Nov 30
Often, California has been in the lead when it comes to legislating for fairness. When a service industry is acting in an arbitrary way and damaging the interests of consumers, you can usually rely on Sacramento to do something about it. So, for example, the Insurance Commissioner instructed auto insurance companies not to rely on ZIP codes when writing policies. The real basis on which to assess risk should always be the individual driver. It’s reasonable to look at the person’s experience, driving record, how far he or she drives every month, etc. That way you reward the good drivers with lower premiums and hit the bad drivers with higher premiums.
It would be great if we could see this change sweeping across the US, not just in auto insurance, but for all classes of insurance. Unfortunately, the insurance industry has fought the change tooth and nail wherever it has been proposed. Lobbyists with deep pockets have been able to keep the legislators at bay. The ZIP code approach remains the norm.
The most recent piece of research comes out of Chicago and relates to health plans. It seems it’s cheaper to live in the suburbs. The research used just over 3,000 ZIP codes in the Chicago area and, when analysing the rates charged, found that people living in the blue-collar suburbs west and south of Chicago paid almost 25% less for their insurance than those living in the downtown areas. Similarly, the residents of the northern suburbs paid about 15% less. Spread the net more widely and it turns out that everyone living between 15 and 25 miles from the downtown area pays an average of 13.5% less, while those who have moved 25 to 40 miles out of the city pay an average 25% less.
There are obvious explanations. The hospitals and clinics in different areas attract doctors and healthcare providers with different levels of experience and expertise. Operating costs will also change with local conditions. The level of support for public facilities and programs from local government naturally varies depending on the local tax take and political factors. These affect the rates for services the insurers can negotiate with the local provider networks. And then there are all the intangible factors based on the wealth or poverty of an area, the percentage of people without current medical insurance, and so on. Put everything together and profiling by geography may produce very different results. This leaves us with an uncomfortable reality. As it stands, the health insurance industry is unregulated. It can charge what it likes using whatever factors it wishes to consider significant. As and when the healthcare reforms pass through Congress, some practices that produce unfairness will disappear, e.g. no more discrimination based on gender, no more discrimination by denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, no more caps on lifetime benefits, and so on. But the ZIP code abuse will not be affected. No matter where you live, you will be judged not on your actual health records but the “accident” of your address. Perhaps you should consider relocating to a better area to get the best health insurance rates.
Nov 30
Once again the World’s eyes are well and truly focused on the city of London and this time the focus is the Summer Olympics 2012. As with the recent Royal wedding when Royalty and tourists alike from around the world descended on London already bookings for hotels and apartments in London is on the move, so don’t miss the ‘boat’. The key is to book early to avoid disappointment.
London is host to the 2012 Summer Olympics which is one of the most awaited sporting events in recent times. Although London is not new to such an international sporting extravaganza, having previously hosted the 4th and 14th Olympiad, much is expected from this Summer Olympics.
London will be ready to welcome people from all around the world well ahead of time. It is expected that more than ten thousand athletes will be participating in this Olympic event, thus with coaching staff, journalists and media people there will be a huge influx of visitors from different countries who will turn up for this huge event.
Amid all the sporting action tourists can also look forward to visit the wonderful city of London as there will be plenty of other events which will be held during the Games. In fact, apart from the famous landmarks that London is well known for, why not consider the perfect end to a day in the capital with seeing London at its flood-lit best.
Double-decker buses operate through the heart of London’s spectacular West End and historic City of London enabling easy viewing of London’s famous sights at their floodlit best. This tour runs along the River Thames and passes through some of the most famous and interesting sights, for example Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch, Park Lane, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, London Eye, and Tower of London to name but a few; don’t miss London by night as it is spectacular and never forgotten.
London has a rich history of places to visit and does in fact attract a huge amount of tourists throughout the year, having said that, the number of tourists expected during the Summer Olympics is expected to soar. This of course will make it even harder to find hotels or lodgings if you don’t book your accommodation well in advance.
A spokesman for Dolphin House, part of the Dolphin Square complex located in Westminster said, “Dolphin house is ideal for anybody visiting London for business or pleasure and certainly a lot of people got caught out when trying to find accommodation for the Royal Wedding as London was so full. We expect that it will be like that again for the Summer Olympics and this time round people are certainly booking early. We currently have serviced apartments in London at very competitive rates so now is the time to secure your luxury serviced apartments London if you don’t want to be caught out”.
Representatives for Dolphin House went on to say “we have a superb website which showcases our serviced apartment’s one, two or three bedrooms and also all the facilities; you can take a virtual tour around these apartments and see just what you are getting”.
Serviced accommodation London is becoming the preferred option when it comes to staying in London as visitors ask themselves “why stay in one hotel room when I can have all the space I require in serviced apartments in London, be sure not to miss the ‘boat’.
For further information visit: www.dolphinsquare.co.uk/house/ or you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter to keep up to date with all ongoing special offers and availability.
Nov 30
We all know that there’s a war between sexes on who are better drivers, men or women? And as men are claiming to be far better at the wheel the statistics are actually on the opposite side. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Report dated 2004 notes men being involved in 27,000 more fatal accidents, 432,000 more injury accidents and 1,369,000 more incidents with damaged property, resulting in total 1,828,000 more insurance claims filed by men in 2004 only. And since then the trend hasn’t changed.
And it’s hard to tell that the most risky drivers – men younger than 25 years old – are contributing to these statistics. These are actually men of all age groups.
As an insurance agent from Ohio, Brad Vermillion has stated: “Men are more aggressive in their very nature and pursue a riskier attitude when driving a car. You see a man not wearing a seat belt, speeding and driving under influence far more often than a woman. The amount of miles driven throughout the lifetime is also quite higher with men than with women, which of course means a greater risk of being involved in a traffic accident and filing an insurance claim. The less you drive the safer you are.”
A righteous question rises consequently, whether do insurance companies take into account the statistics provided by the NHTSA and other organizations? “Insurers know about such statistics very well and they are reflected in their pricing guidelines,” stated Vermillion. “A man will always pay a higher auto insurance premium than a woman, even if he lives in a safe area and has a perfect driving and credit record.”
But the overall trend has started to shift in recent years, making the gap between men and women smaller in what concerns auto insurance premiums. “The last couple of years have shown more and more women driving at longer distances and for more extended periods of time. This results from a wider access to cars among women and more intense and active lifestyle attitudes, forcing women to move around a lot more than in previous years,” states Dave Roush, CEO of Insurance.com. “Women spend more time behind the wheel and raise the stress levels, which inevitably results in more aggressive attitude from women on the road. This trend is only starting to take shape and it’s a matter of time to judge whether it will minimize the gap between men and women in what concerns auto insurance rates. But for now men are well ahead in this competition.”
