Home » Insurance

Insurance

Articles

Advocacy firms finding business in confused patients: Health care complexities creating new industry

Duane Etienne’s role as the leader of a local elder-care agency provides him the benefit of knowing how to navigate the intricacies of the modern medical maze more than most. Yet, the 65-year-old admitted he still had trouble deciphering the fine print on his parents’ insurance policies. “It’s just too complicated,” said Etienne, president of the local CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions. “I work this business every day, and it’s complex for me. But I’ve got people I can go…

Read More

Small-business optimism drops: National business group forecasts slow-but-steady growth in 2007, unlike torrid pace that kicked off last year

Small-business owners aren’t nearly as optimistic about 2007 as they were heading into last year, thanks to a slowing economy and lower spending rates, a report from the National Federation of Independent Business shows. Still, many small businesses in Indiana and elsewhere expect to grow steadily and add to their work forces in 2007. In the next three months, 14 percent of small businesses plan to create jobs and 26 percent plan to make a capital expenditure, the NFIB says….

Read More

CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Greetings from Indianapolis South

NAPLES, Fla.-Here I am more than 1,000 miles from Indianapolis and yet feeling right at home. Seems like everywhere I turn, there are signs of the city. The first night I was here, I ate dinner at a restaurant where six Indianapolis people I know were sitting at the table next to ours. During the course of my stay so far, American United Life Insurance Co. held a board retreat here and the St. Vincent Hospital Foundation threw a fund-raiser…

Read More

Doctor report cards may boost care, pay: New pay-for-performance model prepares for testing

The designers of a pay-for-performance plan for doctors are about to put their theories to work. The Quality Health 1st of Indiana program will start testing its unique system for measuring performance in the next three months, and it might lead to bonus payments for doctors by the second half of 2007. Big in-state insurers like M-Plan Inc. and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana back the initiative, and several large doctor groups have signed up, too, said…

Read More

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Our love-hate relationship with globalization boom

Our generation didn’t invent globalization, but we’ve certainly moved it to a new level. Even here in the isolated Midwest, it’s hard to find a product, a job or a community that hasn’t been affected by the high degree of connectivity among customers, businesses, and buyers and sellers of all kinds around the globe. We’ve enjoyed a cornucopia of incredible new products-from cell phones to flat-screen televisions to microprocessor-laden automobiles-that have had many or all of their principal parts made…

Read More

STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Governor still has lots of differences with Dems

After saluting the accomplishments of the past year, Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels reached across the aisle during his State of the State Address Jan. 16 and assured Democrats that he can’t make further progress without their cooperation. Once again, the governor found himself competing for the TV audience of Hoosiers at home. In what seems to be a given of sorts, the Indiana University men’s basketball team was playing during the speech, taking on Hoosier hero Steve Alford’s University of…

Read More

VIEWPOINT: Let’s improve the health of working poor

On a cold and rainy day and wearing only a thin jacket, Maria walked eight miles to get help. She was pregnant and seeking prenatal care. Her husband had deserted her. The pervasiveness of unemployed and working-poor families presents a growing challenge. Most are underinsured or have no health insurance at all. That means our charity-care system is stretched to the maximum. One north-side center that provides care for the uninsured and underinsured has seen a 15-percent increase in patients…

Read More

New hospital endures rough start in Bloomington: Leader says Monroe Hospital expected potholes

A cash-flow squeeze and a shortage of baby deliveries caused Monroe Hospital to stumble after its October launch. But the leader of Indiana’s newest general service hospital envisions a full recovery. The $39 million, doctor-owned hospital in Bloomington recently dropped childbirth services due to lack of deliveries, CEO Dean Melton said. Monroe also struggled with tight finances as it waited more than two months for the first revenue to trickle in. Meanwhile, a founding physician who has the hospital’s road…

Read More

DOING GOOD: PATTY JONES: Different kind of donation

| Jo Ellen

DOING GOOD PATTY JONES Different kind of donation Patty Jones’ free time isn’t all that free. Last year, she took on more than 100 assignments as a member of Indianapolis Ambassadors. And that’s just for starters. She also volunteered for dozens of activities at Greenwood Christian Church, was treasurer of her neighborhood association and served on the board of Joy’s House, a provider of adult day services. “We all have talents and mine help organizations,” said Jones, 45, owner of…

Read More

Regulator pitches first fee hike in more than a decade: The state Department of Insurance plans to hire 10

Indiana’s thinly funded Insurance Department is pushing to raise nearly $1 million by hiking fees it charges insurers for the first time since 1994. The department also plans to shrink agent licenses from four years to two, in order to raise money and bolster continuing-education requirements. Insurance Commissioner Jim Atterholt hopes to win legislative approval this session for the measures, which would add $960,000 to the department’s $5.8 million operating budget and allow it to boost its work force from…

Read More

Women builders see big growth: More opportunities seen in home construction

Indianapolis-area women are making their mark in the ownership and management of residential construction businesses, following decades of working behind the scenes. Women account for 47 percent of privately held firms in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That number is growing, and the greatest growth is in construction. The National Association of Home Builders Women’s Council reports that the number of women-owned businesses in the building industry has risen 30 percent since 1997. “One of…

Read More

Labor sector diversification could spur local economy: $200,000 study targets finance, retail and construction

Sexier industry sectors like life sciences or motorsports get all the press. But to remain robust, the Indianapolis Private Industry Council believes, the area economy needs diversification. The 23-year-old work-force-training not-for-profit believes the nine-county area also should target three tried-and-true industries: finance and insurance; retail, hospitality and restaurants; and construction. IPIC, whose $9 million annual budget comes from public and private grants, plans to spend $200,000 during the first quarter studying the three sectors, which collectively employ 270,000 people in…

Read More

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Investors need to be real about their stockbrokers

Too many investors view their stockbrokers as “professionals” and not the salesmen they usually are. How do brokers find their customers? Most get their clients from cold-calling or inheriting accounts when fellow brokers leave the firm. Some brokers are adept at finding customers at church, the country club or local service organizations. Compare this point of initial contact to other professionals you deal with. Have you ever been cold-called by a doctor offering you a great deal on that annual…

Read More

STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Think the state’s awash in cash? Think again

Most observers assume there will be a confrontation between House Democrats, led by Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, and Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels this session. They suggest it’s like watching a hockey game and just waiting for a big fight. But confrontation need not be a synonym for breakdown , and while legislative Democrats and Daniels have some different philosophies about the role of government, they also have some basic agreements on just what should be accomplished before the end…

Read More

Will merger weaken regulatory oversight?: Local securities experts disagree on potential impact of NASD, NYSE combination

A merger of the two biggest regulators that police the nation’s 5,100 investment brokerages is drawing mixed reactions from the securities industry. NASD, formerly known as the National Association of Securities Dealers, and NYSE Group Inc., parent of the New York Stock Exchange subsidiaries, want to complete the merger by June 30. Supporters hail the alliance as a costcutting measure that will eliminate overlapping regulation and establish a uniform set of rules by placing oversight responsibility in a single, yet-to-be-named…

Read More

Business shoved aside: Readers say city should focus on crime, education in 2007

The brutal murders of seven family members, including three children shot dead in their east-side Indianapolis home, cast a dark cloud over the city last summer. Yet the June slayings only served as a harbinger of a wave of violence that later claimed 15 lives in a 10-day span. The crime spree rattled city leaders so severely that Mayor Bart Peterson declared an emergency normally reserved for a natural disaster. 2006 no doubt ranked among the most deadly years in…

Read More

Storms crisis for some, boon for others:

When two separate storms boasting 80-mile-per-hour winds and massive hail hit the Indianapolis area in April, it was just the beginning of headaches for some. For others, it was the beginning of a lot of green. A storm on April 2 produced straightline winds that knocked out windows and tore away portions of the façade at downtown’s One Indiana Square office tower. The city was forced to close Pennsylvania Street for days to keep cars and pedestrians away from the…

Read More

Shiel Sexton to give city block extreme makeover: Historic home of VanAusdall & Farrar gets new life

Shiel Sexton Co. Inc. is continuing its downtown redevelopment spree with plans to turn an entire city block into an office complex that could include some retail space. The Indianapolis contractor bought the block at auction this fall when its former owner, local office equipment distributor VanAusdall & Farrar Inc., moved to offices at 75th Street and Binford Boulevard. Bounded by 12th, Meridian, 13th and Illinois streets, the 2.9-acre property houses four buildings, three of which are clustered along Meridian…

Read More

HUMAN RESOURCES: Think your business is too small for HR? Think again

After squeezing 36 hours out of every 24-hour day, you have reached a milestone in your business: You realize you need help. How you find, hire and treat employees-from that first one to those that follow-can accelerate your success or throw obstacles in your way. The moment you begin the search for your first employee, you enter the intricate world of “human resources.” If you’re like many busy entrepreneurs, you have given little thought to how to do that. You…

Read More

Small biz unsure about ’07: Legislative agenda is clear, but advocates still worried

Big changes at the Statehouse, including a shift to Democratic control in the House of Representatives and a leadership switch in the Senate, mean there are more unknowns and more unpredictability. Meanwhile, top issues such as health insurance, tax reforms and regulatory changes provide a minefield of concerns for small-business owners. New health insurance mandates could add to already skyrocketing premiums. New local taxing authority could increase the burden on small businesses. Changes to the state’s regulatory structure could dramatically…

Read More