Archive for November, 2010

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Allstate Cuts Renters Insurance Premiums in California

November 30th, 2010 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in rate watch, renters insurance

The Insurance Journal reported yesterday that Allstate Insurance Co. will be reducing the price of renters insurance coverage 19.6 percent across the state of California. In addition, condo policies in the Golden State will be reduced by 6 percent. The rate changes are effective immediately.

Allstate said that the rate cuts were sparked by favorable condo and renters insurance loss trends, and the company’s desire to pass that savings along to policyholders.

According to a study facilitated by Allstate two years ago, five million Californians rent their homes, and fewer than 40 percent of them have renters insurance. The study also showed that even though more than half of Californians estimated the value of their possessions at more than $10,000 and nearly a third give their possessions a value over $20,000.

Allstate representatives say that most renters assume that their belongings are covered by their landlord’s insurance on the property, when, actually, its the renter’s responsibility to cover their possessions, as the landlord’s insurance usually covers only the structure of the building.

Yumi Sam, a San Francisco-based Allstate agency owner says, “Allstate is committed to delivering the right products at the right price. Right now that means reducing renter’s insurance rates at a time when many California renters are leaving themselves uninsured.”

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Wyoming Releases First Crash Report with Expanded Data

November 29th, 2010 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in auto insurance, insurance news

The state of Wyoming updated their data collection practices with regard to automobile crashes two years ago and have now compiled the first report using the more detailed information. The new system includes more specific information about factors like driver distractions, and what injuries were incurred.

Wyoming Department of Transportation representative Stephanie Lucero said that the greater detail gives officials a better, more complete view of a crash. Specifically, she told a reporter from the Casper Star-Tribune, “It gives the engineers, and anyone analyzing this data, a clearer picture of the crashes going on in the state.”

Matt Carlson, a state highway safety engineer, also supported the use of the enhanced data collection, saying, “We can use the statistics and the data … so folks who are working on safety issues can make better decisions.”

Law enforcement officers across Wyoming file 15,000 to 20,000 crash reports each year with the state Transportation Department. The reports, which come from the police and sheriff’s departments as well as state troopers, submit the reports on any wreck that involves more than $1,000 worth of damage.

Even though the increased data has been collected since 2008, last month’s report was the first to use the information. Officials explained that it takes time to compile enough information to make the results worth reporting.

Carlson explained, “One year to the next doesn’t give you enough information to see a trend or figure out an issue or a problem.”

The crash form was changed in 2008 to comply with updated federal guidelines. The original form had 150 elements. The current version has 300.

In addition to helping engineers improve highway safety, it is hoped that crash data will be used to help the auto insurance industry with pricing and claims processes.

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Friday Filmstrips: Holiday Highway Safety Tips

November 26th, 2010 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in auto insurance, friday filmstrips

Whether you’re heading to the stores on Black Friday or waiting til Saturday or Sunday to head home from your holiday destination, safety counts! For today’s Friday Filmstrip, we offer Holiday Highway Safety Tips. Enjoy!

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Thanksgiving and Nutrition

November 25th, 2010 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in health insurance, medical insurance

Okay, look, we all know that health insurance is less expensive for people who need it the least – those of us who are healthy and fit – but does that mean we need to avoid all the fun of holiday eating just to make sure our premiums don’t increase? Not at all. As with anything, moderation is key. If you are counting calories though, here are the typical calorie counts of some Thanksgiving favorites, courtesy of The Coverage Corner blog.

White and Dark Turkey Meat: 3.5 ounces of white meat has 1.66 grams of fat and about 161 calories, while same amount of dark meat has just slightly more fat and calories.

Bread Stuffing: One ounce of bread stuffing has 1 gram of fat, 109 calories, and 21.6 total grams of carbohydrates.

Cranberry Sauce (canned, sweetened): One serving (277 grams) of canned cranberry sauce has 0 grams of fat, 418 calories, and 108 total grams of carbohydrates.

Cranberry Sauce (homemade): One serving (209 grams) of homemade cranberry sauce has 9.8 grams of fat, 434 calories, and 90.1 grams of carbohydrates.

Mashed Potatoes: One cup of homemade mashed potatoes with whole milk and butter has 8.9 grams of fat, 237 calories, and 35.2 total carbohydrates.

Homemade Green Bean Casserole: One serving of homemade green bean casserole has 6 grams of fat, 95 calories, and 11 total grams of carbohydrates.

Pumpkin Pie: An average slice of pumpkin pie has 18.99 grams of fat, 372.6 calories, 45.61 total grams of carbohydrates.

Oh, and, speaking of the whole white meat vs. dark meat debate, let your taste buds be your guide. While white meat has slightly less fat and calories, dark meat is higher in iron, zinc, and vitamin B.

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Deep Fried Insurance?

November 24th, 2010 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in fire insurance, homeowners insurance

Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. Whether or not you plan to deep fry your turkey, you should know that more cooking fires happen on Thanksgiving than on any other day of the year, and that fire insurance claims from grease and cooking accidents more than double, compared to any other day in November, at least according to data from State Farm Insurance.

If you do see flames leaping up around your kitchen, remember that the best way to stop a grease fire is to smother it with a pan lid or some flour – never water – and that sometimes the best thing you can do is call 911 and get out of the house.

And for those of you who are deep frying your turkey, here’s some advice from State Farm and the Illinois Fire Service Institute:

* Don’t overfill the fryer pot. Follow directions in the owner’s manual to determine how much oil to use. If you overfill, the oil will overflow when you lower the turkey, spill on the burner and catch fire.
* Thoroughly thaw the turkey before cooking. Placing a frozen or partially frozen turkey in a fryer can cause oil to splatter, seriously burning anyone standing nearby, and catching fire when coming into contact with the burner.
* When cooking outdoors, stay away from any structures or flammable materials. More than a third of fryer-related fires start in a garage or on a patio.
* Don’t use water or ice to cool the oil or try to put out a grease fire. Contact with water or ice causes cause oil to splatter and spread. Keep a fire extinguisher handy for putting out grease fires.

Most importantly, if you’re deep frying anything, never, ever leave the fryer unattended – you never know what the grease may do.

Most turkey fryer fires are preventable, although Evrley admits he hasn’t been tempted to fry a turkey since the blaze at his mother-in-law’s home. He also agreed to be the “poster child” for State Farm on how to avoid turkey-fryer fires.

“If it saves somebody from doing something like I did, I’m glad to talk about it,” he says.

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Central Arkansas Shaken By Earthquakes

November 23rd, 2010 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in earthquake insurance, homeowners insurance

Residents of Arkansas and other parts of the south-central United States may want to look into earthquake insurance if Saturday was anything to go by.

Central Arkansas was rattled by a series of earthquakes three days ago, including one with a magnitude of 3.9, though some reports said that it felt closer to 4.2.

The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the 3.9 rating however, and also reported a number of other quakes centered near Guy, AR, with magnitudes ranging from 1.7 to 3.9.

The strongest of the temblors occurred around 1:00 in the afternoon, and was felt in the northwestern part of the state.

Fortunately, there was no structural damage, and no one was injured.

This is just the most recent in a series of earthquakes, the last of which were about a month ago. That last series didn’t have any quakes over 3.0, however.

Dr. Steve Horton, a research scientist from the University of Memphis, told the press at that time that Arkansas is getting a lot of unusual earthquakes. At that time, they’d logged more than sixty in the previous thirty days.

“In the New Madrid Seismic Zone there’s approximately 200 per year, so if we had that many in Central Arkansas in less than a month, something is going on,” said Dr. Horton.

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Illinois Seeks Comments on Health Insurance Exchange

November 22nd, 2010 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in health care reform, health insurance

The state of Illinois is asking for public comment on an online insurance exchange. They are seeking for comments about the financing, governance, and structure of the exchange, which would make health insurance coverage available to individuals and small businesses.

Under the healthcare reform laws passed last March, each state must have exchanges operational by the year 2014.

The website for the Illinois Health Care Reform Implementation Council has more than two dozen questions for the public to consider, including questions like, “Should health plans compete on price and quality to get into the exchange? Or should all insurers be allowed to sell coverage?” and “Should there be one exchange or two for the individual and small group markets?”

Comments, which can be emailed to gov.healthcarereform@illinois.gov., should be submitted no later than December 3rd.

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