Quote of the day
"The ability to talk to commissioners in other states has been crucial, especially when I first took office. There really isn't anybody else in the state that can help with some of these issues, so it's good to go to other people in other states who are in the same position."
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger
Oklahoma Incumbent Seeking First Full Term
Kim Holland, who was appointed by Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry last year to replace her disgraced predecessor, is seeking her first full term as insurance commissioner against Republican Bill Case, who says he’s had a hard time raising campaign cash. By M. Scott Carter, Norman Transcript
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Florida Race Predicted Tight
A poll going into the Sunshine State elections showed Adelaide “Alex” Sink, Democratic candidate for state CFO, holding a very slight edge over veteran Republican legislator and state senate president Tom Lee. Orlando Sentinel
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Kansas Insurance Commissioner Wants Low Profile for Her Office
Incumbent Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, who also serves as vice president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, says her office, which oversees regulation of 1,700 separate insurance companies and 65,000 agents, is most effective when the majority of Kansans don’t know anything about it. By Matt Kelsey, Kansas City Kansan [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Opinion: Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ignores ‘Little Guy’
Challenger Guy Drexinger, who has pledged not to take campaign money from the insurance industry, HMOs, or their executives, gets the endorsement over incumbent Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, who has not made such a promise. Savannah Morning News
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Strike Time Counts Toward Disability Pay, Tennessee High Court Rules
Time spent on strike counts in calculating an employee’s average weekly wage, rules the Tennessee Supreme Court, overturning a trial court that excluded 28 weeks an injured worker who sought permanent partial disability benefits was on strike. By Michael Silence, Knoxville News
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Long-Term Effects of Tennessee’s Comp Reform Emerge
Prior to 2004, the rapidly rising costs of Tennessee’s workers’ compensation system were not only straining the state’s existing businesses, but were discouraging new ones from relocating to the state. Recent figures indicate the situation may be in turnaround. By Shayla Byrd, Business Tennessee
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State Senator Sues Ohio BWC over Audit Records
Ohio State Sen. Marc Dann files suit against the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation to force it to let him see an internal audit and the documents used in its preparation. The bureau released a preliminary audit last week that showed BWC officials ordered that insurance rates be lowered for some employers.
Go to the full story by Laura A. Bischoff, Dayton Daily News via Oxford Press
Go to the full story in the Toledo Blade
Mistake by the Lake: Cleveland Schools Overpay for Workers’ Comp
The $8.2 million that Cleveland public schools paid for workers’ compensation coverage last school year is too high and may be due to abuse of the system, according to an official, who wants to knock off $2 million from that bill immediately and eventually cut the total cost by almost 75 percent. By Ellen Jan Kleinerman and Janet Okoben, Cleveland Plain Dealer
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‘A Swindler and a Thief’: Prosecutors Wrap Case Against Noe
Prosecutors deliver their closing arguments in the case of disgraced Republican fundraiser and coin dealer Tom Noe, calling the defendant “a swindler and a thief,” and charging that he looted at least $13 million from a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation coin fund investment he was hired to manage. By Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch
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Mountain State Docs Slash Workers’ Comp System’s Medical Costs
When two West Virginia doctors took the top medical management jobs at the state Workers’ Compensation Commission in 2003, the system was spending $230 million a year on medical payments to hospitals, physicians, vocational rehabilitation specialists and other health care providers. By 2005, they had cut about 27 percent of the costs out of the medical system. By George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
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Judges Pensions Rise in South Australia
In South Australia, the cost of taxpayer-funded pensions for former judges has increased to nearly $4.3 million (USD) annually. Judges who resign due to permanent disability or infirmity are also entitled to collect under the non-contributory Judges Pension Scheme. By Craig Bildstien, Adelaide Advertiser
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