The News Review:
- Fortis Plans to Pursue Insurance Sale to BNP Paribas
- Health care up in air as economy sinks
- Insurance Company Says Fire Victims Died f ‘Pollution’
- Homeowners insurance rates in Triangle NC to increase
- ‘¢ Insurance smoking deals elude Michigan lawmakers
Fortis Plans to Pursue Insurance Sale to BNP Paribas
Bloomberg
?Things have only gotten worse since we agreed tosell and I expect more negative news to come from the financialcrisis affecting the valuation of assets. ? Fortis on ct. 6 agreed to sell Fortis Insurance Belgium NVthe country?s largest insurance company to BNP Paribas for 5. 7billion euros ($8 billion) in cash. The transaction was part of astate-organized breakup of Fortis meant to prevent the collapseof its main banking unit with about 238 billion euros of depositsat the time according to a.
Health care up in air as economy sinks
USA Today
a longtime champion of overhauling health care. Former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle who has written a book on changing the health system is bama’s choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services — and also will direct a new White House office on health reform. The health insurance industry — whose “Harry and Louise” ads helped turn public opinion against the last attempted overhaul — says it wants change. “Now is the time” says Robert Zirkelbach spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans the industry trade group. “Fifteen years ago we simply responded to other people’s proposals. This time around our board felt we had responsibility to come up with solutions and proposals. ne of AHIP’s proposals: End a long-standing industry practice of barring people with medical conditions from buying insurance so long as the government requires everyone to have coverage.
Insurance Company Says Fire Victims Died f ‘Pollution’
MSNBC
According to a recent legal request filed in a Houston federal court the insurance company claims the smoke that killed Marvin Wells Jeanette Hargrove and Shana Ellis was pollution. The company said it does not believe the victims’ families should be compensated. “The name of the company is Great American Insurance so what I want to know is is this how you insure great Americans?” Ellis asked. “My sister was a great American.
Homeowners insurance rates in Triangle NC to increase
Bizjournals.com NC
us Digg This Homeowners in Durham and Raleigh will see their insurance rates increase by as much as 5 percent under terms of a settlement between the state and insurance companies. utside those cities rates in Durham Wake and range counties are set to go up by as much as 2 percent. utgoing Insurance Commissioner Jim Long announced the settlement Thursday. Under the state’s process for setting insurance rates an industry organization called the North Carolina Rate Bureau requests rate increases with the insurance commissioner then deciding what’s appropriate. In Durham and Raleigh the Rate Bureau had asked for a 32.
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‘¢ Insurance smoking deals elude Michigan lawmakers
MLive.com MI
open(urlwinnameoptions) newwin. Lawmakers also failed to find a compromise on health insurance legislation as their 2007-08 session neared an end Friday. Both issues have been the subject of hot debate at the Capitol for much of the past two years. But lawmakers had not found compromises on either topic and both were declared dead by key lawmakers as the clock ticked down toward adjournment of the Legislature’s two-year session. Several House members and senators had left the chambers early Friday as it became less likely a smoking ban vote would occur with each passing hour. The legislation sought by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan related to health insurance was dead for the year the Legislature’s top Republican said.