Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Archives Of General Psychiatry: Ten-Year Trends In Quality Of Care And Spending For Depression The researchers looked at treatment of depression in Medicaid enrollees in Florida from 1996-2006. They found a 29 percent increase in spending “despite decreases in inpatient costs.” They attributed much of the increase to the growing use of antipsychotic drugs. T
Managing Risks, Recognising Responsibilities
Thursday March 1st2012, Hotel Russell, London
The insurance industry is faced with new responsibilities, new risks and new challenges in a rapidly evolving global market place.
In a global environment where governments can no longer act as sole protector and risk officer of society, the insurance industry has a new opportunity for leadership, responsibility and growth. What role will the insurance industry play?
This unique one-day summit brings together the leaders of the industry to discuss the strategic direction for UK insurance.
Jelf Insurance Brokers have announced the appointment of Lee Gwilliam to the post of business development executive.
Gwilliams appointment is made with a view to enhancing the firms profile in the South East, and he is to be based in the Guildford office.
In his new role he assumes responsibility for business growth and service delivery within the branch, as well as formulating bespoke products and schemes for traders.
Earlier in his career Gwilliam worked for Willis as a business development executive and is a specialist in care, construction and manufacturing.
He will report directly to Regional Managing Director Chris Gibson, who said that he was thrilled to welcome Gwilliam on board and praised his wealth of experience.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have published proposed guidance on payment protection insurance (PPI) products.
Both watchdogs are monitoring the market as it shifts away from the disastrous PPI offerings of the past and new products or product features are developed.
These include short-term income protection and debt freeze or debt waiver products, sold alongside a credit agreement or mortgage.
In particular, the FSA and OFT are looking out for products or practices that could cause detriment to consumers and the FSA has outlined four key areas of concern, as follows:
1. Firms not properly identifying the target market for the protection product.
2.
In a letter to HHS, governors say they need more support in establishing marketplaces.
Reuters: Insurance Exchanges Could Harm US States’ Autonomy Some of the federal healthcare law’s requirements related to insurance exchanges threaten the autonomy of U.S. states, which need more support in establishing the marketplaces, state governors said in a letter released on Thursday. “The decision to implement health insurance exchanges requires a number of complex policy decisions amid aggressive timelines,” wrote the National Governors Association in a letter to U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius dated Nov.
Prosecutors laid out an elaborate scheme in which ex-employees of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) claimed to be disabled for early retirement so they could boost their pensions by tens of thousands of dollars each year.
Those charged included two doctors who falsely certified that the ex-workers were incapable of doing their job due to bad health.
Specialist home and contents insurer Hiscox has commissioned research which has revealed that 57% of people are unaware of the value of their vintage valuables.
In addition to fine wine, vintage goods of possibly high worth include books, musical memorabilia and furniture.
Andrew Cheney, senior risk and valuation advisor at Hiscox, explained that the vintage label now afforded influence similar to the antique tag.
The value added by being vintage is often dependent upon proof of an objects special or unique status, such as a photograph proving a guitar had been played by the Eagles, as Cheney recalled.
Hiscox advises those with vintage valuables to keep a detailed written journal of their goods, and to keep written proof of an objects provenance, acquired at purchase, safe.
In addition, brokers or insurers should be notified when a valuable object is acquired, a specialist should be employed to clean the item in question and, if possible, it ought to be kept in a safe.
On a related note, earlier this year Hiscox urged homeowners to take account of the rising price of precious metals and to have their jewellery re-valued if it had not been in the last few years to avoid the risk of under-insurance.
But the fragments could land anywhere and in the unlikely event of a piece striking a house in the UK, home insurance would cover the damage, according to AA Insurance.
Part of a falling satellite could potentially cause a lot of damage, given that it may be travelling at up to 4.6 miles (7.5km) per second* and will be white-hot, says Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance.
Although so far as I am aware no-one in the UK has ever claimed for damage from falling space junk, impact from parts of aircraft or chunks of ice that have formed on an aircraft does occasionally happen. The cost of damage would be met from the ‘impact damage section of a typical home buildings insurance policy and if your car was hit, that would be covered by your comprehensive policy too.
However, under the Space Liability Convention of 1976, the state that launches a space vehicle is responsible for any damage it causes but damage from space debris is so rare that the treaty has never been invoked. In theory, this means that if a bit of the falling satellite crashed on the UK, the cost of damage could be claimed from NASA, Mr Douglas explains.
Scientists expect the satellite to break up into about 26 pieces as it descends to Earth. Weighing about six tonnes, the Upper Earth Research Satellite was launched in 1991 to measure the chemical composition of the upper atmosphere. It completed its work in 2005 and has been gradually descending ever since.
Willis has launched a product for companies with key locations, suppliers or customers located in the vicinity of a nuclear power station.
The new offering covers business interruption costs should a plant’s safety be compromised and an exclusion zone be put in place, having been developed in response to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. <