years now as premiums have gone up. The economic recession, she says, has merely exacerbated the problem.
State budget shortfalls could further financially impact patients and hospitals if cuts are made to the Medicaid system.
Click the sound icon below to listen to Mary Becker explain how this problem facing Missouri hospitals financially impacts everyone in the end.
Coalition pushes health care reform during political season
July 8, 2008 By
A coalition of groups calls for an emphasis on reforming America’s health care system, but doesn’t endorse any particular plan.
The coalition operates under the overall name of " Health Care for America Now ". It launched its $40 million campaign with a news conference in Washington, D. C. as well as coordinated news conferences held in 52 cities across the country, including Jefferson City. The news conference held in the Capitol was one of 38 held in state capitals throughout the United States. The coalition doesn’t endorse any specific plan, but wants health care that is universal and doesn’t deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
Missouri Pro Vote’s Ben Murray kicked off the news conference at the Missouri Capitol by stating that the country’s health care system is broken and the question is not about Republicans or Democrats, but about making sure all Americans have health care coverage.
The coalition, though, is made up of a number of groups that typically support Democrats, such as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), MoveOn, the National Education Association (NEA) and Planned Parenthood, does the coalition have the make-up needed to convince both Democrats and Republicans that health care must be a priority issue?
Murray says the coalition has reached out to both sides of the political aisle. He surmises that some Republicans will be more receptive than others.
Others at the news conference objected to the premise of the question, such as Dr. Hope Tinker, who has a private practice in Fayette. She says she treats both Democrats and Republicans and people of all parties are both concerned about the issue and have personal stake in it.
Allstate Refuses to Loosen Grip on Documents
December 19, 2007 By
Allstate Insurance’s good hands are not going to let go of some documents demanded in a Jackson County lawsuit even though the company’s refusal is costing it $25,000 a day. The penalty ordered by the judge in the case already total $2.4 million. The lawsuit charges Allstate has been running a claims payment system since the 1990s that earns the company big profits by shortchanging clients. Allstate says the 12,500 pages of material contain trade secrets. But a circuit judge has demanded them. The Missouri Supreme Court agrees with him. The case involves a man who says Allstate has refused to pay his claim arising from a vehicle crash seven years ago.
