To recap the issues raised during Wednesday’s conference call, here are some of the key media stories, and the messages we’re conveying.
If there is a subject you would like to see addressed on Wednesday, February 6, please email me at michaelb@iii.org
I.I.I. OFFERS SAME-DAY RESPONSE TO CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA REPORT ON AUTO INSURANCE RATING CRITERIA
The CFA news release was issued as part of a press teleconference on Monday, January 28, and information from the I.I.I.’s same-day news release was picked by Bloomberg Businessweek, and others.
I.I.I.’s PRESIDENT GIVES INTERVIEW TO WALL STREET JOURNAL ON INSURANCE REPERCUSSIONS OF DRIVERLESS CARS
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig is quoted in this WSJ Law Blog item, which was posted hours after an article on driverless cars appeared in The Wall Street Journal’s print edition on Monday, January 28. Hartwig and a representative from Google’s Self-Driving Car Project participated in a Thursday, January 31, panel discussion at the Washington, D.C. Auto Show. The moderator was Angela Greiling Keane, a Bloomberg News reporter.
CONSULTING FIRM’S STUDY CONTENDS AUTO INSURER ADVERTISING PROMPTS FEW DRIVERS TO SWITCH COMPANIES
The Wall Street Journal online story quotes the I.I.I.’s Hartwig and notes only about 9 percent of drivers switched auto insurers in 2011, even as insurers spent billions of dollars on ads.
I.I.I.’s SUPER BOWL SOCIAL HOST LIABILITY RELEASE GETS WIDESPREAD PICK-UP NATIONALLY, ESPECIALLY ON TELEVISION
The I.I.I.’s news release was issued on Monday, January 28, and generated extensive media coverage in advance of the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 3.
MONEY MAGAZINE, WALL STREET JOURNAL RADIO, WSJ, AND NEW YORK CITY’S CBS AFFILIATE HAVE STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Steve Weisbart spoke with Money’s Beth Braverman about the relatively low percentage of Americans who have life insurance coverage….the I.I.I.’s Loretta Worters is taping a radio interview next week on wedding insurance for The Wall Street Journal Daily Wrap With Michael Castner….the I.I.I.’s Hartwig spoke with WSJ reporter Tom Fowler for an upcoming story on terrorism risk insurance….the I.I.I.’s Worters will tape an interview during the week of February 3-7 with WCBS-TV’s Richard Rose on the industry’s Sandy response.
I.I.I. POSTS LINK TO THE 2013 JOINT INDUSTRY FORUM’S (JIF) NEWS RELEASES, VIDEOS
The JIF content is easily accessible via the Insurance Information Institute’s website.
WORKERS COMPENSATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE FINDS HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT FEE REGULATIONS ARE A KEY W/C COST DRIVER
A state’s hospital outpatient fee regulations are often decisive in determining how much a workers’ compensation insurer is paying out, according to this Monday, January 28, study released by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI).
CAPITOL HILL
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will step down from his current post as soon as his successor is confirmed, according to this Tuesday, January 29, Washington Post article.
California
State Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) wants California to create a comprehensive, statewide earthquake early warning system, at an estimated cost of $80 million, according to this Monday, January 28, news release.
Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, could become the next U.S. Transportation Secretary.
Georgia
At least one death was reported on Wednesday, January 30, as a fast-moving tornado hit Adairsville, a community about 60 miles northwest of Atlanta. The Atlanta Journal Constitution had additional details.
Tennessee
A 47-year-old man was killed as 14 tornadoes touched down in Nashville on Wednesday, January 30, according to WSMV-TV, the city’s NBC affiliate.
Governor Bill Haslam wants to create a Tennessee Division of Workers Compensation, and have it operate as a new, independent state agency, the Tennessean reports.
New York
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said on Wednesday, January 30, that his office’s Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) will provide $732,000 to organizations who are assisting consumers faced with “improper denials of insurance claims, long delays collecting benefits, and insurance payments that are dramatically less than the homeowners expect under existing policies,” according to the AG’s news release.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in this Tuesday, January 29, news release that more than $665 million has been paid out to the beneficiaries of unclaimed life insurance policies since the state’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) began an investigation into life insurer claims practices in July 2011.
Texas
The state Senate’s Business and Commerce Committee met on Tuesday, January 29, and some legislators are calling for a new law aimed at prohibiting insurers from using customer inquiries either to cancel or non-renew policies, according to a same-day story in The Dallas Morning News (subscription required).
Washington
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is testifying on Wednesday, January 30, in support of a new bipartisan initiative (House Bill 1212) which would bar the use of credit information when rating a homeowners insurance policyholder. The bill applies to policies for mobile and manufactured homes, condominiums and rentals, as well as for earthquake insurance.
MEDIA MATTERS
Chris Cuomo is moving to CNN from ABC, and will be part of a new morning program at CNN, according to this Tuesday, January 29, CNN news release.
CNN has severed its ties to New Orleans-based political commentators James Carville and Mary Matalin, the Times-Picayune reports.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
There are two major stories trending this week. The first is about the insurance implications of self-driving cars with insurance companies and journalists tweeting and re-tweeting on the topic. Many of them referenced the I.I.I.’s Hartwig who was a panelist this week at Washington D.C.’s Auto Show. The conversation around this topic has a positive tone and is mainly about how new technology will impact auto insurance rates; most people believe these advances will result in lower premiums.
A second popular topic is Super Bowl Sunday and social host liability. The I.I.I.’s Monday, January 28, news release about being a responsible party host received great pickup on Twitter from journalists and agents who urged people to be aware of the liability risks of having too wild a party.
Ben and Franklin, the animated I.I.I. characters who warned a few months ago about the dangers of lightning, returned this week to offer advice to Super Bowl party hosts.
The I.I.I. is cited regularly in the media as an authoritative source of insurance information. To access the current I.I.I. press clips, click here
For an I.I.I. Blog search, click here.
