Poor coverage for kids' plastic surgery.
In a survey conducted by the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, more than half of its members who were polled reported insurance denial or trouble obtaining coverage of procedures for deformities, disfigurements, and congenital defects in children. According to the ASPRS survey, the most often denied procedures...

Strap Him Down.
Joey, a three-year-old with severely decayed and abscessed teeth caused by prolonged bottle feedings, was in great pain. He was not sleeping, and his upper lip was swollen due to infection. The treatment recommended by the family's dentist included extractions, root canals, and fillings, to be performed immediately under...

Are insurance companies redlining journalists?
Jennifer Cray and her husband, Marc Igler, had just welcomed a brand new baby girl into their family when the letter from the Automobile Club of Southern California arrived last July. The computer-generated note was brief but to the point. The company was canceling the couple's homeowner's policy because Igler's...

Texas high court prevents insurers from backpedaling on coverage for accidental property damage.
Texas high court prevents insurers from backpedaling on coverage for accidental property damage The Texas Supreme Court handed subcontractors, home builders and others in the construction industry a precedent-setting victory in an Aug. 31, 2007, decision concerning the coverage provided by a common type of commercial general...

Hilliard & Munoz, L.L.P., Announces $4.2 Million Verdict for San Luis Mexican Restaurant in Insurance Lawsuit.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Corpus Christi attorney Bob Hilliard is announcing a $4.2 million verdict handed down today in favor of Corpus Christi's popular San Luis Mexican Restaurant against the restaurant's insurance company. The jury in Judge Lisa Gonzales' County Court at Law No....

What's the appeal? Trying to control managed care medical necessity decisionmaking through a system of external appeals.
[Ralph] Benedetto, 44, a disabled Medicaid patient, contracted hepatitis B 10 years ago from a blood transfusion he received after he was struck by a drunken driver. Two years ago, his doctors said his disease had progressed to the point where he could die at any moment without a...

How to obtain the best coverage.
When procuring a D&O policy, consider switching from the traditional-team to the expanded-team approach. ALL D&O LIABILITY insurance policies in the marketplace today have coverage shortfalls. Why are these shortfalls so prevalent? First, many are hard to identify and thus do not become the subject of...

Kaiser Family Foundation Launches Free Online Resource for Health Care Data In All 50 States.
Site Allows Users to Compare the Most Current Health Information Across States WASHINGTON, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kaiser Family Foundation today launched a new Internet resource that offers comprehensive and current health information for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories....

A rose is a rose.
Pennsylvania appellate courts recently joined a trend in holding that insurers must provide coverage for intentional acts--despite "intentional acts" exclusions! David Potter, 27, a patron at Fat Daddy's nightclub in York, Pa., became unruly and was asked to leave. He refused, several club bouncers threw him down a flight...

Has a medical claim for a special needs child been rejected? Experts offer strategies for overcoming rejection.
Battling health plans over claims for medical services is frustrating enough when the service at issue is routine and involves a fundamentally healthy individual. But when coverage is denied for a child with special needs, the struggle comes under the general heading of "adding insult to injury." ...