Tuesday, 4 February 2014

Survey: Most uninsured say they plan to get health insurance

Fifty-six percent of uninsured U.S. adults who say they plan to get health insurance will do so via a government health insurance marketplace, a survey shows.

The survey of 1,593 U.S. adults who currently do not have health insurance was conducted Jan. 2-28 as part of the Gallup Daily tracking interviews.

Fifty-three percent of all uninsured U.S. adults said they planned to get health insurance, while 38 percent said they are more likely to pay the fine the government will assess most Americans who lack health insurance, the survey said.

Gallup previously reported a drop in the uninsured rate, from 17.3 percent in December to 16.1 percent in early January, a figure that remains unchanged through Jan. 28.

If the uninsured rate continued to drop in the coming months, the percentage of uninsured Americans aware of the requirement and the percentage planning to get insurance might also continue to decline, Gallup said.

The percentage planning to get insurance is down from 60 percent of the then-uninsured pool in December. This decline may be attributable as much to the shrinking uninsured population as to changes in uninsured Americans' intentions for obtaining insurance, Gallup said.

Only 23 percent of the uninsured said they visited, or have attempted to visit, a federal or state health insurance exchange website. This number is little changed from 26 percent in December, and 20 percent in October and November, when many Americans had difficulty accessing the online health insurance marketplace sites because of technical issues.

Apparently many of those who plan to get insurance by the March 31 deadline have yet to take specific steps toward doing so, Gallup said. The survey has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Source United Press International, Inc.

Cancer insurance claims rise sharply

Medical insurance companies are reporting more claims by cancer patients, indicating a rise in the incidence of the disease. Every year, at least 10 lakh new cases of cancer are detected in India and six lakh die of it.

On the bright side, analysis of the reimbursement data shows that the number of patients fighting cancer—and surviving it—is increasing, said medical and insurance experts. On the other hand, though cancer is mainly considered a disease of the elderly, almost half of the claims are from younger patients. Persons between 46 and 55 comprised almost a quarter of all claims from a private insurer, while almost one in five reimbursement demands came from those between 36 and 45.

"Our claims for cancer treatment have gone up 33% from 2012 to 2013," said Sanjay Dutta of ICICI Lombard, the country's largest private medical insurance provider.


Shreeraj Deshpande of Future Generali India said cancer is now among the top five diseases for which medical insurance reimbursements are issued.

Tata Memorial Centre director Dr Rajendra Badwe said there is a great "transition" of the disease in India. "The number of incurable cancers such as stomach and deep cervical cancers are decreasing even as the number of curable cancers such as breast and thyroid are increasing,'' he said.

As the number of curable cancers increase, the search for treatment and funds leads to insurance companies. "Governments, too, have signed up with insurance companies to offer free treatment for people. Many are increasing their insurance covers, and hence paying higher premiums. All this has led to a spurt in this sector," said ICICI Lombard's Dutta.

Data collated by the insurance regulator says average claims paid for cancer treatment is the fourth highest among all ailments. In 2011-12, the latest year for which entire industry data is available, 47,182 claims for cancer treatment amounting to Rs 163 crore were settled. Last year's claims would be a multiple of this number, said industry officials.

Though the biggest chunk (28%) of cancer claimants for ICICI Lombard's health insurance in 2013 belongs to the 56-65 age group, 18% came from those between 36 and 45 and 25% from those aged 46-55 (see box). Cancer is mainly considered a disease of the elderly, yet claims from the 66-80 age group barely makes up for 10% of all claims.

Insurance experts say the growth in claims for cancer also indicates that better and early diagnosis is leading to many patients seeking early treatment and, hence, better cure rates. "Early detection for many different types of cancer are available, prompting people to seek treatment,'' said Dutta. As cancer treatment is not a one-off hospital stay and involves many procedures, claims are usually high.

Experts also say rising cancer figures have prompted people to purchase more health insurance policies with higher sum insured. Max Bupa Health Insurance CEO Manasije Mishra said: "In our observation, customers tend to opt for Rs 2-3 lakh cover which can prove insufficient for diseases like cancer. They need about double the cover for such illnesses."

An official of a public sector insurance company offered another angle to the issue. "There is a rise in the incidence, which may have to do with the environment and food. But the rise in treatment cost could also be because it is being detected early thanks to growing consciousness. Some corporate groups are asking for mammography (scanning for breast cancer) to be covered as a benefit under their group policy," he said.

Source The Times of India

FWD Life Indonesia aims to be among top 10 insurers in 5 years

By Francezka Nangoy


Finansial Wiramitra Danadyaksa, a local life insurer that opened for business last month, aims to be among the top 10 life insurance providers in Indonesia within its first five years of operation.

The company, which will brand itself as FWD Life Indonesia under licensing from FWD Group in Hong Kong, is the first insurance company to start full-time operations online. Agents will process policies via its website, and the company says that it would draw in a younger generation of Indonesians.

"We invested a significant amount of money in this technology, and we believe this is a competitive advantage to us," Lee San Yuen, chief operating officer of FWD Life Indonesia, told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He refused to disclose exact targets on the number of customers or amount of premiums but said that since it started on Jan. 20, response has been positive.

"We will target the younger generation and adapt to their lifestyle where everything is always related to technology," said Adi Chandra, chief marketing officer of FWD Life Indonesia.

Source The Jakarta Globe

Western Direct Insurance to Launch New Commercial During Super Bowl Broadcast

For the second consecutive year, Western Direct Insurance will launch a new television commercial for Alberta viewing audiences during CTV's broadcast of the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLVIII will air on CTV on Sunday, February 2.

"We're thrilled to be showcasing Western Direct Insurance on the stage of the year's biggest sporting event," said Rod Cunniam, Chief Operating Officer with Western Direct Insurance. "Western Direct has been a passionate supporter of football through our partnership with the Calgary Stampeders and we look forward to showcasing our great value and exceptional customer service through one of television's largest audiences."

To view Western Direct Insurance's Super Bowl commercial, please visit http://youtu.be/YirMchb397Q.

Western Direct Insurance Call Centre staff will be working extended hours this Sunday. Expert insurance advisors can be reached at 1 (855) 674-6338 to care for and handle customer inquiries. More information is also available at www.westerndirect.ca.

About Western Direct Insurance
Western Direct Insurance offers home, condo and tenant insurance in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. In British Columbia, the products are offered under Western Direct Insurance Agency. Western Direct Insurance also provides car, motorcycle and recreational vehicle insurance for residents in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. Western Direct Insurance products are offered through Western Financial Group, a diversified insurance services company that serves more than 790,000 customers across Western Canada. Want to know more about Western Direct Insurance? Visit our website at westerndirect.ca.

Source Western Direct Insurance

'Sticker scam' burglaries push up insurance costs

Burglaries may be decreasing but a worrying new crime, where homes are marked, proves organised gangs are trying harder

By Teresa Hunter

Master criminals have replaced Burglar Bill, introducing a sinister new element to house breaking, and pushing up the cost of home cover, insurance giants have warned.

Improved household security has beaten old-fashioned opportunist burglars, claims experts say. These have been replaced by sophisticated criminals, who are organised. They carry out detailed surveillance, target individual homes or groups of homes, and exploit technology to maximise the haul and minimise the risks.

Police and insurers are urging the public to be on the look out for a worrying new trend known as the "sticker scam". After carrying out surveillance, transparent stickers, advertising, say, a bogus locksmith, are left on letterboxes to mark up the best prospects. The gang returns the next day and makes a clean sweep of those households targeted.

Darren Hull, household manager at Direct Line, one of the UK’s biggest insurers, said: "They display a high degree of professionalism. They know precisely what they are doing before they go in and are out for the greatest reward for the smallest risk."

The soaring price of gold is partly being blamed. A decade ago gold sold for less than £250 an ounce, but today trades for £761. The gangs go in specifically looking for gold and jewellery and use a metal detector to locate the items.

They carry cash for gold envelopes in their pockets and have runners to take the letters straight to a post box.

"They know what they are looking for and the metal detector lets them locate it in record time," added Hull.

"Posting it off straight away means if they get stopped in the street they have nothing to incriminate them. Similarly, if the police raid their homes, they will not find anything," said Hull, who also works for Direct Line’s Privilege subsidiary, which specialises in homes with higher levels of wealth.

Adrian Webb, a spokesman for Esure, added: "Gangs are targeting higher value homes. It is much more sinister with criminals doing their homework and effectively treating a spate of break-ins as a major project, planning everything in advance.

"The world of crime has moved into a modern era. Second-hand DVD players and other electronics have little resale value so these are no longer of any interest. Gold is their target and a decent haul can mean big money. These operations are planned and slick."

Burglaries down, insurance costs up

The actual number of burglaries has been falling, as households have increased security by installing good window and door locks, burglar alarms and setting up neighbourhood watch schemes.

Nevertheless burglaries remain the single largest cause of home insurance claims, said AA Insurance Services, one of the nation’s biggest brokers. Burglary claims reached 165,000 in the first nine months of last year, according to the Association of British Insurers and are expected to top 220,000 for the whole of 2013, when stats for the final quarter are collated later this month.

At the AA, burglary claims account for 16pc of household payouts, compared with the next largest category, which is storms and floods at 14pc and 13pc relating to burst pipes.

More worrying, the average cost of claims is rising. At Esure, compensation payouts for the average burglary rose by 29pc over the past three years, with its biggest claims topping £100,000.

The average burglary claim at the AA is £1,752, with its highest value claim reaching £67,562.

Even if your home is not hit, you may still pay a high price for this criminal activity, through eye-watering increases to your premium.

Ian Crowder of the AA said break-ins near your home could add around 10pc to your premium.

"All homes are assessed for risk when setting premiums. Unfortunately, if your road or postcode suffers a spate of burglaries, then its risk profile may change and it could end up costing you more," he said.

Esure said in a worst-case scenario, premiums could more than double if your road is hit by a synchronised crime attack.

In this scenario, the annual premium for a four-bedroom, semi-detached home in a road normally rated as low risk, might climb from £135 to £298 after it is re-rated as high risk.

Mr Webb said: "All homes are assessed individually, so it would come down to individual risk. But a local crime wave can make a difference to premiums." Insurers are warning homebuyers to increase vigilance of their own properties and those of their neighbours if they want to avoid higher insurance costs.

Mr Hull said: "Be on the look out for any change in activity in your road, such as the arrival of teams of fly-droppers. By gently leaning on the front door, as they push the leaflets through the letter box, they can see which homes have good locks, and which are only secured with a Yale. They then put a transparent sticker on the letter box as a signal to their accomplices which home owners fail to spot when they return in the dark."

Source The Telegraph

 

 

 

Lloyds runs up £10 billion bill for mis-selling insurance

Despite spiralling costs, British bank forecast small profit in full-year results due out later this month

The bill for mis-sold insurance at Lloyds spiralled to nearly £10 billion today after the taxpayer-backed bank admitted it is set for another 550,000 complaints.

The latest provision to cover the cost of compensating customers mis-sold payment protection insurance was much greater than expected at £1.8 billion.

However, Lloyds sought to highlight its return to health by forecasting a small profit in full-year results on February 13th and offering guidance on the steps it is taking towards dividend payments and the sale of the British government’s stake.

Chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio, who has overseen a 70 per cent rise in the company’s share price in the last 12 months, said the business had been "reshaped, simplified and strengthened" over the last three years.

But the bank’s new provision on PPI is far higher than the additional £465 million revealed last week by fellow state-backed player Royal Bank of Scotland, a move which took its current total to £3.1 billion.

The bill for the whole industry is now in excess of £20 billion.

Lloyds set aside £3 billion in 2013, despite a reduction in average monthly complaint volumes to around 37,000 in the final quarter of last year.

However, its latest customer surveys suggest that the Halifax and Bank of Scotland owner can expect another 550,000 complaints on PPI, while it has also revised its forecasts for those claims deemed successful. Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown stockbrokers, said: "The PPI number is disappointing not only in terms of the cumulative figure now nudging £10 billion, but also because it perpetuates concerns around when this saga will actually come to an end."

The bank has also made a further provision of £130 million relating to the sale of interest rate hedging products to small and medium-sized businesses, bringing the total amount set aside to £530 million.

Despite the provisions for legacy issues, Lloyds still expects to make a small statutory profit for the last year and to better City expectations with an underlying profit of £6.2 billion for 2013. The bank has been a grateful beneficiary of the Government’s Help to Buy scheme for house-buyers, as well as the Funding for Lending initiative, as mortgage borrowing has taken off.

Lloyds last paid a dividend to shareholders after it published its half-year results in 2008, just prior to it requiring a £20 billion rescue by the taxpayer.

It is still 33 per cent state-owned but Lloyds said preparations for the possible future sale of shares to the public were under way.

In September, the government began the process of selling down the 39 per cent shareholding by offloading a 6 per centg stake to institutional investors.

A public sale of shares in Lloyds, encouraged by demand for the recent privatisation of Royal Mail, will fuel hopes that the bank can be returned to private ownership in time for the 2015 general election.

It also revealed that it will apply to the banking regulator later this year in a bid to resume dividend payments to shareholders at a "modest" level. Shares were more than 3 per cent lower as some analysts had been expecting dividends to be reinstated earlier and by more than today’s guidance.

 

Source The Irish Times

Casino and Gaming Insurance  

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What else do you need to know about casinos and insurance? Unless you are a casino operator, there really isn’t anything else you need to think about. Essentially, when you are a player you need to concentrate on creating your own personal insurance to yourself. In other words, you need to make sure that you create a gambling budget and that you stick to it. Once you create a bankroll, your goal should never be to deplete it. This makes certain that you will always have money with which you can play. Equally, you should set yourself winning and losing limits, so you know when to call it a day.