Three Live Oak women and a dog were displaced from their house on the 300 block of Seventh Avenue after a Tuesday night fire destroyed part of a garage and damaged the rest of the home with smoke. Shortly before 10 p.m., one of the residents at the home walked into the garage and found it full of smoke and on fire, said Mike DeMars, fire inspector for Central Fire. A housemate walked in after smelling smoke and found the first woman standing frozen in the smoke-filled room, DeMars said. “(The first woman) was a bit overwhelmed,” DeMars said. After calling 911, the two women told a third housemate to leave the house. Central Fire and Santa Cruz Fire arrived on scene to extinguish the fire, which was in one corner of the garage and spreading to the ceiling, DeMars said. Firefighters extinguished the flames within 10 minutes. The garage, which was attached to the two-story home, had been converted to a living space where one of the women lived, DeMars said. Investigators said the fire was accidental and traced the cause to combustible materials, including a bookcase, that were placed too close to a water heater in the garage, DeMars said. The woman who first discovered the fire may have suffered smoke inhalation but declined treatment, DeMars said. There were no other reported injuries. The home was declared uninhabitable, with fire damage to the garage and smoke damage to the rest of the two-story home. The women and dog were relocated with the help of the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County. DeMars noted that the home did not appear to have any smoke detectors, which could have notified the residents of the fire. Content provided by http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/copsandcourts/ci_25625610/cops-and-courts-april-24-2014-three-women Don’t let this happen to you. Make sure you have working smoke detectors in centralized locations throughout the house. Contact Scurich Insurance Services today to make sure that you are completely covered in the event of a fire.
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A benefit of the Affordable Care Act may be a drop in car insurance premiums as health care providers shoulder more of the treatment costs tied to accidents and injuries, according to a new report from a leading think tank.
The nonprofit Rand Corporation says the rise in the number of people with medical coverage under the ACA, also known as Obamacare, could result in a “modest” drop in claims against auto insurers. In turn, the cost savings could be passed to consumers as insurance companies and state regulators evaluate and refine coverage rates, according to Rand’s report, “How Will the Affordable Care Act Affect Liability Insurance Costs?”
“The Affordable Care Act is unlikely to dramatically affect liability costs, but it may influence small and moderate changes in costs over the next several years,” says David Auerbach, a Rand policy researcher and the study’s lead author. “For example, auto insurers may spend less for treating injuries, while it may cost a bit more to provide physicians with medical malpractice coverage.”
Besides auto insurance rates, expenses tied to homeowners insurance, workers’ compensation and general business liability insurance may also fall once the ACA further takes hold. But on the downside, expenses for malpractice coverage could rise, according to the report.
Obamacare to trim insurance costs by up to 5 percent?
“Researchers say the changes could be as much as 5 percent of costs (for auto, home and the other forms of liability insurance) in some states, but caution there is considerable uncertainty surrounding such estimates,” the study notes.
Auerbach and Rand point out that liability insurers currently reimburse tens of billions of dollars each year for medical care related to car crashes and workplace injuries, among other claims. “For example, auto insurers collectively paid $35 billion for medical costs associated with accidents in 2007, about 2 percent of all U.S. health care costs in that year,” according to Rand.
The reason for a possible jump in malpractice claims faced by doctors and health providers is simple: Rand says that more claims could be filed as more people get medical coverage.
“Insured individuals have more contacts with physicians, make more visits and receive more procedures,” the report says. “Such a shift could drive malpractice costs modestly higher.”
The malpractice figures are already significant. The study points out:
In 2012, nearly 12,000 medical malpractice claims paid on behalf of individual physicians and other providers accounted for $4.3 billion in costs. A substantial additional number of claims were paid on behalf of institutions, such as hospitals, some of which self-insure, that are not included in the $4.3 billion number.
The study was sponsored by Swiss Re, which stresses the powerful effects the ACA may ultimately have on the insurance industry and elsewhere. “Businesses and policymakers need to understand how and why their risk profiles might change as the Affordable Care Act is implemented,” Jayne Plunkett, Swiss Re’s head of casualty reinsurance, said in a statement.
A surge in medical insurance enrollments
In a separate survey, Rand estimated “a net gain of 9.3 million in the number of American adults with health insurance coverage from September 2013 to mid-March 2014.” While noting that any survey has a margin of error, Rand added that its findings didn’t include those who signed up for coverage in late March and early April. That enrollment surge could “dramatically affect” the total figures, Rand said.
Rand estimated that Americans without insurance fell to 15.8 percent, from 20.5 percent.
Of those who secured new medical coverage between September and March, 8.2 million didn’t buy it on the ACA’s federal or state-run exchanges, but through an employer. Rand says the increase was likely because of a drop in unemployment, which opened the door for many to be eligible for workplace plans, and ACA incentives encouraging employees to get coverage.
Rand added that 3.9 million secured health insurance through the exchanges, 36 percent of them previously uninsured. That number was expected to rise as the March and April numbers came in.
In declaring the ACA an unfolding success, the Obama administration recently said that more than 7 million people signed up for coverage through the marketplace exchanges.
Content provided by: http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2014/04/21/obamacare-may-reduce-auto-insurance-rates/#Kqdfh4ZHhsjylE1J.99
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Most medium-sized and smaller companies protect themselves against their property and liability exposures by purchasing Commercial insurance, while large corporations and government agencies prefer to use some type of alternative risk financing. However, businesses of any size can employ this tool to enjoy such benefits as improved cash flow and a lower total cost of risk.
Insurers have developed a number of colorful terms for alternative risk financing techniques. These methods include:
- Excess insurance
- Reinsurance
- Guaranteed cost
- Retrospective rating
- Large deductible
- Self-insurance
- Captive insurance
Using alternative risk financing requires management discipline and a willingness to commit resources. Size isn’t that important. The main criterion is losses. As a rule of thumb, alternative risk financing makes sense for a business whose claims have these characteristics: (1) Reasonable predictability; (2) moderate volatility; (3) minimal exposure to a catastrophic event; and (4) high frequency and low severity. For example, a large hotel or bank would probably experience a number of small Workers Compensation claims, but few large claims.
Casualty insurance products (such as Workers Comp, General Liability, and Auto Liability) are the best candidates for alternative risk financing. Because Comp and Liability claims tend to be paid over one to five years or more, insurance companies that write these policies generate substantial investment income on their premium reserves until losses are paid fully. By using alternative risk financing, your company can invest your funds elsewhere, rather than paying premiums.
Our specialists would be happy to review your business and see if alternative risk financing make sense for you.
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This Saturday, April 19th head on over to the beach in front of the Capitola Venetian hotel for the annual Easter egg hunt. The festivities start promptly at 11:00 a.m.
Kiddos 12 and under get to search for candy-filled plastic Easter eggs that the Easter bunny hid in the beach. Word is, the Easter bunny will be hanging out to take photographs with the kids.
There is a 3 egg limit per child so every child can enjoy the fun!
When: Saturday, April 19th at 11:00 a.m.
Where: Beach in front of the Capitola Venetian Hotel
How much: FREE!
Who: Children under 12 get to search for the eggs.
Content provided by http://www.capitolachamber.com/events/capitola-village-easter-egg-hunt/
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1 9 -to-10-pound bone-in fully cooked smoked ham (butt or shank half)
2 tablespoons whole cloves (optional)
1 1/2 cups glaze
Directions
Remove the ham from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Trim off any skin from the ham. Use a sharp paring knife to score through the fat in a diagonal crosshatch pattern without cutting through to the meat. Insert the cloves into the ham (if using), placing them at the intersections of the cuts.
Put the ham, flat-side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1/4 inch water into the bottom of the pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham registers 130 degrees F, about 2 hours, 30 minutes (about 15 minutes per pound).
Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Pour half of the glaze (see below for glazes) over the ham and brush to coat. If the water in the bottom of the pan has evaporated, add more. Return the ham to the oven and roast, basting every 10 minutes with the remaining glaze, until glossy and well browned, about 45 more minutes.
Total Time:
3 hr 55 min
Prep:
40 min
Cook:
3 hr 15 min
Yield:12 servings
Level:Easy
Ham Glazes:
Apple-Maple Glaze
Directions
Boil 2 cups apple cider in a saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low; add 1/2 cup each apple jelly and maple syrup, 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard, 1/2 teaspoon allspice and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
Mustard-Orange Glaze
Mix 1 cup light brown sugar, 3/4 cup dijon mustard and the grated zest and juice of 1 orange in a bowl.
Recipe and image provided by: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/classic-glazed-ham-recipe.html
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In today’s “litigation society,” you face lawsuits that could cripple your bottom line – or even put you out of business – based on anything from a fire on your premises to an allegation of libel by a competitor.
Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance provides financial protection against damage or injury caused by something that your business did, or perhaps didn’t do.
Your CGL policy covers a variety of exposures:
- Premises and Operations Legal Liability pays for injuries or property damage on your premises, as well as those that occur outside your place of business.
- Products and Completed Operations Legal Liability covers injury or property damage resulting from someone using your products, or real or alleged faults as a result of work your business has completed.
- Fire Legal Liability pays for injuries and damage from fires for which your business is responsible or that started due to your negligence.
- Personal and Advertising Injury protects your business against litigation alleging libel, slander, or invasion of privacy.
- Host Liquor Legal Liability will pay for lawsuits from hosting a party or special event at which you serve alcohol and intoxicated people cause injuries or property damage.
- Medical Payments covers bills when your customers, suppliers, or visitors suffer bodily injury on your premises, or resulting from your operations offsite.
To learn more about this essential coverage, just give us a call at Scurich Insurance Services today!
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Three Live Oak women and a dog were displaced from their house on the 300 block of Seventh Avenue after a Tuesday night fire destroyed part of a garage and damaged the rest of the home with smoke. Shortly before 10 p.m., one of the residents at the home walked into the garage and found it full of smoke and on fire, said Mike DeMars, fire inspector for Central Fire. A housemate walked in after smelling smoke and found the first woman standing frozen in the smoke-filled room, DeMars said. “(The first woman) was a bit overwhelmed,” DeMars said. After calling 911, the two women told a third housemate to leave the house. Central Fire and Santa Cruz Fire arrived on scene to extinguish the fire, which was in one corner of the garage and spreading to the ceiling, DeMars said. Firefighters extinguished the flames within 10 minutes. The garage, which was attached to the two-story home, had been converted to a living space where one of the women lived, DeMars said. Investigators said the fire was accidental and traced the cause to combustible materials, including a bookcase, that were placed too close to a water heater in the garage, DeMars said. The woman who first discovered the fire may have suffered smoke inhalation but declined treatment, DeMars said. There were no other reported injuries. The home was declared uninhabitable, with fire damage to the garage and smoke damage to the rest of the two-story home. The women and dog were relocated with the help of the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County. DeMars noted that the home did not appear to have any smoke detectors, which could have notified the residents of the fire. Content provided by http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/copsandcourts/ci_25625610/cops-and-courts-april-24-2014-three-women Don’t let this happen to you. Make sure you have working smoke detectors in centralized locations throughout the house. Contact Scurich Insurance Services today to make sure that you are completely covered in the event of a fire.
