Free Republic

Nationwide, the nation's largest pet insurer, is dropping coverage for about 100,000 pets across the country, blaming the rising costs of veterinary care and other factors that it says are threatening long-term viability and profitability of its pet insurance business. "As pet lovers ourselves, we understand the emotions connected to the protection of our family pets. Inflation in the cost of veterinary care and other factors have led to recent underwriting changes and plan availability in some states — difficult actions that are necessary to ensure a financially sustainable future for our pet insurance line of business," the company said...

Hundreds of nursing homes in Florida have been forced to shut their doors over the past five years because of the soaring cost of commercial property insurance in the state. In the five-year period ending in 2023, an average of 146 nursing homes or assisted-living facilities in Florida have closed each year, according to the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration. During that same five-year period, commercial property insurance premiums rose 125% in Florida. Last year alone, annual premiums rose by around 27% in the state, according to Bloomberg News.

Four years since Covid-19 lockdown curbs forced Burger & Lobster to close its restaurants, the purveyor of gourmet patties and crustacean rolls is still battling with its insurance company to recover some of the resulting losses. Alongside more than 20 other businesses including the owners of Hawksmoor steakhouses and Newcastle Falcons rugby club, the chain has brought a claim against Allianz in London’s High Court after the insurer declined to pay out on its business interruption policy, a type of cover designed to compensate for lost revenues. The case is one of dozens being fought between insurers and UK policyholders...

[H/T Grey_whiskers]https://twitter.com/Geiger_Capital/status/1785134881481048569April 29, 2024

Now John Eastman, one of the attorneys who worked with former President Donald Trump, has been debanked by both Bank of America and USAA. That USAA debanked Eastman for his ties to the 2020 election contest comes as a surprise. USAA — now an insurance, financial services, and banking powerhouse headquartered in San Antonio, Texas — got its start in 1922 as a mutual self-insurance company for Army officers. Its clientele is mostly service members, veterans, and their families, with membership limited to those who can show a military tie. That means that, per a 2019 Pew Research poll, its...

Amid the ongoing insurance crisis in California, Allstate says it could soon resume writing new policies, though the move would come with some conditions. Allstate Insurance stopped writing new homeowners policies in California two years ago but says it may start offering them again if the state Department of Insurance will allow them to use catastrophic modeling when requesting rate increases. Catastrophic models are computerized reports that simulate potential catastrophic events and could be used to justify rate increases.

The state has confirmed an additional case of pertussis — or whooping cough — on Hawaii Island amid an outbreak that has so far sickened 11 since March. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state has confirmed an additional case of pertussis — or whooping cough — on Hawaii Island amid an outbreak that has so far sickened 11 since March. Several of the recent cases have been in infants too young to be fully vaccinated. Officials said the cases indicate “community spread” of pertussis on Hawaii Island. Because of that, the state Health Department is strongly recommending that parents stay up...

... According to filings from the state’s Department of Insurance, Tokio Marine America Insurance Co. and Trans Pacific Insurance Co. said they would both stop offering homeowners and personal umbrella insurance in the Golden State.... ... Those impacted will receive nonrenewal notices beginning on July 1. The proposed effective date for these filings will take place on Aug. 1, 2025....

Luc Van Gorp, president of Christian Mutuality, pushed suicide for older people who are ‘tired of life’ and shockingly described the elderly as a ‘mountain of meat’ that ‘starts to smell.’ The president of Belgium’s largest health care fund has promoted euthanasia as a solution for the country’s aging population problem. Luc Van Gorp, head of Christian Mutuality (CM), pointed out that the number of people over 80 in Belgium will double up to 1.2 million by 2050, putting large financial pressure on the health care system and insurance companies. According to De Specialist, Van Gorp said the problem cannot...

The president of Belgium’s largest health care fund has promoted euthanasia as a solution for the country’s aging population problem. Luc Van Gorp, head of Christian Mutuality (CM), pointed out that the number of people over 80 in Belgium will double up to 1.2 million by 2050, putting enormous financial pressure on the health care system and insurance companies. According to De Specialist, Van Gorp said the problem cannot be solved with more money and called for “a radically different approach.” “Doctors and other health professionals are now doing their utmost to make everyone live longer, but for what purpose?...

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on Friday mandating annual skin cancer screenings for more than 300,000 state employees and their families at no out-of-pocket cost. The law, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Massullo, a dermatologist by trade, stipulates that the state group health insurance plan managed by the Division of State Group Insurance must cover skin cancer screenings conducted by dermatologists, physician assistants, or advanced registered practice nurses, without requiring deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, or any other form of cost-sharing.

Inflation ticked higher once again in March, with consumer prices up 0.4 percent over the previous month and 3.5 percent compared to one year earlier. The latest data marks the third month in a row that the consumer price index (CPI), a closely watched gauge of inflation, has come in hotter than expected, likely throwing cold water on hopes that the Federal Reserve would begin cutting interest rates soon.

Shares of U.S. health insurers fell after the Biden administration didn't boost payments for private Medicare plans as much as the insurance industry and investors had hoped...The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services late Monday said that government payments to Medicare Advantage plans are expected to rise 3.7% year over year...That is effectively a 0.16% decline after stripping out certain assumptions baked into that rate, according to insurers and analysts.

Joe Biden is demanding, and pronto, more of our tax money to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. He wants more from us—naturally—but America needs, as its first priority, to investigate and determine if the bridge’s destruction was in fact unintended… or malicious. Much documented evidence is emerging as to the bridge “accident” being in fact, a political, and likely international, cyber-attack. Whether or not this is so, something is off-kilter about the serial infrastructure fails happening all around us. It is time for a much closer look. As to Biden’s call for more cash, where are the...

So why am I telling this story? Because there is a tax benefit if you have an accident that is a total loss, and you receive an insurance payout for said loss. It’s called a “sales tax affidavit” and is available by law in all 50 states. There are some variations depending on the state, the model year of the vehicle, damage assessment, etc., but it is still the law of the land.

It was dark. It was early — 6:20 A.M., in fact. Seventy miles per hour — a bit over the speed limit, yes, but nothing unusual for a rural highway at that time of day. Or an interstate at any time of day, for that matter. And there she was, suddenly in the headlights, just...standing there. It all happened so very, very fast. I swerved, desperately attempting to miss her. I failed. I hit her at an angle, but still in the head and chest. At least I can rest easy knowing that she didn’t suffer. That doe died instantly,...

... Reading insurance trade magazines isn't everyone's idea of a great time, but every Californian should pay attention to the latest news in that arcane world. "State Farm to pull out of 72,000 California insurance policies," blared a Reinsurance News headline. State Farm provides nearly 21 percent of state homeowner policies, so this is big news. Last year, it stopped writing new homeowner policies. Now it's "non-renewing" existing ones and getting out of apartment policies entirely....

Maryland lawmakers are expecting the federal government to cover the lion’s share of the cost of the collapse and subsequent rebuilding of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge — with Congress potentially on the hook for only a fraction of the total as talk about an emergency supplemental bill increases. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told reporters that roughly 90 percent of the bridge’s reconstruction will be paid for via the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency fund, which has about $950 million and is replenished yearly with $100 million. The state sent a letter to the federal government Wednesday saying it will...

"My expectation would be that ultimately there'll be insurance payments." 30 second video at link. Bonus clip: RNC Research @RNCResearch Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen claims Biden's priority is "getting the cost of living down" and "lowering energy prices." FACT: Overall prices are up 18.6%, electricity costs are up 28.4%, and gas prices are up 48% since Biden took office. https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1773031172810961263

G.M. had provided information about braking, acceleration and speed to LexisNexis Risk Solution and Verisk, firms that generated driver risk profiles for insurers... General Motors said Friday that it had stopped sharing details about how people drove its cars with two data brokers that created risk profiles for the insurance industry. The decision followed a New York Times report this month that G.M. had, for years, been sharing data about drivers’ mileage, braking, acceleration and speed with the insurance industry. The drivers were enrolled — some unknowingly, they said — in OnStar Smart Driver, a feature in G.M.’s internet-connected cars...