Miscellaneous

• Insurance Company Profits to Top Sixty Billion

  Staff Writer | October 20, 2006 10:47 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  The other day, I discussed the topic of increasing health insurance premiums across the country. I mentioned that perhaps we all should consider investing in health insurance companies because premiums and profits have been rising at a faster rate than claims payouts. Well it turns out that health insurance companies are not the only successful insurance producer. According to the New York...

• Starbucks Employees Possible Identity Theft Victims

  Staff Writer | November 05, 2006 10:52 AM | 2 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  Just this past week, Starbucks lost track of four laptop computers containing sensitive information including social security numbers, addresses and names of over 60,000 company employees. Looks like this company may know how to serve up some Java but needs some lessons on how to protect sensitive employee information. These employees may become the next victims of identity theft as a result...

• Jury to Begin Deliberations in Unfair Settlement Practices Lawsuit Against Allstate

  Staff Writer | October 09, 2007 9:50 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  A Kentucky jury will begin deliberations Wednesday deciding whether Allstate Insurance Company violated the Kentucky Unfair Settlement Practices Act by systematically lowering valuation of minor injury claims and bullying claimants into accepting artificially low settlements. The Plaintiffs alleged that Allstate systematically undervalued claims relying upon a consultant who, according to the...

• Blue Cross of California Agrees to Settle Rescission Class Action Lawsuit

  Staff Writer | June 11, 2007 11:00 AM | 1 CommentPhoenix, AZ

  Blue Cross of California recently entered a settlement agreement to resolve a class action lawsuit against the health insurer concerning the nature of its individual health insurance business practices. Blue Cross had been accused of using innocent mistakes on poorly worded insurance applications to rescind policies after insureds submitted costly claims. After concluding that it would lose...

• TJX Companies SEC Filing Details 47.5 Million Possible Identity Theft Victims

  Staff Writer | March 29, 2007 9:20 AM | 1 CommentPhoenix, AZ

  TXJ Companies has finally come clean with some more details about the number of possible identity theft victims as a result of its failure to abide by credit card processing standards. Discussing this data security breach, in a regulatory filing with the Securities Exchange Commission, the TXJ Companies indicated, Discovery of Computer Intrusion. On December 18, 2006, we learned of suspicious...

• TV News Helicopter Collision Kills All 4 On Board

  Jenny Albano | July 30, 2007 7:48 AM | 1 CommentPhoenix, AZ

  On July 28, two TV news helicopters crashed into each other while trying to follow a police chase in Phoenix, Arizona. The helicopters collided over Steele Indian School Park around 12:40 P.M. and crashed into the lawn in front of a boarded-up church. The choppers were engulfed in flames and all four people in the two helicopters died.Killed on board the KTVK chopper were pilot Scott Bowerbank...

• Michael Moore's Movie "Sicko" and Its Portrayal of US Healthcare

  Staff Writer | July 04, 2007 9:00 AM | 1 CommentPhoenix, AZ

  Michael Moore released a new movie about the system of healthcare in the United States. In the movie, he portrays our healthcare system as one in crisis. Do you believe our healthcare system in this country provides the best quality of care to patients at a reasonable cost? Have you seen the movie Sicko? Do you think the movie accurately portrays problems with our healthcare system in...

• Has Your Health Insurance Company Treated You Fairly?

  Staff Writer | May 07, 2007 5:00 PM | 2 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  Today in the Los Angeles Times, I read about the health insurance company Blue Shield of California which has been sued by a policyholder alleging bad faith for refusing to pay medical bills totalling $450,000 arising out of a serious car accident. According the the article, the insureds applied for health insurance, paid premiums and received an individual policy through Blue Shield of...

• State Farm Insurance CEO Pay Rises Eighty-Two Percent

  Staff Writer | March 20, 2007 10:00 AM | 2 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  Congratulations to State Farm Insurance Company! Its profits rose almost sixty-four percent (64%) to $5.32 billion dollars last year from $3.24 billion dollars in 2005. In my opinion, during this time, I do not think that State Farm acted like very much of a good neighbor to victims of Hurricane Katrina or to other policy-holders who timely paid premiums thinking they would be protected in...

• Are On-Line Pharmacies Trafficking Narcotic Drugs?

  Staff Writer | August 29, 2007 6:22 PM | 0 CommentsPhoenix, AZ

  Perhaps you have seen stories or received spam e-mail messages from on-line pharmacies offering instant access to prescription drugs at low cost. You want a percocet or vicodin but your family doctor did not prescribe it for you? No worries. Just log onto your spam-friendly Internet pharmacy, fill out a brief questionnaire, pay for your medication with a credit card and in no time, you will...