Maryland Insurance Commissioner

A Louisiana-based insurer that has been writing medical malpractice policies in Maryland has been barred from accepting any new business in the state after regulators here found the insurer to be more than $6 million in the hole.The Maryland Insurance Division, in a lawsuit filed yesterday, asked the court to ban immediately Physician's National Risk Retention Group from writing new policies. Baltimore City Circuit Judge Joseph H. H. Kaplan granted the temporary injunction.Regulators also have asked that the court appoint the Maryland Insurance Commissioner conservator over any assets owned by Physician's National in the state and that the group be barred permanently from conducting business here.

Over the last few days, it has been interesting and almost comical to watch President Barack Obama handle the growing opposition regarding the decision of his administration to mandate coverage of contraceptives in the national health care reform benefit package. The president has "compromised" by saying that these insurance plans will no longer be required to cover contraceptives. However, the insurance companies will be required to provide these products to the benefit plan members at no charge (including co-pays or co-insurance)

State, U.S. officials offer insurance help related to Isabel Maryland Insurance Commissioner Alfred W. Redmer Jr. will meet tomorrow morning with county residents who are having insurance problems related to Tropical Storm Isabel. Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Flood Insurance Program, the Small Business Administration and assorted county agencies will also attend. The meeting is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to noon at Venice on the Bay Community Hall, 1919 Arundel Road in Pasadena.

As Maryland moves toward implementation of federal health care reform, it is critical to ensure that all Maryland patients have timely access to the care they deserve. But Maryland physicians have increasingly voiced their concerns about the significant and potentially dangerous ways in which health insurers are intruding on the doctor-patient relationship. Insurers' tactics are designed to deny patients access to care. Insurers create these barriers to access under the guise of cost control.

Hundreds of Maryland senior citizens will converge on Annapolis Jan.15 to present their 1991 agenda to Maryland state legislative and executive leaders.The all-day rally, sponsored by United Seniors ofMaryland, will begin at 9 a.m at Maryland Hall for Creative Arts, atConstitution Avenue and Greenfield Street in Annapolis.Registration opens at 8:30 a.m.Health policy at both nationaland state levels -- the principle theme of the rally -- will be addressed by a series of state and federal speakers.

When New Jersey officials seized financially troubled Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Co. last month, the action marked the fifth time this year regulators had to come to the aid of a major insurance firm.Given the close ties many health maintenance organizations have with the insurance industry, which is having problems related to real estate, health-care and insurance experts were asked Maryland HMOs with ties to insurers could experience a backlash that would leave patients without coverage.

Over the last few days, it has been interesting and almost comical to watch President Barack Obama handle the growing opposition regarding the decision of his administration to mandate coverage of contraceptives in the national health care reform benefit package. The president has "compromised" by saying that these insurance plans will no longer be required to cover contraceptives. However, the insurance companies will be required to provide these products to the benefit plan members at no charge (including co-pays or co-insurance)

Disturbing questions about the operation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maryland raised by the state insurance commissioner need to be answered. And the sooner, the better.In congressional testimony, Maryland Insurance Commissioner John A. Donaho made a number of troubling charges concerning the activities and financial viability of Maryland's largest health insurance organization. Officials of the company say they are baffled by Mr. Donaho's sudden and unexpected outburst.Although four years ago the Maryland Blues came perilously close to insolvency, the organization's financial condition has improved markedly, according to its own financial statements.

House OKs capital budget of $1.1 billion The Maryland House of Delegates approved a $1.1 billion capital budget Friday on a 124-13 vote. Some Republicans objected to a $150 million increase in the state's borrowing limit. The capital program would direct $260 million to school construction, the amount requested by Gov. Martin O'Malley. It would provide $52.5 million to replace aging medevac helicopters and nearly $120 million for a land preservation program. Laura Smitherman Senate tries to block D.C. insurance law Maryland lawmakers took steps Friday to block a recent District of Columbia Council law that requires CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield health insurance to enroll 2,500 Washington residents.

Maryland drivers could receive more than $10 million in refunds as their car insurers make up for a failure to pass along discounts for safety and anti-theft devices, the governor's office and state regulators said yesterday.Hundreds of thousands of drivers could receive rebates of between $20 and $50, officials said.So far, more than $5 million in mistakes have been found by auto insurers doing business in the state, according to insurance regulators, and some companies have begun mailing the rebates, often without explanation.

House OKs capital budget of $1.1 billion The Maryland House of Delegates approved a $1.1 billion capital budget Friday on a 124-13 vote. Some Republicans objected to a $150 million increase in the state's borrowing limit. The capital program would direct $260 million to school construction, the amount requested by Gov. Martin O'Malley. It would provide $52.5 million to replace aging medevac helicopters and nearly $120 million for a land preservation program. Laura Smitherman Senate tries to block D.C. insurance law Maryland lawmakers took steps Friday to block a recent District of Columbia Council law that requires CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield health insurance to enroll 2,500 Washington residents.

Pamela Morris thought she got a good deal on car insurance when she obtained private coverage three days after renewing a policy with Maryland's insurer of last resort. But those few days cost her. Like most motorists insured by the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund, Morris went through a specialized finance company several years ago for a loan to pay the entire annual premium of $2,100 upfront to the state agency, as required by law. When she canceled the coverage, the finance company charged her $140 in interest and $35 in fees.

REMEMBER MARYLAND's medical malpractice insurance crisis of a mere nine months ago? Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. decided that no less than a special emergency session was needed to address what he considered the state's most pressing problem (aside from a perceived slot machine shortage). Lawmakers met and approved a plan. The governor vetoed it and the General Assembly forced it into law. All this occurred over the objections of trial lawyers who claimed the "crisis" was overblown and that insurance rate increases weren't justified, but who can believe a bunch of lawyers?

WASHINGTON - With about 40 Maryland victims of Tropical Storm Isabel applauding and some wiping away tears, members of Congress yesterday grilled federal officials about claims of "rip-offs" and "fraud" in the government's flood insurance program. "I am sick and tired of consumers being exploited," Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, told an insurance industry representative during a congressional hearing on flood insurance. "If Congress does not move very aggressively to better protect consumers, none of us should be sent back to Congress."

CAREFIRST BlueCross BlueShield, Maryland's biggest health insurer, says its plan to shrink potential revenue by $60 million and book a smaller profit for 2005 is part of its new, enlightened mission as a nonprofit do-gooder. I don't buy the reason. The rest of the industry is doing the same thing - restraining price and revenue increases to gain new customers. Playing copycat makes business sense for CareFirst or any insurer. And business sense continues to be the main motivator for this organization - bigger, fuzzier "nonprofit" label or not. As it should.

The U.S. Senate passed legislation this week to require wide-ranging reforms of the National Flood Insurance Program, which received thousands of policyholder complaints in the wake of Tropical Storm Isabel. The legislation comes amid the largest re-evaluation of claims in the history of the NFIP and the resignation of the agency's reform-minded director. It would require better education for flood insurance agents and adjusters, a review of adjuster compensation and a codified appeals process for flood settlements.

Maryland drivers who canceled their auto insurance when they were called up for duty in the Persian Gulf can't be refused new insurance upon their return under a regulation issued by Maryland Insurance Commissioner John A. Donaho.The new regulation, which went into effect yesterday, also reinforces federal law by prohibiting life insurance companies licensed to operate in Maryland from terminating the life insurance policies of customers who are called to active duty in the military.That federal law was strengthened Wednesday when Congress passed legislation assuring that reservists serving in Operation Desert Storm will receive their health benefits when they return to work from the gulf conflict.

This week is a bad week to commit insurance fraud in Baltimore, at least at the Stouffer Harborplace Hotel.That's where 375 of America's most aggressive fraud-fighters will gather, at the annual Insurance Fraud Investigation and Management Conference.The problem, which costs the nation's property/casualty insurers -- and therefore their customers -- an estimated $18 billion a year, will be the focus of attention at the hotel today through Wednesday. In 1992, the latest year for which figures were available, about $2.5 billion in claims were paid to Maryland customers who filed for property loss or because of accidents.

Open enrollment. All pre-existing conditions accepted. No co-payments or deductibles. Sounds like a good deal on health insurance. Except it may not be health insurance. And it may not be a good deal. Maryland Insurance Commissioner Alfred W. Redmer Jr. conducted an informational hearing yesterday into the proliferation of medical and pharmacy discount cards. During the past decade, a number of insurers, pharmaceutical companies and others have offered legitimate programs to provide discounts on prescriptions, dentistry, eyeglasses and other health services.

Six months after Tropical Storm Isabel surged through Maryland, the sounds of rebuilding fill the streets from Bowleys Quarters to Shady Side. Jackhammers pound and buzz saws whir, while residents wonder how close the reconstruction will bring them to recovery. Though Maryland's most destructive storm in recent memory ended for many residents when the lights flicked back on and the yard dried out, Isabel's legacy endures, particularly in Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Dorchester counties.