Insurance Companies

The most ambitious federal mortgage program to date aimed at millions of underwater homeowners is poised to take off in the coming two weeks, yet some key issues could hinder borrower participation. One of them involves something most owners know nothing about: Who was your mortgage insurer on your underwater loan? Though it was announced by the Obama administration late last year, "HARP 2.0" — the second version of the Home Affordable Refinance Program — will finally hit full stride around the middle of this month, when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac finish tweaking their automated underwriting systems to accept applications, and lenders and mortgage insurance companies start handling large volumes of requests.

The Supreme Court is about to toss a judicial bomb into the middle of the presidential campaign, and nobody knows what impact it will have. The bomb, of course, is the court's ruling on President Obama's healthcare law, which is expected next month. At first glance, the political implications might look simple. If the court upholds the law, Obama's biggest legislative achievement, the president wins; if the court declares the law unconstitutional, he loses. COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS: Presidential Election 2012 But as with many things in politics, it may not be that simple at all. If the court upholds the law, Obama will hail the decision as proof that he was right all along.

The Supreme Court is about to toss a judicial bomb into the middle of the presidential campaign, and nobody knows what impact it will have. The bomb, of course, is the court's ruling on President Obama's healthcare law, which is expected next month. At first glance, the political implications might look simple. If the court upholds the law, Obama's biggest legislative achievement, the president wins; if the court declares the law unconstitutional, he loses. COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS: Presidential Election 2012 But as with many things in politics, it may not be that simple at all. If the court upholds the law, Obama will hail the decision as proof that he was right all along.

I had a routine physical exam a couple of weeks ago and paid a $40 co-pay. I thought it was strange, so I called my insurance company. They said I should not have had to pay a co-pay for a routine physical exam. I called the doctor's office and they referred me to their billing department, who refused to refund me the co-pay until my insurer reimburses them for the full amount of the physical. This doesn't sound correct to me. They collected a co-pay that they should not have collected.

My father had a name before he became a number. In English, his name would have been Nicholas Frumkin, but in Lithuanian he was Mykolas Frumkinas. In Russian, which we spoke at home in Kaunas, Lithuania, he was Nikolay Grigorievich Frumkin, but his friends called him Kolya. And, of course, to me he was Papa--Daddy. Strangers called him, in the East European fashion, "Engineer Frumkin" because he had an engineering degree from a major German university.

I just received a letter from my cardiologist's medical group saying they will be charging a $350 annual fee for administrative costs. This is the first time I've seen a medical group charging an annual fee to its patients. Is this what the bad economy has come to? The fee appears exorbitant and discriminatory against less wealthy individuals. Though charging for administrative services isn't yet widely common, the practice is growing, says James Doherty, an attorney who works with physician practices in Columbia, Md. There are a variety of reasons why, adds Dr. Glen Stream, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians: the bad economy, a downward trend in physician reimbursement and a growing list of administrative tasks heaped onto physician practices by insurance companies.

State law requires insurers to include coverage for autism in comprehensive healthcare policies. Now, lawmakers want to go a step further, requiring coverage of a particular autism treatment: applied behavioral analysis. Insurers are resisting. They don't question the effectiveness of the therapy; they just say it doesn't fit the definition of "medical" treatment. Their position reflects how crucial parts of the healthcare system are wedded to the status quo, regardless of what's best for patients.

I just applied for an insurance plan for my 10-year-old daughter, but she was denied because she has asthma. I thought the new health reform law required insurance companies to cover kids. You're mostly correct. As of Sept. 23, 2010, insurance companies that sell "child-only" health plans - as well as individually purchased family plans that cover dependents - cannot deny coverage to anyone under the age of 19 because of a health condition. They also can't exclude care associated with a pre-existing medical condition.

The Arizona state Senate has rejected a controversial bill that would have allowed employers to refuse to offer birth control coverage if it conflicted with their moral or religious beliefs. The proposal had become entangled in a rancorous national debate over women's healthcare and religious freedom. Under the bill, employers still would have been required to cover birth control used for purposes other than contraception, such as treating acne. Opponents said that would have required women who wanted birth control to tell their employers why, thereby violating their privacy, the Associated Press reported . Supporters of the bill maintained that women only would have to share such information with their insurers, but retooled the proposal before Wednesday's vote.

In the top-floor ballroom of a downtown San Francisco hotel, Steve Slepcevic took the podium to share the story of his success. The son of Serbian immigrants, he began working on construction sites at the age of 12. By 17, he had started his own general contracting business. Soon enough, he was chasing natural disasters, looking to help victims rebuild their property and put their lives back together.

I just applied for an insurance plan for my 10-year-old daughter, but she was denied because she has asthma. I thought the new health reform law required insurance companies to cover kids. You're mostly correct. As of Sept. 23, 2010, insurance companies that sell "child-only" health plans - as well as individually purchased family plans that cover dependents - cannot deny coverage to anyone under the age of 19 because of a health condition. They also can't exclude care associated with a pre-existing medical condition.

Re "The politics of student loans," Editorial, April 30 Although this editorial is about the interest on student loans, the controversy in Congress over this issue is representative of the way our legislators have been acting for a while. Even when the parties agree on a goal, they are so busy gaming the opposition that they cannot accomplish anything. This behavior makes the American people more cynical and convinced that Congress is corrupt and incompetent. This will only make our lawmakers irrelevant to our citizenry and make the laws they pass irrelevant too. This is exactly the prescription for the fall of the American empire.

Airing on Easter and Passover, the Sunday morning news talk shows used the occasion to explore the religious questions and controversies that could emerge in the presidential election. On “Face the Nation,” Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan said he hoped that if Mitt Romney were to become the Republican nominee for president, that his Mormon faith would not prove a liability. “There may be reasons not to vote for Mitt Romney as president of the United States,” Dolan told host Bob Schieffer.

SAN DIEGO - I thought it was the start to a new Dodgers era: The Dodgers winning and everyone happy. Or the Dodgers losing, Magic smiling and everyone still feeling better. But if the Dodgers are poised to get off to a fresh start, why is Magic sitting beside Frank McCourt for the team's opener at Petco Park? Why would the best thing that has happened to the Dodgers in recent years allow himself to be photographed sitting next to the worst thing that has happened to the Dodgers?

WASHINGTON — Trying to ward off a financial crisis like the one that shook the world in 2008, a powerful panel of federal regulators approved criteria for classifying which non-banking firms pose a risk to the entire financial system and are subject to tougher rules. The new financial regulations are aimed at large, previously unregulated insurance companies, such as bailed-out American International Group Inc., as well as hedge funds, private equity funds and other firms whose complicated securities and bad bets on mortgages created a credit crisis and helped deepen the recession.

Not a happy ending Re "Storied studio buildings doomed," March 26 Hollywood history is vital to preserve, if for no other reason than it attracts much-needed tourism dollars to this city and makes this place special, mythic and glamorous to the world. If officials and activists don't care enough to try to save at least a remnant of this historic movie lot - which preserves the look of old Hollywood studios in the early (and glory) days and contains so many great stories connected to each room there - then at the very least they should hire a good photographer to document every room and angle before it is torn down like all the other historic places here we have lost forever.

State insurance regulators and trade groups have settled a pair of lawsuits stemming from efforts to pressure insurers to stop investing in corporations engaged in energy, nuclear or defense-related work in Iran. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced the settlement late Friday. At issue was a controversial 2009 initiative by Jones' predecessor, Steve Poizner, that threatened to penalize insurance companies and publicize their investments in companies that indirectly benefit the government of Iran.

New York state is investigating auto insurance companies for failing to give required discounts to consumers who have safety and anti-theft devices on their cars, officials said Friday. Attorney General Robert Abrams said car owners have been cheated out of as much as $30 million in New York--and more nationally--by insurance companies that advertise discounts and then don't give them.

The Arizona state Senate has rejected a controversial bill that would have allowed employers to refuse to offer birth control coverage if it conflicted with their moral or religious beliefs. The proposal had become entangled in a rancorous national debate over women's healthcare and religious freedom. Under the bill, employers still would have been required to cover birth control used for purposes other than contraception, such as treating acne. Opponents said that would have required women who wanted birth control to tell their employers why, thereby violating their privacy, the Associated Press reported . Supporters of the bill maintained that women only would have to share such information with their insurers, but retooled the proposal before Wednesday's vote.

Signs of life Re " Ancient symbols speak to prisoner ," Column One, March 14 Having read a number of letters over time from Timothy Fenstermacher in the Biblical Archaeology Review, it was a genuine pleasure to "meet" him through the article in The Times. I wish him well - he is an inspiration to those who want to turn their lives around but don't know where to start. As a teacher, it reinforces the message I try to give my students: Education is the key, not necessarily to riches but to success.