Hurricane Irene - 8-27-11- Morning Reflections

The heavy rains have already started and woke me during the night. The boyfriend had to go out into it to move the Expedition up the street to friends' home on higher ground. This morning we have to complete preparing the first floor for the possible failure of the flood doors to keep all the water out in the event we get the storm surge being predicted. That means moving everything out of the lower shelves of the pantry closets, the lower kitchen cabinets, a closet where the boyfriend a/k/a "Martha Stewart" keeps his candle sticks, large platters and other items to make him a fabulous dinner party host. Likewise emptying the lower two shelves of the three floor to ceiling china cabinets. Despite all these efforts, we hope that the worse will not happen.

One thing that local readers need to check out is their hurricane deductibles on their home owners policies. Deductibles can range from 1 to 5% of the policy's face value. It can be a shocker and could leave many with a significant out of pocket outlay should they experience major damage. One other note, if you have damage, call your insurance agent - not your attorney. All I can do is tell you, call your insurance company! Here are some highlights from a Virginian Pilot piece on this issue:

Hurricane damage could cost you more these days, thanks to hurricane and windstorm deductibles that have become part of most policies in Hampton Roads and coastal North Carolina.

They require a homeowner to pay for part of any hurricane damage before their regular coverage kicks in. The deductibles typically range from 1 to 5 percent of a home's insured value. If a home has $200,000 of coverage and a windstorm or hurricane deductible of 5 percent, a policyholder must pay for the first $10,000 of the claim.

"Families will have to dig deeper into their pockets because insurers have been steadily increasing hurricane wind coverage deductibles and imposing other policy limitations," J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America, said in a statement.

"Once your claim is reported, be sure to get your claim number and write it down," Hunter said. Also, start a notebook to document your contacts with the insurance company with the date, time and a brief description of the exchange, he said.

Several insurers, including State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate and USAA, have already notified policyholders with automated phone messages and email of ways to file any hurricane-related claims. USAA, which provides homeowners and auto coverage to members of the military, military retirees and their family members, is encouraging its policyholders to file claims via their mobile devices.

Again, thank you to readers who have been following events. The blog is setting records in terms of traffic. Knowing you all are out there is comforting. Sounds crazy, I know, but its true.

A Broken Health Care System

We have not talked about the nation's broken health care system lately, but a recent story out of Virginia again highlights a system that seems operated more for the benefit of insurance companies than for meeting the needs of sick and/or injured citizens. This story deals with an attempt by the Virginia General Assembly - hardly the world's most august legislative body when it comes to giving a damn about average Virginia residents - to require insurance coverage to include artificial limbs. But wait, according to the insurance lobby, such limbs are luxury items and not necessary treatment. Tell that to someone who has lost a leg or an arm. Rather than offend the powerful insurance lobby, the General Assembly appears headed to capitulation - artificial limbs will only be an offered option, assuming the policy purchaser has the where with all to ask about the coverage. Here are some highlights from PR Newswire:

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Virginia's insurance lobby continues to fight hard against passage of a bill that would require insurance companies to offer coverage for artificial limbs as an option to their policyholders. The insurance industry wants to continue treating prosthetic limbs as a medical luxury while amputees demand that the costs be treated the same as other major medical expenses. . . . On Thursday in Virginia's General Assembly, Senator Fred Quayle [from Hampton Roads], one of the bill's (SB 1116) supporters recently amended the proposed legislation's language, changing it from a "required benefit" to an "offered benefit."

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"For the past two years, amputees in Virginia have been fighting for passage of a bill that requires health insurers to cover the cost of prosthetic devices and components," says Charles Coulter, an amputee activist. "There's no reason that an amputation and the requisite follow-up care, including an artificial limb, aren't covered by health insurance like every other disease, such as cancer or a heart attack. By denying amputees coverage for artificial limbs, we're denying them the opportunity to return to the life they once knew, and forcing many to quit their jobs in order to qualify for Medicaid, which does cover prosthetic devices and care."

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"The reality today is that no one ever expects to lose a limb, and as a result, few people rarely think about how to pay for a prosthesis or even know what kind of coverage they have through their insurance policy, until they need a prosthesis," Coulter said. "To deny them coverage for an artificial limb and force them to a wheelchair denies them the opportunity to reclaim the life they once knew, and that's not right."

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As always, Virginia is for sale to the lobbyists and the rights and true needs of average citizens get thrown on the trash heap. And for those who do not know, to qualify for Medicaid coverage, one must have first more or less made them self indigent and liquidated all of their assets.