More than one-third of insurance customers surveyed are willing to give carriers access to information on their “usage or behavior” if they can get lower rates, about one in eight would consider buying from car dealers and nearly half “would consider comments on social media” when deciding where they would buy insurance, suggests a recent report from Accenture.
Author Archives: Admin2
Can the Ontario Government Suck AND Blow?
Proving an “economic loss” became a hot topic. Some insurers wanted to only pay the amount of the loss, and others would pay the amount of attendant care benefit (as calculated by the OT), as long as a loss existed. This issue was tried in court, and in Henry vs Gore (2013) the decision was that “the extent of the economic loss was irrelevant…as long as there was any economic loss during the period in question the person can qualify for the services they provided…”
Then, just last month this decision was overturned by the Ontario government, the SABS were amended, and now people providing care cannot receive more “than the extent of the economic loss sustained by the attendant…as a direct result of providing the care…”
So, I ask, can the government really suck and blow? I guess so because there are so many elements of this that both defy logic and are clearly unfair.
http://entwistlepower.com/2014/02/can-the-ontario-government-suck-and-blow.html
Elections Ontario data shows some law firms still donate to political parties
Law firms “have always been giving” to political parties, according to Miller, who notes Toronto’s big law firms are particularly generous. The most common way law firms contribute is through the purchase of tables at political party fundraisers.
Liberals reduce medical benefits
More heartache for families of catastrophically-injured accident victims as attendant care costs are capped – According to personal injury lawyer Darcy Merkur, this change “discriminates against persons not currently in the workforce, like retirees, stay-at-home parents, and the unemployed, who are restricted from being compensated for providing needed and valued care to their seriously injured loved one.”
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/02/07/liberals-reduce-medical-benefits
Auto insurance lies are common among parents
According to the results of new research thousands of parents are committing auto insurance fraud by pretending that they are the primary driver of a vehicle that is actually being used mainly by their student daughter or son.
http://www.liveinsurancenews.com/auto-insurance-lies-common-among-parents/8532165/
Study: Auto insurance in Detroit is most expensive in nation – by far
Detroit’s annual average premium for auto insurance is $10,732 – about 10 times higher than many U.S. cities, according to Nerdwallet.com, a consumer-information site.
Intact to launch usage-based auto insurance in Ontario in April
Intact Financial Corp. stated Wednesday it plans to launch usage-based insurance in Ontario in April and will drop rates, by 5% on average, by targetting discounts to safe drivers.
Social media can be key in claims investigations, but ethics critical
Using the information shared publicly through those social media sites, and others such as LinkedIn or photo sharing site Instagram, can be critical when investigating potentially fraudulent or exaggerated claims, she said.
Cheaper Car Insurance: Price is the least of the problems
The article “Cheaper Car Insurance: Ontario drivers will wait two more years” highlights many of the current problems in Ontario’s auto insurance industry. High premiums, fraud, problems with payouts for injuries, claim costs, resolution back-logs, and benefit cuts returning $2B back to insurers are all mentioned. As a rehabilitation provider working in the auto insurance industry, I can confirm that the current product is fraught with problems. However, from the health provider and claimant perspective, affordability is the least of the industry’s problems. Rather, there is growing concern regarding insurer practices that are unfair and deceptive, negligent, involve failed fiduciary duties, and seem to violate the Canadian Charter. Issues with professionals as assessors, and provider contracts are also rampant. This paper will review Ontario’s insurance industry, aiming to highlight the many legal problems surrounding a controversial product that impacts all drivers. Cheaper Car Insurance Price is the least of the problems by Julie Entwistle
Taxpayers group urges radical cuts to pay off Ontario deficit
In a budget submission to Finance Minister Charles Sousa, the right-wing lobby group called for dramatic — and politically unpalatable — changes to the way business is done at Queen’s Park. These include: scrapping “corporate welfare,” such as the investments Ontario has made to companies like Cisco Systems in order to attract jobs, which could save $2.7 billion annually.