PRESS RELEASE: Massachusetts Insurance Federation Executive Director James T. Harrington refuted claims made by Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office in a letter to the State Rating Bureau of the Division of Insurance in which the Rating Bureau is requested to initiate proceedings to review homeowners’ insurance rates currently in effect. “We believe such proceedings would be unprecedented and are certainly not warranted by anything in the letter from the Attorney General’s office,” Harrington said. “Her claim that insurance companies in this state are using untested and unsupported hurricane models that…
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Travelers of Massachusetts unveils New Car Discount program for reduced insurance costs
Travelers of Massachusetts has announced that in response to the increase in new purchases – which, according to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, is expected to beat the 310,547 purchased last year by 7 percent – it is launching the New Car Discount. This will help the residents of Massachusetts who have purchased new cars to obtain greater savings on their auto insurance. In fact, drivers with new vehicles – that is, those that are less than three years old – will be able to use it to obtain…
Read MoreInsurers in Massachusetts gain approval for health insurance rate increases
Massachusetts insurance regulators have approved a number of rate increase proposals from some of the state’s largest health insurance companies. Governor Deval Patrick supports the approval, citing rising health care costs that threaten to make an already ill economy more volatile. Consumer advocacy groups have decried the rate increases, saying that they put undue financial stress on those struggling to make ends meet. Regulators, however, have only approved proposals whose increases were less than 9% in the hopes of lightening the impact of higher rates. Blue Cross Blue Shield has…
Read MoreMutual Life of Massachusetts approves $1.33 billion in dividends for consumers
Mutual Life Insurance, one of the largest insurers in Massachusetts, has announced that it will pay $1.33 billion in dividends to policyholders in 2012. The dividend is a long-standing tradition for the company, extending back to 1860 when it was first introduced. Last year, the company paid out more than $105 million. This year’s large sum is due to a number of factors, including growth in the life insurance market and less competition overall. The insurer will be doling out the money throughout 2012 to eligible policyholders. Customers that have…
Read MoreMassachusetts lawmakers look to change the state’s health care system with a global payment plan
Massachusetts lawmakers are struggling to rein in on rising health care costs, but a solution may be on its way as the state reaches the conclusion of a three-year long study. The study concerns the state of Massachusetts’ health care system and how insurance companies, hospitals and doctors interact with one another. The state is not the first to consider sweeping changes to its health care system, but it may be the first in enacting such changes. Legislators are currently working toward a plan they call “global payments.” The basic…
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