Audit puts Illinois lawmakers in hot water with the state’s insurance companies

Illinois lawmakers and insurers are coming under fire for an insurance deal that was brokered last year. A new report released this week from the state’s Auditor General, William Holland, has highlighted some serious problems with the insurance deal the state made with Blue Cross Blue Shield. The deal saw more than $7 billion worth of insurance policies held by state employees transferred to the major insurance company. One of the problems is that many of the policyholders caught up in the plan lived in one of 24 counties where…

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Missouri insurer finds criticism from state auditor

Missouri’s largest provider of worker’s compensation insurance has come under fire from one of the state’s auditors, Tom Schweich. The Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Company (MEM) is a state-backed insurance company created in 1993. Since its creation, the insurer has avoided paying federal taxes because of its claim to be a public corporation. Accusations of corruption led to the company’s agreeing to a one-time review from the state to ensure that its business practices were sound and that it was not misrepresenting itself for the sake of profit. According to…

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Major problems in overseas insurance program costing the U.S. government millions

Problems in the infrastructure of the U.S. workers’ compensation insurance program that provides coverage to contractors in Afghanistan have cost the nation millions, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The audit, lead by Major Brad Willcockson, found that workers in the region often go uninsured as a result of nonexistent oversight in the program. According to the audit, the problems may lie in the programs administrator: Continental Insurance. The insurance company is a subsidiary of CNA Financial Corp., and was pegged by the U.S. government to provide…

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