Claims

Some say hacking has become a form of entertainment; if so, the insurance industry is likely safer than many.

Life insurers must now identify policyholders who have died using an official government death list and make necessary payments to beneficiaries.

insurance claims, property, casualty, fraud, HVAC

Vehicle Theft on Decline 7 Years Running

New Aite Group report examines how vendor offerings afford insurers opportunity to transform the process.

PCI Lists Worst Cities, States for Towing

Willis Re says some reinsurers are starting to reposition themselves after run of natural catastrophes.

Carrier launches disaster microsite to help its commercial lines customers prepare for hurricane season.

Tropical Storm Arlene brings heavy rains, threat of mudslides, to Mexico.

Model intended to help insurers quantify the risk of wind and related flood loss in China and Hong Kong

Questionable claims rose 23% from 2008 to 2010; California, Florida, Texas, New York and Michigan generated 49% of those.

McKesson expects to be able to bring to the market a full continuum of automated decision support.

Insurers testify that long-term reauthorization of NFIP is vital.

Allstate Files Million-Dollar Insurance Fraud Case in New York

Sales of motor scooters jumped almost 50% for the first three months of 2011.

New research is advancing the notion of remote healthcare monitoring, an obvious plus for health insurers, but social factors may inhibit adoption.

Health insurers overall received a low grade on the American Medical Association’s (AMA) / most recent “National Health Insurer Report Card” (NHIRC). Commercial health insurers have an average claims-processing error rate of 19.3 percent, an increase of two percent compared last year, according to the findings. The increase in overall inaccuracy represents an extra 3.6 million in erroneous claims payments compared to last year, and added an estimated $1.5 billion in unnecessary administrative costs to the health system, AMA says. The AMA estimates that eliminating health insurer claim payment errors would save $17 billion.

The number of lightning claims is down, but the average cost per claim rose 13% from 2009; expensive electronics may be culprit.

The insurer reports "mailing error" sent member name, insurance number, diagnoses codes and descriptions, procedure code and description, prescription name and provider names to wrong addresses.

State Farm sends mobile units to meet with evacuees.