Insurance News - Thursday, August 8, 2013

Here are the leading auto insurance headlines from ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE TOPICS ON TWITTER for Thursday, August 8, 2013:

• Data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests that just as drinking and driving can be deadly, so is drinking and walking, Thirty-five percent of  pedestrian fatalities had blood alcohol content levels of .08 or higher, the legal limit for driving. 
• Ever since the recession hit in 2007, Americans have been driving less and less. And a big chunk of that decline has been due to the fact that kids these days aren't even getting a driver's license. Why?  Too much hassle.
• Another impact of the recession, he average age for vehicles in America has climbed to an all-time high of 11.4 years. 
• The Insurance Bureau of Canada has launched a database of damaged vehicles from the Alberta and GTA floods.

Insurance New - Friday, August 8, 2014

Here are the leading auto insurance headlines from ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE TOPICS ON TWITTER for Friday, August 8, 2014:

• The UK had committed to launching a £10 million driverless car experiment and the UK government will amend road laws in order to allow trials beginning in 2015. This will kill auto insurance business down the road.
• The FBI is concerned that driverless cars will be used as suicide car bombs except without a driver.
• Insurers have been focusing telematics for young drivers but a study finds demand for telematics among older drivers.
• How U.S. auto insurer Progressive collected 10 billion miles of driving data from its customers.
• A story on how Newfoundland drivers have millions more in accident claims every year than New Brunswick drivers, but have cheaper premiums.

What you need to know about auto clubs and personal auto insurance

We sometimes hear from consumers who have had their car damaged or caused property damage or injury to someone else while participating in a car club event (think hot rod club or classic car club), car performance club, race club, or performance driving technique clubs or classes, and are upset because their personal auto policy won’t pay for the damage. This type of activity exclusion may also apply to motorcycle, RV, or possibly even boat coverage.

Yes, that's right ... personal auto policies may exclude damage resulting from these activities. That means you may have no coverage whatsoever if anything happens to you, your passengers, your car, or other property or people you damage or injure while participating in these types of events.

If you are a member of one of these groups, anticipate joining one or participating in any events associated with these types of organizations or activities, you need to first read your personal auto, motorcycle, RV or boat policy, and then talk to your agent or insurer to find out what is or is not covered by your policy.

Read more about auto insurance on our website. Questions? You can contact our consumer advocates online or by phone at 1-800-562-6900.

Auto insurance and pizza delivery

We get a lot of calls from parents -- and usually those calls are after the fact, unfortunately -- about whether their child delivering pizzas needs additional auto coverage.

Sorry, but the answer's usually yes. Most personal auto insurance policies won't cover you if you're getting paid to use your own car to transport people or property for business purposes.

In general, you'll need to buy a business or commercial auto insurance policy if you are a health care worker who occasionally uses your own car to take clients to appointments. The same is true if you use your own car to deliver flowers, newspapers, pizzas, etc.

If you have questions about your coverage -- and policies do differ -- contact your agent or insurance company directly.

Health insurance questions: Preventive colonoscopies and polyps

Until fairly recently, when consumers had routine preventive colonoscopies, they often faced a substantial bill for surgery if a polyp was discovered and removed during the procedure. But current guidelines from the U.S. Department of Labor, under the Affordable Care Act, protect consumers from these extra charges for polyp removal.

Q5: If a colonoscopy is scheduled and performed as a screening procedure pursuant to the USPSTF recommendation, is it permissible for a plan or issuer to impose cost-sharing for the cost of a polyp removal during the colonoscopy? 

No. Based on clinical practice and comments received from the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and the Society for Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates, polyp removal is an integral part of a colonoscopy. Accordingly, the plan or issuer may not impose cost-sharing with respect to a polyp removal during a colonoscopy performed as a screening procedure. On the other hand, a plan or issuer may impose cost-sharing for a treatment that is not a recommended preventive service, even if the treatment results from a recommended preventive service.

In addition, the federal guidelines help people with a family history that put them in a high risk group for certain diseases. They will now be able to get more frequent preventive care without additional costs.

Q7: Some USPSTF recommendations apply to certain populations identified as high-risk. Some individuals, for example, are at increased risk for certain diseases because they have a family or personal history of the disease. It is not clear, however, how a plan or issuer would identify individuals who belong to a high-risk population. How can a plan or issuer determine when a service should or should not be covered without cost-sharing? 

Identification of "high-risk" individuals is determined by clinical expertise. Decisions regarding whether an individual is part of a high-risk population, and should therefore receive a specific preventive item or service identified for those at high-risk, should be made by the attending provider. Therefore, if the attending provider determines that a patient belongs to a high-risk population and a USPSTF recommendation applies to that high-risk population, that service is required to be covered in accordance with the requirements of the interim final regulations (that is, without cost-sharing, subject to reasonable medical management).

If you're having problems with your health insurer over these sorts of issues and you live in Washington state, feel free to contact our consumer hotline at 1-800-562-6900 or email us. 

How long can an insurance company take to investigate an auto claim?

Q: Another driver hit my car last weekend, and I haven't been paid yet. How long does an insurer have to investigate and pay my claim?

A: Generally, when a claim is uncompliated (no injuries, not a large number of witnesses, no specialized reports needed), 30 days is considered to be a reasonable time frame to investigate and make coverage decisions.

This is true whether you've made the claim against your own insurer or someone else's. Many claims are investigated and paid within 30 days.

Sometimes -- particularly in complex property damage or injury claims -- it can take longer to agree on a settlement. But you should expect reasonable promptness getting answers to your questions during the process.

You can help expedite things by providing requested information, giving statements and answering questions promptly. And if things drag on too long and you live in Washington state, you can file a complaint with our office. (We're the state agency that regulates the insurance industry in Washington.)

Insurance News - Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Here are the leading auto insurance headlines from ONTARIO AUTO INSURANCE TOPICS ON TWITTER for Tuesday, August 6, 2013:

• A U.S. study has revealed that insurers couldn’t accurately detect fraud potential based on any single behavioral characteristic viewed in isolation. Precise detection comes from bringing together multiple characteristics to create an overall picture of the probability of fraud. 
• Here is an interesting consequence of high auto insurance rates in Michigan. In Detroit where rates are highest, there is low voter participation rates because voter registration is tied to one's drivers' licence. Drivers are choosing insurance fraud over voting.
• Nearly 500,000 motorists in 18 New Jersey towns are receiving notice about a $4.2 million settlement the from a class-action lawsuit over tickets generated by red light cameras.
• Quebec Tribunal agrees with SAAQ which had rejected Montreal developer’s auto insurance claim after would-be assassin shot him in his car.
• U.S. hospitals are billing auto accident victims directly to get around discounted rates from health insurers in order to maximize revenues. The victims must pay the hospital out of their auto insurance settlement.