For our Florida readers, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation in Florida has issued a statement advising policyholders that mail to it corporate offices (including premium checks) was fraudulently redirected between June 24 and June 29, 2010.
The affected address is 6676 Corporate Center Parkway, Jacksonville. The U.S. Post Office is investigating.
Policyholders who mailed a payment are being asked to call 1.888.685.1555 to confirm the payment was received. The company is asking policyholders to call first to "discuss options" before stopping payment of any premium check.
GEICO reminds us that the Fourth of July is a great time to enjoy family and traditions and it is also one of the most deadly holidays of the year for drivers.
If you are an employer with commercial auto insurance and drivers under your policy, than it is important that fleet safety is reviewed with the drivers regularly. But, that advice does not end at the workplace.
GEICO offers the following tips:
- Save your text messages for a time when you're not driving.
- Make sure everyone in the car, backseat passengers too, are wearing safety belts.
- Pay attention to how drivers around you are behaving.
- Use your cell phone for emergency situations only; pull over to a safe place to use it.
- Always designate a non-drinking driver before you begin your holiday celebrations.
Drunk driving remains a serious safety issue at work and at home. In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in crashes involving drivers with an illegal blood alcohol content according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. A copy of the NHTSA Report can be found here. It is a good reminder of the seriousness of auto safety and a good addition to any break room bulletin board.
Have a great (and safe) holiday!
Happy Canada Day to my friends a few miles north.
Yes, my Canadian friends, we in the U.S. have passed a health care reform bill that only our politicians could love. We had a chance at a single-payer system. But, apparently, your Canadian system is so backwards and inefficient we were loathe to adopt it because it smacked of socialism and was not working. Right?
My small business readers have been told your health insurance system in Canada does not work or is somehow socialistic. But, I am conflicted because, in writing about the health insurance debate in the U.S. and trying to keep my personal views as a business owner and voter to myself and remain objective, my research and contacts with Canadians indicate your system makes decidedly more sense than this thing we've crafted down here.
So, in honor of Canada Day, I thought I'd quote here one of the best explanations of the Canadian system written by a Canadian for the Denver Post last year:
"It is not a perfect system, but it has its merits. For people like my 55-year-old Aunt Betty, who has been waiting for 14 months for knee-replacement surgery due to a long history of arthritis, it is the superior system. Her $35,000-plus surgery is finally scheduled for next month. She has been in pain, and her quality of life has been compromised. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Aunt Betty -- who lives on a fixed income and could never afford private health insurance, much less the cost of the surgery and requisite follow-up care -- will soon sport a new, high-tech knee. Waiting 14 months for the procedure is easy when the alternative is living in pain for the rest of your life."
Or, perhaps this quote from a writer at the Toronto Star:
"For Canadians, the debate highlights a key difference between the two countries: In the U.S., health care is a commodity to be bought and sold for profit; in Canada, it's considered a human right."
Your system is one-payer, not socialistic. Your doctors are self-employed, not employees of the government. You pay less taxes and receive more services. You spend 10% of your GDP with 100% coverage. And, there are waits, for elective and specialty care. But, a good deal of that care never gets to most Americans.
With embarrassment, I watch my local politicians put together bus trips for our elderly to visit up north to obtain medicine. I have heard that hordes of you all come down here to get treatment, but I have never met a single Canadian visiting The Cleveland Clinic. I have met many people from rural America who drive here for treatment.
Finally, if my business was in Canada, I withhold and pay my taxes, my employees are covered, and the ridiculous overhead related to my most expensive business insurance cost is eliminated. Perhaps, I hire another employee and grow my business. We stay efficient, my workforce healthy, and labor mobility is assured.
I saved that rant for today. Happy Canada Day!
Tropical Storm Alex is growing in strength and is currently about 300 miles SE of Brownsville, Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is predicted to make landfall somewhere south of Brownsville, Texas and grow to hurricane strength by Wednesday of this week.
Businesses in the affected area should prepare for the storm. The Texas Department of Public Safety issues online situation reports regularly and these are great sources of current and reliable information.
The Texas Department of Insurance website is also a great source of information. It features an entire page of links and information. The site's Hurricane Resource Page has excellent preparation tips, insurance tips and links to helpful resources.
Stay safe. And, be prepared.
