Naturally, I waited until I wasn’t feeling well to seriously initiate this process. But I didn’t expect any problems. I was just 23, basically healthy and, most important, insured. So I pulled out my computer, looked up the UnitedHealthcare list of preapproved doctors and started calling.

And I got rejected. Again. And again. (Usually after being put on hold for three or four minutes.)

I talked to one primary-care practice that hadn’t accepted new patients in eight years. I talked to another that was accepting new patients only if they had HIV/AIDS.

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Almost half of the loans were originated by Silverton Bank NA, whose collapse in May was the biggest in Georgia history. Community banks that joined Silverton in providing $80 million for the hotel-condo complex, as well as backing for 39 other projects, could be forced to write down their stakes to reflect sale prices.

(PRWEB) — Medibank Private Health Insurance has opened Australia’s first Rapid Care Clinic in Brisbane, promising residents faster treatment for minor injuries and illnesses than is typically experienced in a hospital emergency room.

The Rapid Care Clinic offers a dedicated facility for the treatment of injuries and illnesses that require immediate care but which are not life-threatening. Injuries treated include sprains and strains, cuts and abrasions, broken bones, minor burns and sporting injuries. People suffering from viruses, headaches and migraines can also present for treatment.

The clinic will operate extended hours from 8am-9pm 7 days a week, 365 days a year, catering for families and sporting injuries, and is open to members and non-members alike, although members of Medibank Private health insurance will receive a discount. Patients require no appointment, and will receive medical care within an hour of arrival.

According to Medibank Managing Director, George Savvides, the Medibank Rapid Care Clinic concept is designed to complement existing medical services by filling the gap between the family GP and hospital emergency rooms.

“Anybody who has experienced attending a busy hospital emergency room with a minor injury or a sick child, tried to get an appointment with their GP on short notice or out-of-hours, will understand the value of the Rapid Care Clinic.

“Hospital Emergency rooms must prioritise individuals who present with life-threatening medical emergencies therefore delaying treatment for those with minor injuries. This is understandable, but sitting in a waiting room for hours on end as higher priority cases pass you by, is a very unpleasant experience.

“On the other hand, GP’s excel at providing primary care and long-term management of medical conditions. What they are not designed for is providing urgent medical treatment for minor injuries, and they can be difficult to access out-of-hours and on weekends.

“What the Rapid Care Clinic will do is fill this gap by providing timely customer focused medical treatment for non-life threatening conditions. We can x-ray and plaster cast a child’s broken arm, or stitch and bandage a serious cut, or attend to minor sporting injuries. We are accessible, open early and closing late, including on weekends, and we are open to all comers with no appointment necessary.

“Part of our standard service will be to communicate the injury details and the treatment provided back to a patient’s GP. The GP can then manage any other treatment required for the injury or illness. Whilst the service is more costly than the free emergency service in a public hospital, Medibank’s customer research indicates a strong interest by consumers for fast and responsive injury treatment.”

Should the initial Rapid Care Clinic be successful Medibank hopes to open more clinics in other Australian cities in the future.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/health-insurance/medibank-private/prweb3684444.htm

(Vocus) March 9, 2010 — Allied Pediatrics of New York, PLLC (APNY), a group of 18 established and highly regarded pediatrics practices in Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York, announced today exciting policy changes that will allow the reach of their care to extend to thousands more New York children than in the past.

To cater to working parents and to prevent long wait times at the Emergency Room, APNY opened an After Hours Center in Jericho, New York in 2008. In response to a growing need for readily available, affordable pediatric care, APNY announced today changes to the After Hours Center that include the extension of their weekday (Monday through Friday) hours from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and the addition of Sunday office hours from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.

APNY will also extend the reach of care available to any child—regardless of whether that patient regularly sees a doctor in the APNY system. This means that any patient with insurance coverage accepted by APNY, as well as any patient interested in paying out-of-pocket for their appointment and associated services, now has the ability to call the Center for an appointment to be seen during evening hours rather than make an expensive (and often unnecessary) trip to the emergency room. In addition to this change in policy, which opens the Center doors to thousands of children previously not eligible for after hours care, APNY also announced acceptance of several new insurances at both the Center and in all their practices’ offices, including Blue Cross, Blue Shield and United Healthcare. Patients with either of these insurance plans, as well as the many others accepted by APNY, will now benefit from having a convenient, in-network resource for their children’s medical services not previously available on Long Island.

“As we enter what is expected to be a tough flu season, these announcements are incredibly exciting for both us and the public at large,” noted Gary Mirkin, MD, CEO of APNY. “Working parents have long-sought affordable, convenient care for their children that do not require them to make major sacrifices at work. With the change in our acceptance policy, and our ability to now accept the most widely-popular insurance plans on Long Island, we are able to provide exactly what the working parent so desperately needs.”

Dr. Mirkin noted that if the Center sees a substantial increase in patients, a decision to offer even lengthier hours or open other centers will be imminent. “Our mission is clear—we aim to provide the highest quality of care to our patients. If our patients now include every child on Long Island, we will take the necessary measures to ensure each and every child can be treated. We will not turn anyone away.”

With healthcare reform a major national issue, APNY’s change in policy is a refreshing patient-first answer in what has become a policy-driven industry. Parents interested in visiting the Center to have their child seen need only call during office hours. Doctors affiliated with the Center caution that it serves the same functions as a primary care pediatric office, and that any cases requiring emergency care should still be referred to an Emergency Room.

To learn more about the APNY After Hours Center, including hours of operation, location, insurance plans accepted and directions, visit www.APNYafterhours.com. For more information about Allied Pediatrics of New York, visit www.alliedpeds.com.

About Allied Pediatrics of New York, PLLC:
Allied Pediatrics of New York, PLLC is a single-specialty “mega” pediatrics group created when eighteen established and highly-regarded practices in Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties came together to improve the quality of pediatric care. Each practice became a Division of APNY and retains clinical control over their offices. Their collective mission is to provide the highest quality care to their patients. To achieve this goal, the group supports increased clinical research, evaluation of new techniques and technologies in healthcare, and the promotion of an enterprise—wide continuous quality improvement program based on evidence-based clinical guidelines.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/03/prweb3704324.htm

Andover, MA (Vocus) March 9, 2010 — According to a new study commissioned by NewRiver, Inc. and conducted by Mathew Greenwald & Associates, there is strong appeal from variable annuity (VA) and variable universal life (VUL) policy holders to receive prospectus and related compliance documents electronically via e-delivery. More than half of the respondents who were not offered electronic delivery from their VA/VUL company said they would be interested in electronic delivery of their documents and prospectuses if it were available. Yet despite this opportunity, the insurance industry appears to be lagging behind other industries in effectively marketing and offering their e-delivery capabilities. Findings from the study are available at http://www1.newriver.com/wp-7-form.asp.

While participants were split in their assessment on how their VA/VUL provider was promoting e-delivery, only one in four (26%) could ever recall being notified about the option. This is a missed opportunity for variable annuity and universal life companies as respondents stated they were interested in e-delivery. In fact, less than a third of the VA/VUL owners (29%) actually read the hard copy prospectus and other documents they receive, including a mere 6% who claim to read these documents from cover to cover. Asked what was preventing them from using e-delivery, nearly three out of five (59%) respondents said it was due to the difficulty in reading compliance documents online.

“The summary prospectus is good news for policy holders who find online documents difficult and unwieldy,” said Russell E. Planitzer, CEO at NewRiver. “The availability of the new shorter, summary prospectus makes finding relevant information easier. Already a staple among mutual funds, e-delivery and layered disclosure is rapidly converging on the VA industry and is set to create the same enhanced user experience that mutual fund investors are getting today.”

In addition, the research showed that while nearly all VA/VUL owners consider themselves to be comfortable using computers for personal financial management (91%), the vast majority (86%) said they had no idea how they could go about receiving their financial information in this manner.

“This is a call to action for the insurance industry,” continues Planitzer. “There has long been a misconception within the insurance sector that due to its older customer demographics there isn’t a high level of interest in electronic delivery or that reading and accessing documents online is difficult. The research dispels this myth, as the majority of those who were either not offered or were not aware of the option of electronic delivery expressed an interest in it.”

About the Study:
NewRiver commissioned Mathew Greenwald & Associates to survey more than 500 consumers who own a variable annuity or variable universal life policy in January 2010 to identify why policyholders consent to e-delivery and to learn more about the reasons why individuals choose not to accept their prospectus and compliance-related documents electronically. Conducted online, the data has a tolerance of +/- 4.5%. To view the findings from the study visit http://www1.newriver.com/wp-7-form.asp.

About NewRiver, Inc.
NewRiver develops innovative technology solutions that help financial leaders simplify investor disclosure — providing transparency and cost savings to the delivery of fund data and investor communications. Since 1995, the company has helped some of the world’s leading financial organizations move from paper to electronic disclosure via an easy to use, cost-effective, managed service offering. NewRiver pioneered the first electronic prospectus, and is the only company to guarantee its data to be “compliance grade” which allows customers to reduce risk, lower compliance costs and increase revenues. Through a patent-pending, automated process NewRiver efficiently monitors millions of data points from over 24,600 fund CUSIPs. Further, the company’s unique “paperless” approach improves the investor experience while offering a real alternative to the environmental impact of paper-only delivery. Relied on daily by over 100 leading financial services firms, and millions of investors, NewRiver is a trusted and growing solution provider facilitating the transition from paper-based mutual fund information, to electronic. To learn more, please visit our website www.newriver.com or call 978-247-7200.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/variable_annuity/e-delivery_prospectus/prweb3699434.htm

(Vocus) March 10, 2010 — The snowstorms of February unleashed travel disruptions across the country that were reason enough to validate travel insurance as a must for travelers seeking protection against undue expenses from weather delays. There are new reasons, however, why airlines this winter have acted more quickly ahead of a predicted snowstorm’s arrival to cancel blocks of flights when bad weather is forecast to disrupt their flight schedule.

As reported last week by the New York Times, the Department of Transportation’s new three-hour tarmac delay rules, which took effect at the end of December, have put new pressure on airlines. They are required to return any aircraft that has not departed to return to the terminal within three hours of leaving the boarding gate or face stiff penalties. The three-hour delay rules, in addition to requiring each airline to provide adequate water and toilet facilities onboard for delayed passengers, carry a fine for each violation of up to $27,500 per passenger.

An airline’s fine is potentially more than $1 million for a planeload of as few as 50 passengers. The possible punishment motivates most airlines to avoid even the chance of a violation. Rather than risk giving up to other flights the precious boarding gates that their planes may not be able to re-occupy if a snowstorm closes a congested airport, airlines now take the precaution to cancel blocks of flights on stormy days.

The trouble may just begin for passengers whose flights are cancelled. Airlines in the past two years have reduced flight frequencies while paring back their schedules. The next flight to a destination may be tomorrow or, as the Times reported of two passengers, “four days from now.” While some, but not all, carriers may waive fees for passengers to rebook, the passengers’ delay expenses for meals and lodging are typically on their own. Additionally, passengers deciding to take an airline refund to rebook their trip for later travel dates may still be required to pay a higher airfare than the one for their original booking dates.

Travel Insured International, a leading third-party insurer, reminds travelers of the strong coverage against weather-related delays included in a comprehensive travel insurance plan, such as one from its Worldwide Trip Protector line of products.

• Trip Cancellation, allowing up to a full refund of the prepaid trip, is allowed when weather causes complete cessation of your common carrier’s service for 24 or more consecutive hours.
• Trip Delay, when you are delayed a minimum or either 6 or 12 consecutive hours, depending upon the selected plan, covers reimbursement of unused, prepaid land or sea costs, and for meals and accommodations up to $100 or $200 per insured per day, depending on the selected plan.
• Missed Connection coverage is offered in most plans when a delay of a minimum three hours or a minimum six hours, depending upon the plan selected, results in a missed cruise or tour departure. Reimbursement of up to $200, $500 or $750 per insured, depending upon the selected plan, covers transportation, hotel and meal expenses to rejoin the departed trip
• If your travel supplier cancels your trip, you are covered on most Travel Insured plans up to the cost of the ticket or reissue fee when you need to book alternative flights, except for a limit of $200 in reimbursement on the Worldwide Trip Protector Lite Expanded plan. You must have covered the entire cost of the trip, including airlfare.

Thanks to new DOT rules, passengers will not be trapped in an aircraft any more. Thanks to a good travel insurance plan, they can avoid being trapped in the airport terminal as well.

About Travel Insured International

Travel Insured delivers comprehensive travel protection benefits ranging from trip cancellation and trip interruption to emergency assistance and Medevac insurance, travel accident and sickness medical expense, accidental death and dismemberment, missed connection and baggage delay or loss.

The company’s travel insurance plans include its comprehensive Worldwide Trip Protector, the most popular travel protection plan and Worldwide Trip Protector Gold, an enhanced travel insurance plan designed to protect luxury vacations and business trips. Travel Insured also offers two travel insurance plans designed to provide basic yet flexible protection for families and budget conscious travelers, its Worldwide Trip Protector Lite insurance plan and Worldwide Trip Protector Lite Expanded insurance plan. Finally they offer an Airline Ticket Protector plan as well as a complete offering of Group Travel Insurance plans including Student Group insurance plans.

Visit Travel Insured’s travel insurance web site or speak to a friendly, knowledgeable Travel Insured customer care professional at 1-800-243-3174.

Travel Insured International, based in East Hartford, Connecticut, was founded in 1993 by the foresight of insurance industry executive Peter Gehris when he acquired the travel protection division of the Travelers Insurance Company. Coverage is underwritten by Arch Insurance Company (a Missouri corporation, NAIC #11150) with executive offices located in Jersey City, NJ. Not all insurance products or coverage is available in all jurisdictions. Coverage is subject to actual policy language.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/buytravelinsurance/travelinsurance/prweb3705624.htm

Malvern, PA (Vocus) March 10, 2010 — To support and encourage the study and practice of business ethics, The Institutes have developed the free “Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals” learning module. Designed specifically for insurance practitioners, this online learning module outlines an ethical framework. Illustrated with insurance-based case studies, it is a practical and engaging tool for studying ethics, no matter what your job function, level, or years of experience. This unique learning module can be completed in just a matter of hours.

Topics addressed in the learning module include: the difference between ethics and morals, ethics and the law, and the four types of ethical dilemmas and how to examine them in order to reach an informed ethical decision. In addition, participants will get a downloadable step-by-step guide to ethical decision-making to assist in the learning process. It also teaches essential ethical principles and lets participants practice applying them in a series of case studies.

If learners wish to earn valuable and meaningful continuing education (CE) credits (upon completion of a 50-question online exam) to satisfy license renewal requirements, they pay a nominal five-dollar administrative fee paid at registration. As of March 4, 2010, 47 states have approved this learning module for CE credits. Click here for a list of approved states.

“The insurance industry is relationship driven, and relationships can only occur where there is authentic trust among the stakeholders,” said Elise M. Farnham, CPCU, ARM, AIM, CPIW, president of Illumine Consulting. “The Institutes have taken a leading role in supporting the study and practice of ethical behavior. Facing new challenges every day, insurance professionals know that The Institutes will assist in converting ethical theory into practical business application of ethical principles that can be used to respond to day to day issues.”

March is National Ethics Awareness Month and is a great time to focus on ethical behavior in the workplace. To register for the Ethical Guidelines for Insurance Professionals learning module or for more information, contact Customer Service at (800) 644-2101 or log on to www.aicpcu.org.

About the Institutes:
The Institutes are the leader in delivering proven knowledge solutions that drive powerful business results for the risk management and property-casualty insurance industry.

Institute knowledge solutions include the CPCU designation program; associate designation programs in areas such as claims, risk management, underwriting, and reinsurance; introductory and foundation programs; online courses; research; custom solutions; assessment tools, and continuing education (CE) courses for licensed insurance professionals and adjusters through its CEU.com business unit.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/Institutes/Ethical_Guidelines/prweb3702484.htm

Initially, Prudential sought a Hong Kong listing after the purchase of AIA was completed, but the company moved it forward after discussions with Hong Kong authorities, according to Prudential spokesman Edward Brewster. “We’ve had productive discussions with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the last seven days,” Mr. Brewster said. “We’ve always planned to list in Hong Kong as soon as possible after the transaction, but now are able to set out a work plan to get a listing achieved much more quickly.”

A spokesperson at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange said the exchange preferred not to comment on listing plans for individual companies.

Prudential PLC is unrelated to Prudential Financial Inc. of the U.S.

The so-called listing by introduction will be alongside Prudential’s primary listing in London, and means that no new shares will be offered, the company said.

Prudential’s deal for AIA, a transformative move to focus the U.K.-based insurer squarely on Asia’s growth markets, has nonetheless caused some disquiet over the amount of money the company is seeking from its existing shareholders to fund the purchase.

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Now comes the hard part.

Even after wiping away $51 billion of debt, A.I.G. will owe roughly $50 billion to the government. That amount is likely to keep slowly growing, because the government made large sums available — $182 billion in a number of forms — when it came to the rescue. The company has not drawn down that full amount, but every few months it taps a billion or two billion more, to finance its restructuring or bolster its insurance units.

The boards of both companies met Sunday and approved the sale of the A.I.G. unit, the American Life Insurance Company, known as Alico, the people briefed on the matter said.

The two latest deals involve selling what the insurance giant has called its “crown jewels,” leaving it with no obvious pieces to sell off to raise big blocks of cash to pay the rest of the debt.

If the company continues to draw on its government assistance, it will have to make the value of its businesses grow even faster, in order to stay ahead.

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Prospect, CT (PRWEB) March 1, 2010 — Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal wants to intervene in a class action lawsuit against The Hartford Insurance Co. to help “prevent unfair and biased automobile body damage appraisals.”

The Auto Body Association of Connecticut (ABAC) today announced that Blumenthal has asked the Stamford Superior Court for permission to appear amicus curiae and file a brief in support of the ABAC motion for a permanent injunction [Case Number X08-CV-03-0196141S (CLD).

In November, a jury awarded $15 million to Connecticut auto body repair firms, saying The Hartford Insurance Co. engaged in unfair business practices.

“Atty. Gen. Blumenthal has been a champion of small business and has been with us every step of the way,” said Atty. David Slossberg of Hurwitz, Sagarin, Slossberg and Knuff, of Milford, co-counsel for ABAC. “The AG’s intervention in this action sends a strong message — The Hartford’s unfair trade practices must stop, it must follow the law, and the hundreds of auto body shops in our state must be able to run their businesses on an even playing field, absent The Hartford’s influence and control. We are delighted with this development.”

“We trust that the results of this action will help the court conclude what has been a significant injustice,” said Bob Skrip, president of ABAC and owner of Skrip’s Auto Body, Inc., Prospect. “Mr. Blumenthal is a long time advocate on our behalf against insurance companies that try to take advantage of our businesses and we are grateful for this latest support.”

The lawsuit filed by ABAC and three of its members alleged that the insurance company artificially suppressed body shop labor rates by eliminating the use of independent appraisers and relying exclusively on its own automobile service representatives to perform appraisals so the company could control their content, including labor rates. The result: consumers do not get fair, independent appraisals of the damage to their automobiles.

The jury agreed. (Verdict issued November 17th, 2009)

Following the verdict, ABAC filed a motion for a permanent injunction to prevent the unfair business practices and asked the court for punitive damages in addition to the $15 million. Those motions are pending.

Blumenthal’s petition said, “The State seeks to prevent unfair and biased automobile body damage appraisals and unfair suppression of labor rates – conduct which not only violates (State law), but which also has a direct and adverse effect on Connecticut’s general economy.”

Further, it said the “State has an interest in preventing the unfair suppression of labor rates that significantly harms the State’s economy and results in extreme economic hardship for independent automobile body repair shops.”

In its ruling in November, the jury agreed with lawsuit claims that The Hartford improperly forced auto body shops to charge lower labor rates than general market conditions otherwise allow, in effect strangling the industry by exerting undue influence on its appraisers.

The lawsuit said that when customers need auto body repairs following an accident, employees of The Hartford, ‘customer care team specialists,’ were instructed to direct the customers to a preferred shop in The Hartford’s ‘customer care repair service program.’ Consumers were often pressured to abandon their choice in favor of The Hartford’s preferred shop, allowing The Hartford’s appraisers to exert greater control over the repair.

“Automobiles have become increasingly sophisticated over the years. Ongoing training is necessary. Expensive, sophisticated equipment is continually required to keep up with ever-more complex vehicles. Those who work in our profession today are extremely talented craftsmen and professionals. It’s time for compensation to catch up to our expenses,” Skrip said.

“The Hartford handles only about seven percent of the auto insurance business in Connecticut,” Skrip said. “We anticipate pursing legal action against other insurance companies that insist on engaging in similar illegal actions in Connecticut.”

“Enough is enough,” Skrip added. “We can no longer allow huge insurance companies to force their will on businesses and consumers. It’s your car. It’s your choice where to have it repaired.”

The Auto Body Association of Connecticut is a statewide consumer advocacy association dedicated to the advancement of the collision repair industry. The ABAC continuously strives to enhance the professional abilities and knowledge of its membership, helping provide safe and dependable repairs for the public. Additional information is available at its web site: www.abaconn.com.

Auto Body Association of Connecticut
104 Cheshire Road
Prospect, CT 06712
Phone (203) 758-6605
Fax (203) 758-0345
www.abaconn.com
“Pulling together for a better future.”

Additional Information:
Michael J. London — 203-261-1549

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/03/prweb3648594.htm