Insurance Companies

The West Virginia Legislature has been studying insurance availability and affordability during its interim committee meetings. I have had more of my constituents contact me regarding either the high cost of insurance or just not being able to get insured at all, than on any other issue. During our last regular session we did address the high cost of malpractice insurance and gave some relief to doctors and hospitals. We set a maximum cap on noneconomic damages, which trial lawyers said would not help.

Greencastle fire company to bill insurance companies By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro Insurance companies in the Greencastle area will soon be charged for costs incurred in fighting fires and handling auto accidents. The Antrim Township Supervisors and Greencastle Borough Council have resolutions supporting Rescue Hose Co. No. 1's plan to hire a private firm to bill insurance companies for the cost of keeping fire trucks and the use of supplies used at fire and accident scenes.

A Hagerstown man convicted of damaging cars at the Massey Collision Center in 2009 will have to pay more than $21,000 in restitution to his victims, but two insurance companies that paid out more than $137,000 in claims might have to recover their money through civil court. Daniel Charles Cohen, 24, is serving a five-year prison sentence for theft and second-degree burglary for breaking into Massey Collision Center on York Road in Halfway on Jan. 4, 2009, court records show. He pleaded guilty to the charges July 9, 2009, but was in Washington County Circuit Court last week for a restitution hearing.

Don't scrap a worthy, successful program To the editor: Contrary to what Mary Burkholder says, there is everything to fear from the Ryan “destroy Medicare” plan. My wife and I have been covered under Medicare for 10 years. It is a great program and has worked very well for us. Medicare should be preserved in its present form for all seniors, now and in the future. There is absolutely no reason to turn Medicare into an insurance company boon. There is no problem with Medicare, that can't be fixed and preserved for eternity.

Doctor gets probation in billings By MARLO BARNHART Staff Writer A Hagerstown physician pleaded guilty in Washington County Circuit Court Tuesday to two counts of felony theft for submitting bogus bills in excess of $6,000 to insurance companies. Paul Yazdani was given probation before judgment, placed on supervised probation for two years, ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and to pay back the money. "A man doesn't stub his toe on a mountain - it's the little things," said retired Judge Darrow Glaser.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Doctors and administrators at Martinsburg City Hospital met with U.S. Rep. Bob Wise, D-W.Va., on Tuesday to discuss federal legislation intended to allay patients' fears that their insurance won't cover visits to the emergency room. Wise has co-sponsored legislation that would require insurance carriers to pay for emergency treatment, even if a doctor later determines it wasn't truly an emergency. Under current laws, carriers can refuse to pay emergency room costs for someone who mistakes a malady such as indigestion for something as life-threatening as a heart attack, said City Hospital emergency room doctor Andy Williams.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Victims of the Sept. 11 attacks received $38.1 billion in compensation, with insurance companies picking up the largest portion of the tab, according to a study released Monday. The report by Rand Institute for Civil Justice found that civilians killed or injured have received an average of $3.1 million per person from the government, charities and insurance companies, or $8.7 billion. Emergency personnel killed or injured were given a total of about $1.9 billion.

The Washington County Health Department's addictions unit was improperly billing insurance companies in a practice that may have constituted fraud, a state auditor said. Of 43 cases reviewed, more than half had billing problems, said William T. Grossclose, chief of the Division of Internal Audits at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in Baltimore. [cont. from front page ] In a Sept. 2 letter to health officials, Grossclose had not ruled out fraud.

“I recently watched two episodes of Bristol Palin's new reality show. The whole show, all she does is whine about being a single mom, and how the father doesn't participate in her baby's life - while she lives in mansions or big apartments or travels back and forth from California to Alaska. She has no idea what a real single mom goes through, and she doesn't even know what homeless people look like. This is an atrocity, this show. It really shows the inside of how the Palins really are. They constantly whine about being famous, when they bring it on themselves.” - Hagerstown “U.S.

Senior citizens enrolled in medical and prescription plans through a Florida-based health insurance company will not see a gap in their Medicare coverage, despite the company's contracts being terminated April 1, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Those terminations affect residents of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia. CMS “will ensure continuous medical and prescription coverage for beneficiaries enrolled in Universal Health Care Medicare health plans,” according to a new release issued Friday afternoon.

When columnists attack: Writers using GOP talking points To the editor: George Michael, David Limbaugh, Charles Krauthammer. Three peas in a pod? No. Three negative op-eds in a row published by The Herald Mail attacking Obama and his policies. Full of questions? Yes. Full of answers? No. Michael attacks a 2.3 percent excise tax on the sale of medical devices in what he chooses to carelessly call “Obamacare” after giving its proper name. He quotes businesses who say they will be laying off workers in “anticipation” of the new tax. Michael's problem is he should know that this 2.3 percent tax is constantly being revised excluding, for example, nursing homes.

The downsides of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), generally known as Obamacare, are coming to the forefront. You have to dig a little to learn about these developments since the national media continues to provide cover for this administration. At the height of the drama in getting the PPACA passed in 2009, Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi said, “We have to pass this bill to find out what is in it.” Now, those senators who voted for the plan are finding out what's in it. These senators, which include Chuck Schumer of New York and Dick Durbin of Illinois, are asking for relief from the bill they heartily supported not so long ago.  An article posted recently on The Daily Caller about the impending changes coming to health care noted that “Eighteen Democratic U.S. senators and senators-elect sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Dec. 4 calling for a 'delay in the implementation' of the medical device tax in Obamacare,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“As a citizen of this county for over 80 years, I find it very illuminating to know that the Republican commissioners, on a local level, are becoming the same as they accuse the Democrats of being: Spendthrifts. Grab your money and spend it. Why don't you take issue with that?” - Hagerstown “What was going on on Downsville Pike last night? I looked out and I saw people running, it was late at night, with headlights on their heads, and there was sometimes two at a time, one at a time, and then I went on to bed. About 12:30 I got up again, and there was some more running by my house.

“I recently watched two episodes of Bristol Palin's new reality show. The whole show, all she does is whine about being a single mom, and how the father doesn't participate in her baby's life - while she lives in mansions or big apartments or travels back and forth from California to Alaska. She has no idea what a real single mom goes through, and she doesn't even know what homeless people look like. This is an atrocity, this show. It really shows the inside of how the Palins really are. They constantly whine about being famous, when they bring it on themselves.” - Hagerstown “U.S.