| Co-op plan for farmers ready to go into effect
Green County Agriculture Agent Mark Mayer said the program offers more affordable health insurance for farmers, many of whom are without insurance due to high rates. The goal of the plan is to help farmers gain buying power in the insurance market with the promise of affordable comprehensive insurance plans. "With 18 percent of Wisconsin farmers uninsured and 41 percent unable to afford insurance for every family member, this insurance cooperative is badly needed," Mayer said. "The No. 1 reason people get out of farming is because of the lack of affordable, quality health insurance." Brad Lancaster of the Lafayette County Farm Services Agency said some farmers pay as much as $1,000 a month for insurance. The co-op will be available for all farmers and their families, farm employees and people who work in businesses such as feed mills or milk delivery.
Yearly auto policy tempting
If you like to budget your expense a year at a time, you might want to look for an auto insurance company that offers 12-month policies in addition to the standard six-month agreements. Farmers Insurance Group began offering annual policies in Indiana on Feb. 26. The Los Angeles-based insurance company considers the new option a win for customers who like to budget their money and a win for agents who like to cut down on paperwork. Brian Fitzpatrick, Farmers Insurance Group's executive director in Indiana, allowed that when customers sign policies for twice as long, it's one fewer time each year they might be tempted to shop around for better rates. Farmers insures about 130,000 cars in Indiana. Fitzpatrick said some of those customers requested 12-month policies.
Relief money available for ag producers
Ranchers and farmers who lost livestock or property because of the December blizzards can now apply for part of $680,000 donated to help them. The money was generated by financial gifts after the blizzards and from the proceeds of the March 18 Operation Blizzard concert featuring country singing star Michael Martin Murphy. Applications are available at www.blizzardbenefit.org and are limited to agricultural producers in Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Crowley, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Lincoln, Otero and Prowers counties. The disaster relief funds only are available to producers who suffered losses not covered by insurance or for which no other disaster-relief funds have been paid. Money can be paid for lost or destroyed livestock, feed, buildings, fences and equipment or to pay for temporary pasture, according to Chad Vorthmann of the Colorado Farm Bureau insurance company and farmer advocacy group.
Beitlich Touts Health Care Plan to State Senate Committee
The leader of the Wisconsin Farmers Union says the state government is doing great work when it comes to reforming health care. At a public hearing in Eau Claire on Thursday, WFU President Sue Beitlich told the State Senate Committee on Health and Human Services that she 'is encouraging to know that legislators see our needs and are working to create change in this vital area.'
In particular, Beitlich says her group favors State Senator Mark Miller's Wisconsin Health Security Act--which she feels is the most comprehensive proposal, specifically in its potential to help family farmers, small business owners, and employers and their employees.
"In Wisconsin in 2005 there were an estimated 500,000 adults without health insurance--a conservative estimate that is growing--and the number of children without insurance grew from 91,000 to 110,000 in 2005," Beitlich told the panel.
Insurers must honor their commitment
Will your insurance company be there when you need it most? That's what you assume when you buy insurance. You pay a premium so that when something goes wrong, your insurance company will pay for your covered losses. Unfortunately, that is not happening in Washington state. Our system is broken. As a former senior claims adjuster for Farmers Insurance Exchange and a nationally recognized claims practices expert, I know firsthand to what lengths insurance companies will go to save money by not paying claims. Many insurance companies tie employee salaries and bonuses to practices that encourage and condone the delay, denial, underpayment and forced litigation of claims. The Insurance Fair Conduct Act, now being considered by the Washington Legislature, would make the insurance claims system more fair for consumers in Washington state.
Farmers' Health Coop Insurance Takes Effect
More than 3,500 state farmers and agri-businesses have filed their applications for the new cooperative health insurance plan. According to the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives, the Farmers' Health Cooperative of Wisconsin program--which provides affordable, high-quality health insurance--took effect on April 1.
WFC President Bill Oemichen says he is very pleased with the high level of interest the cooperative is receiving.
"Many producers and agribusinesses have told us that we are providing the type of high quality insurance coverage they have been waiting for and that the insurance represents a very good value," said Oemichen. "This interest is translating to very strong enrollment rates in the cooperative."
FHCW's six plans range from low-premium, high-deductible coverage in conjunction with a Health Savings Account to a low-deductible plan aimed at agri-businesses.
Ethanol Creates A Pricing Puzzle For Corn Farmers
Belmond, Iowa - One foggy morning last week, farmer Dave Nelson pulled his 18-wheel truck up to a grain elevator near here and, with a scowl on his rugged, bearded face, delivered 980 bushels of last fall's corn crop.
He was grimacing because demand for corn to make ethanol has pushed the grain's price to just under $4 a bushel -- but Mr. Nelson had agreed about a year ago to sell his 2006 crop for $2.60 a bushel. "It seemed like a good price at the time," he says. But this year, "I'm not dinking around."
Across the plains, farmers are placing big bets on where the price of corn will go in 2007. They are preparing to plant more corn than they have in decades, spending more on seed and fertilizer, investing in new equipment and buying crop insurance against the possibility of bad weather.
Be thankful friend to American farmer
Note to all Americans: The American farmer is not your enemy; he is not taking your hard-earned tax dollar illegally nor under false pretenses. The American farmer is one of the best friends that citizens of this free country have. And, by the way, he/she is one of the most efficient producers of food in the world. The American farmer is not greedy. He only asks for a fair price, and for a fair competition field in this so-called world market he finds himself captured by. There aren't many in the world who will put in long, long days and nights, operate at the mercy of Mother Nature, buy everything at retail prices and sell everything at wholesale prices. The American farmer usually has to ask his buyers: What will you give me? This humorous story making the rounds on the Internet about farmers illustrates just how things go for our American farmers.
Crops Could See Major Damage
POINSETT COUNTY, AR -- The freezing temperatures this weekend have been breaking records set from long ago and that's a big change from the high temps we've seen the past few weeks. With that said, farmers in the area have been told their early planted crops are at high risk, risk for a loss they aren't prepared to take. This weekend mother nature changed her mind and record low temperatures have given farmers a run for their money. "To be honest with you, we don't know to the extent of damage we do have yet. This is the first time I've been put in this situation," says Darin Walton, a Poinsett County Farmer. Walton farms a little over 4,000 acres in Poinsett County. 400 of those acres are wheat, which is planted in October and harvested around June.
Aubry's story
Aubry Bissett survived a horrific car accident that broke her back in three places and left her with a permanent brain injury. But what followed may even have been worse. She's created a play to bring her audience as close as possible to experiencing what she went through.
he screams out for help. Once. Enough to realize she is wasting her breath.
It's pitch dark. Silent. Freezing cold. She is standing knee deep in muck, her body resting against a crumpled sports car, a shiny black MX-3 Precidia she'd bought less than a year ago.
The time 5:05 is frozen on the dashboard clock.
"HELP," she calls out into the darkness.
It's a futile attempt. The air is so bitterly cold on this day in early December 1994 that her very words seem to fly back and slap her in the face.
Industry Reports Progress on Terrorism Risk Modeling But ...
Sophisticated catastrophe models are greatly aiding commercial insurance actuaries in establishing underwriting and pricing guidelines for terrorist attacks, according to industry experts at this week's Casualty Actuarial Society's (CAS) annual Seminar on Ratemaking in Atlanta. A panel session on "Actuarial Analysis of Catastrophes and Terrorism for Commercial Insurance" outlined the challenges that actuaries face in translating the output from catastrophe models into financially meaningful numbers, such as rate indications and solvency analysis, as well as the impact of the federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) on commercial insurance pricing. David Lalonde, senior vice president at AIR Worldwide Corp., a risk modeling company, said his company had been modeling natural catastrophes for 15 years before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
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