Michael Cox is the Attorney General of Michigan and he's not very happy with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan right now. He recently filed a lawsuit against the company because they allegedly used the premiums of Michigan subscribers to purchase and out of state company for the benefit of its subsidiary, the Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America, back in November of 2007.

If this is true, Cox maintains, then Blue Cross violated Michigan law, specifically Public Act 350. Says Cox: "Michigan law prohibits Blue Cross from purchasing a for-profit workers' compensation company other than the Accident Fund. And if Blue Cross does transfer subscriber money to the Accident Fund, it must be in the form of a loan, not a gift that is never repaid."

Andrew Hetzel is Blue Cross' vice president of corporate communications. He says that Blue Cross not only intends to fight the case but to win as well: "We have the facts on our side."

This has the potential to get a lot of people in trouble. For example, Ken Ross. Ken Ross is Michigan's State Insurance Commissioner and he issued a statement that approved the transfer of Blue Cross funds to the Accident Fund for the purpose of purchasing CompWest.

It's a noble thing that Cox is doing. He says: "Subscriber funds were used so Blue Cross could purchase a for-profit company. And consumers, the sick and the elderly have paid higher premiums because funds that could have been used to lower their costs were diverted for this purchase.

"Michigan consumers are being squeezed by high gas prices, mortgage foreclosures and high unemployment rates. They shouldn't also have to pay higher health care premiums so Blue Cross can go on a spending spree and grab up for-profit insurance companies."

Slowly, insurance availability for parents of children with autism is becoming not only an option but a law in some states. Says the Associated Press: "Parents of autistic children would be able to pay for behavioral therapy and related services with private health insurance starting next year, under legislation that strikes a compromise between the insurance industry and advocates for the disabled."

In a rare show of unanimity, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed a measure on the subject of autism insurance. The Senate then approved the bill as well and next, it's up to Governor Ed Rendell to sign it and make it official.

Senator Jane Orie, R-PA, said in a speech on the Senate floor that the coverage of autism-related treatments was "a national model, a gold standard."

Unfortunately, autism is a tricky issue for kids and parents. It's not often diagnosed until the child is around the age of 3 and by then the child's inability to communicate or interact or express their needs and desires has become an overwhelming and frustrating problem for the whole family. The depth to which autism affects the child varies from individual to individual, but no matter how slight, it's an often devastating diagnosis for parents.

With this new bill, insurers will be required to provide as much as $36,000 in coverage for autism therapy for those under the age of 21, and Pennsylvania's Medicaid program will cover costs over that amount. Additionally, business owners who employ more than 51 people are required to offer autism insurance coverage as of the first of July next year.

A wave of deadly hailstorms and tornadoes whipped through Northern Colorado last week leaving behind a legacy of destruction that makes it the fourth most expensive storm in state history. Insurance companies won't be happy about the flood of claims expected in its wake: an estimated total of $147 million.

About 80 homes were completely destroyed by the storm and almost 800 others suffered damages. At least one man lost his life at a campground outside of Greeley, Colorado.

According to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Institute about 8000 property claims and 12000 car insurance claims are expected, everything from broken windows and roof damage on the homes to dents in cars from the hail.

Damage caused by tornadoes, wind and hail is covered by homeowners insurance and the damage to the vehicles will only be covered if the owner has comprehensive auto insurance coverage.

This is hardly uncommon in Colorado, unfortunately. Residents in the northern part of the state especially definitely put their insurance dollars to work. Professionals in the insurance industry call this the most expensive storm ever to occur outside of Denver. If you're a Colorado resident or live in an area similarly plagued by raging storms, keeping up with your insurance payments and investing in a little extra coverage should definitely be a priority.

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According to NBC30.com, a health insurance bill on the way to Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell would "prohibit insurance companies from raising rates on health care plans offered to state workers if the coverage is extended to municipalities, small businesses and nonprofit agencies."

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a written opinion that this year's newly approved General Assembly legislation would not affect contracts that are pending with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, United Healthcare and Health Net. New members would be covered by new contracts separate from the current state worker pool with current insurance contracts.

House Majority Leader Christopher Donovan is a proponent of the bill and hopes Governor Rell will sign it. Apparently, Donovan's mechanic asked him about the bill and upon hearing that its fate was unsure and awaiting the governor's decision, Donovan said: "And he said, look at that, nobody cares about the little guy. Nobody cares about him. I said, no, no, we did it. The Senate and House passed it. We did care. It's up to the governor to sign this bill and create this option."

We'll see what happens.

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It's murder and mayhem in the insurance industry again, folks. Who knew that this was such a dangerous profession? In North Carolina, it appears that being an insurance auditor can be very hazardous to your health.

A warrant was released on Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina for 40-year-old Michael Howell, owner of Dilworth Insurance Agency. He was charged with the murder in the first degree of the victim, 44-year-old Sallie Rohrbach, an auditor from the State Department of Insurance assigned to review the books at Howell's insurance agency.

At first, Howell allowed police to search his business in the course of their investigation into Rohrbach's disappearance two weeks ago. But when they found spots on the carpet and a computer cord that tested positive for blood, Howell told the police to leave and come back with a warrant. They did.

Along with Howell himself, the police also confiscated the carpet and computer cord, of course, as well as everything else in the insurance company, including a desk, computers, pornographic material, customer files, a vacuum and paneling.

The company's offices were first searched because Rohrbach was investigating Dilworth Insurance when she disappeared. Her body was discovered in a wooded area near Fort Mill, North Carolina, on May 21. She was buried on Sunday.

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It looks like the federal government is yet again picking up the insurance tab, though this time it isn't a whole country, but just a major city within the borders of the United States. Denver, to be exact. According to Daniel J. Chacon at Rocky Mountain News, "the federal government has agreed to reimburse the city of Denver for liability and workers compensation insurance policies for police during the Democratic National Convention in August, the mayor's office confirmed this morning."

Denver agreed to spend $1.85 million on various security expenses related to the Democratic National Convention and now that money will come from the $50 million federal grant. The confirmation of the grant is allowing council members a long sigh of relief as the mayor's office could give them no more than an expectation of reimbursement, but no 100 percent guarantee.

Another insurance expense that Denver expects to incur due to the Democratic National Convention is a hefty car insurance bill. Not to exceed $2 million, it's still quite a bill, and more contracts are under consideration and being approved as we speak to secure the conference in August.

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If you're looking for a reason as to why insurance rates are so high, here's one: fraud. According to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, about $80 billion in phony claims are made every year in the United States and in order to cover the cost, insurance companies must increase the price of premiums and insurance policies.

After two years of investigation, there has finally been an arrest in a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, case that has been quite costly to the insurance industry. According to Michael Matza at Pennsylvania's Inquirer, "District Attorney Lynne Abraham announced the arrest of Wallace "Pops" Morris, 42, whom she described as "the mastermind" in an alleged conspiracy to defraud 10 insurance companies of more than $1 million in phony claims stemming from staged automobile accidents."

There are more than 187 fraudulent claims attributed to Morris. He is currently waiting to be arraigned on over 400 counts of fraud, theft by deception, perjury and filing false reports, all of which are associated with the 187 fake claims. Morris is looking at felony charges that carry the penalty of up to 20 years of incarceration for each count.

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The short answer: in a way, yes. According to Karin Laub at the Associated Press, the United States government is apparently in the business of insuring whole countries now.

Well, not exactly, but close. She writes: "A U.S. government agency signed a political risk insurance deal with a Palestinian firm Thursday to help guarantee investments in the West Bank as part of an international effort to develop the beleaguered local economy."

Investors are a little concerned, it seems, with the prospect of plunging their money into the stormy deserts of Palestine thanks to the uncertain political climate at the moment. Right now, specifically, the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks is questionable at best, so the United States has decided to step in and throw a few promises at the situation and back Palestine in the process.

A recent investors' conference that drew business people from around the world was the setting for the discussion of this proposal of insurance by the United States as well as more than 100 investment projects for Palestine.

We'll see what happens.

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Do you know whether or not your lawyer has insurance? It's something that the public wants to know but lawyers are uncomfortable with disclosing.

If lawyers should be required to disclose whether or not they have malpractice insurance is the topic of debate this week in Texas. Lawyers and doctors are two examples of professions in which malpractice insurance would be beneficial. Should you decide to sue your lawyer for malpractice, it won't do much good unless he or she is covered by malpractice insurance.

What issues are covered by malpractice insurance? Well, if your lawyer misses a filing deadline that results with your case getting dismissed or ignores evidence that could have helped you, you can sue for malpractice. Basically, if they do anything or are negligent in any way that hurts the outcome of your case, then your recourse is to sue. However, between 50 percent and 66 percent of lawyers in Texas do not have malpractice insurance, which means that there would be very little monetary gain in a malpractice suit. Even if they are employed by a law firm, most are structured in such a way that they are protected financially from any malpractice claims.

The State Bar of Texas took a poll and about 70 percent of those who responded were in favor of the proposal that Texan lawyers be required to divulge their insurance status. What do you think?

Who knew that somewhere in the world these two topics would intersect? Leave it to India, I guess. According to the AFP/Yahoo! News reports and Smarajit Jana, the chief adviser to the group Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, or the Committee for Indomitable Women, commercial sex workers may now purchase life insurance policies in India.

Jana says: "Sex workers approached [the Life Insurance Corporation of India] which agreed to provide insurance coverage. We have started by signing up 199 sex workers in Sonagachi, one of Asia's largest red light districts, housing over 10,000 women involved in the business."

The intricacies of providing life insurance to those employed in an industry inherently risky to optimum health is intriguing to me, especially considering that the profession is illegal. What does that look like in practice, both for the insured person and the insuring company?

Life Insurance Corporation is run by the state and Gita Chatterjee is one of their employees. She says that "routine medical check-up for these women since they are at a high risk of HIV/AIDS" will be necessary.

The ultimate goal of the endeavor. Jana says, "Our target is to bring 50% of the sex workers of the country under the insurance coverage by 2008."

Yesterday we talked about a few ways other than raising your deductible that are good for lowering the cost of your home insurance premiums, an unavoidable and often hefty budgetary expense. With the economy in the state it is, it's always nice to be able to find a way to save a few dollars when you can.

Yesterday we talked about how home renovations and property upgrades, disaster preparedness measures and security and protection installations can lower your premiums. Here are a few more.

* Central monitoring stations. Just like the stations that are notified when you have a security system or burglar alarm installed in your home, central monitoring station can also perform other tasks around the house like automatically turning on and off outside lights or detect a water leak or if the temperature is low enough to freeze the pipes and shut off the water if you're away.

* Modernize plumbing and electrical systems. Updating your plumbing and electrical systems open up credit possibilities just like other home improvements and property upgrades, but even more so. These two systems are so important that these upgrades can often lead to larger credits than other home improvements.

* Repeat business. If you've been a customer of one company for a long time, you may be eligible for a discount. Also, if the same company provides you with your home insurance and car insurance, you may again be eligible for a lower premium.

The bottom line is that if you are eligible for discounts, you won't know until you ask. Find out what your provider offers in the way of credits and lower your home insurance premium today.

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If you're looking for a way to cut costs around the house, it could start with re-examining your home insurance policy. We all know that raising the deductible is one way to lower the amount of your premium payments, but there are other ways to go about it as well: discounts.

Pete Spicer is the vice president and new product manager for Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. He says, "People are really looking in every nook and cranny, if you will, for possible savings. Credits can really add up and become substantial."

Here are a few credits that you might consider:

* Home improvements and property upgrades. If you've renovated your house in the last 10 years, you may be eligible for as much as 10 percent off the price of their premium. The more recent the renovation, the higher the discount.

* Disaster preparedness. Storm shutters, shatterproof glass, an automatic seismic shut-off valve to protect gas lines, a backup generator, a wind-resistant roof-all of these can get you between 3 percent and 20 percent off on your home insurance depending on where you live.

* Security and protection. Depending on what kind you get, a security system can get you a hefty discount but smaller credits for things like smoke detectors, burglar alarms, deadbolt locks, sprinklers for your fire alarm, a burglar alarm that calls the police or other monitoring station, and you may be in for a premium reduction of as much as 15 or 20 percent, according to the institute.

Different companies offer different credits, so ask your agent what's available. If your company isn't giving you the opportunity to save money, it might be time to shop around for a new policy.

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According to the Carroll County Times, there are a few chiropractors who are taking on the high price of health insurance all by themselves by creating their own system of payment for services. They call it an honor fee system, which means that clients can pay what they think the treatment is worth rather than a set fee. No health insurance required.

One such chiropractor is Dr. Michael Bartel at Taneytown Chiropractic and Wellness. He says, "People are paying what they feel is a fair price, but I give the same treatment to everyone I see. Some people pay more and some people pay less than the suggested price."

So what's the suggested amount? $20 or $30 per session, but as per the honor fee system, patients may choose to pay this, pay more or pay less: anything they think is fair.

So who's doing this? A few chiropractors in Maryland and another couple of dozen chiropractors scattered across the country. Now if only this would catch on in the medical community, alternative and holistic healing treatments, and the dental community. It would be nice if we, the patients, could always pay a fair price for treatment.

It looks like the cost of medical care might even be driving the insurance companies to look elsewhere for medical assistance and providers. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, insurance premiums rose 87 percent between 2000 and 2006, and per capita healthcare spending increased $2,000 during that same period in the United States.

To help defray costs, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina have offered their members the option of going overseas for certain procedures to take advantage of the savings. For example, a heart valve replacement costs about $200,000 in the U.S. but only $10,000 in India.

David Boucher is the president and chief operating officer of Companion Global Healthcare, the BlueCross subsidiary offering the overseas medical option. He says, "The average charge for a quadruple bypass in the Greenville area is somewhere north of $128,000. Most of the Companion Global Healthcare hospitals offer it for under $20,000. Tack on a $3,000 airfare and there's still an appreciable difference."

Peter Lurie of the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen isn't convinced. He says, "Questions would be: What is the oversight board of the hospital? What quality assurance mechanisms do they have in place in the hospital or the country? How is one to know that the doctor in some foreign country is subjected to equivalent standards as they are here?

"While it's true that medical care in the U.S. is far from perfect, you really are taking a bigger risk by going to a hospital that may not be as well-monitored abroad."

What do you think?

Auto liability insurance minimum requirements in Alabama are set to rise soon as Governor Bob Riley has announced that he will sign legislation to that effect. Specifically, the changes set to take effect include:

* $20,000 to $25,000 for a single injury or death.

* $40,000 to $50,000 for multiple injuries or deaths.

* $10,000 to $25,000 for property damage.

These limits haven't changed since 1983 and the new requirements represent a compromise between insurance companies and plaintiff lawyers across the state. The goal? According to Senator Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, the sponsor of the bill, it's to protect motorists who are the victims of traffic accidents. Says Bedford, "You certainly can't buy a new car for $10,000 today."

The law will bring Alabama up to date with the insurance laws of neighboring states Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.

But what does it mean for Alabamans and their insurance bills? Estimates are that less than 10 percent of Alabama's drivers will be affected and will have to pay about $20 to $30 more for their insurance each year.