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Dear
George,
Thank you for viewing this
material. We are pleased to provide this service to you, and to provide
up to date information regarding risk management, insurance industry
news, products and changes.
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SURVEY RANKS CALIFORNIA'S LAWSUIT CLIMATE AMONG WORST IN
THE NATION
(written by the Insurance Journal)
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 A new national survey finds that California's lawsuit
climate is among the worst in the country and on par with states
including Alabama, Louisiana, and West Virginia. Among local
jurisdictions, Los Angeles' courts were mentioned as the second worst
in the nation for legal fairness after Chicago, Illinois. San
Francisco's courts were named as the sixth worst.
The findings from "Lawsuit Climate 2010: Ranking
the States" were released by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal
Reform (ILR). The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive by telephone
and online from October 2009 to January 2010, ranks the worst five
states for legal fairness as: California (46th), Alabama (47th),
Mississippi (48th), Louisiana (49th), and West Virginia (50th).
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EMPLOYER HEALTHCARE COSTS ROSE 7.3% IN 2009 (written by the
Insurance Journal)
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 Average healthcare costs for U.S. employers rose by 7.3
percent in 2009, surpassing inflation and the growth rate in overall
healthcare spending, Thomson Reuters reported Monday.
Overall U.S.
healthcare spending, including Medicare, Medicaid, and other payers,
grew by 4.8 percent in 2009, the report found.
"In a year
when inflation was non-existent, employer healthcare costs continued to
surge,'' Chris Justice of the Healthcare & Science business of
Thomson Reuters, who wrote the report, said in a statement.
"This
analysis puts the real-world healthcare challenges facing employers
into perspective. These cost increases have come at a particularly
difficult time for U.S. companies.''
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CALIFORNIA PANEL WANTS SAY ON HEALTH INSURANCE RATE
HIKES (written
by the Los Angeles Times)
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 Reporting from Sacramento - California lawmakers who
want to go further than the newly signed federal healthcare overhaul
scored a victory Tuesday when a proposal to make insurance companies
justify rate hikes sailed through the Assembly's Health Committee.
The bill would put health insurers and health
maintenance organizations under the same strict regulation that has
covered automobile and other types of property insurance for the last
two decades. It would require approval of some rate hikes by state agencies.
"Now that Congress has mandated that every American
must show proof of owning a health insurance policy or face fines,
California must ensure that the prices that insurers charge for
coverage are fair," said Jerry Flanagan, healthcare policy director
for Consumer Watchdog.
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POIZNER TAKES AIM AT FEDERAL HEALTH REFORM (written by the LA
Daily News)
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 BEVERLY HILLS - The
federal health care overhaul will make it harder for California to
balance its budget, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner
plans to say in a speech in Beverly Hills tonight, an aide said.
The law "could cost a trillion dollars, with a half
trillion in new taxes and several unfunded mandates on our state,"
Poizner, the state's insurance commissioner, said Monday.
"California's consumers will bear the burden of
higher health insurance premiums and health care costs, in addition to
an onerous federal mandate that will require residents to have health
insurance, whether they want it or not."
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PLEASE
NOTE
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WE
HAVE MOVED
our
office effective
March
16, 2009
The
new address will be:
1550
Parkside Drive,
Suite 200
Walnut
Creek, CA 94596
We have new phone numbers:
Phone: 925-956-7600
Fax: 925-956-7601
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