Comprehensive Insurance

Wednesday, 8 July 2020

So here's something VERY different...

For RPG fans and 3D printing aficionados.

Our good friends at Fat Dragon Games have launched their latest KickStarter, and it's a doozy:

"VALLIS MORTIS, the valley of the dead, is the campaign world created by Fat Dragon Games founder Tom Tullis over 35 years ago. Starting with this Kickstarter, and continuing with future campaigns, locations in this setting will be brought to life as richly detailed 3D printable models, and an accompanying campaign setting pdf will feature information on each location as it is released."

There are some incredible stretch rewards, lighted terrain options, and even detailed miniatures that rival the most intricate store-bought models.

And the world of 3D printing keeps getting more and more affordable, with decent printers starting at about $220.

So what are you waiting for?

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Tuesday, 7 July 2020

Double dipping and CV-19

It's not just George Costanza:

$42,000 bill from a “not for profit” Hospital for a Covid patient placed on a vent. (recovered and back to work) I inform them I know they’re getting $39K from the fed gov’t and the self-funded health plan won’t be participating in their double dipping. 💰🏨
— Rachel Means 🇺🇸✌🏼🇺🇸 (@rachel_means) July 7, 2020

Nicely done!

Now, how to get the word out to even *more* folks?

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Or, more precisely, murderous consumer tricks:

"Florida woman had hitman kill stepfather to collect on life insurance"

Which is actually kind of refreshing after the ubiquitous "Florida Man" memes of late.

Still beyond the actual tragedy lies a fascinating,if horrifying, detail:

"Stepdad was killed two weeks after the insurance policy was changed from $25[thousand] to $750[thousand]." [emphasis added]

There's a lot to unpack here, starting with the obvious question of how,exactly, one might go about increasing one's life insurance (let alone someone else's) by 30-fold without some kind of underwriting?

But of course, the MSM can't be bothered to report that little piece of info; too much trouble, one supposes. So I reached out to three reporters who covered the story, and Eli Witek of The West Volusia Beacon was kind enough to share the charging document with me (Thanks, Eli!). It's a bit confusing, but it appears that the the policy was, in fact, an accidental death policy with a $750,000 face amount. My favorite part, though, is when Ms Williams says to the Mutual of Omaha rep "life insurance is not trying to kill somebody."

What's that word?

Oh, yeah.

In the meantime, we have other questions.

The investigation revealed that Williams’ motive was an insurance policy, which she recently had increased the value in the event of Mr. Gibson’s death."

Well, yeah, three quarters of a million dollars would be classified as a decent motive for murder (even by Angela Lansbury's criteria).

As we've noted previously, it's generally considered illegal (and, of course, poor sportspersonship) to profit from ones' crime, but we also know that this isn't always the case:

"Judge rules Denver man who 'killed his wife' can use up to $500,000 from her life insurance to pay for his defense"

Be interesting to see if Ms William can tap that $750,000 policy's proceeds for her legal fees.

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Monday, 6 July 2020

Let's talk about those "Non-Existent" Death Panels

Our friend Holly R tipped us to this post at Hot Air:

"Disabled man with COVID-19 left to die of starvation in Texas over “quality of life” judgment?"

Michael Hickson, a 46 year old Lone State State citizen, was diagnosed with COVID.

He was also paralyzed with a brain injury.

Certainly not a likely candidate for a long, healthy life.

But: he seemed to be recovering, kinda:

"[H]e was moved out of the ICU, was stable and breathing on his own, and that hospice care would be calling her. "

Why hospice?

Well, because shut up, explained the doc and "the state."

And that's where it gets, well, fuzzy:

Pay special attention to the doc at 3:21, where he explicitly says "at this point, we are going to do what we feel is best for him, along with the state." [emphasis added]

So first, who is this we you're referring to, Doc, and what do you mean by "the state?"

The closest explanation of the latter that I could find was that the ~~patient~~ victim had been appointed a guardian 'ad litem' as the result of an intra-family dispute. But it seems a stretch to go from guardian "only for the duration of a legal action" to agent of the state, replete with the power of life and death (but mostly death).

And let's circle back to that initial statement, itself particularly chilling:

"This is a calculated decision, we feel like this is what is going to be best for him."

Who thinks this is best for him? Hickson certainly didn't seem to think that:

"He was still responsive, puckering his lips when she said “Can I get a kiss?” and answering that he would like her to pray with him."

Well, now we know.

And there's this: there is perhaps an argument to be made for withholding life support for someone in, say, an irreversible coma (although even that presents challenges). But Mr Hickson was certainly awake and cognizant of what what was happening, and from what we can tell was not asking for a referral to Dr Kevorkian.

This case has an overwhelming stench to it.

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Friday, 3 July 2020

Happy (And Safe!) 4th of July

Our friends at the Cincinnati Insurance Company's blog have some tips for enjoying the holiday weekend, especially in this modern era of social distancing:

• Read your grill's/smoker's instructions and owner’s manual.

• Place the grill well away from the home, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.

• Keep the grill clean and check for grease and fat in the drip pans before firing up the grill [ed: especially important when using gas grills/smokers]

• Use only charcoal starter fluid to start a charcoal fire – never gasoline [ed: better yet, use lump hardwood and a chimney]

And more at the link.

Enjoy!

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Thursday, 2 July 2020

Off Topic: Unemployment Comp

While this isn't really in our wheelhouse, the Fed's have provided us with this helpful video, "to better assist you help consumers impacted by COVID-19."

On second thought, it is, after all, unemployment insurance, the "premium" for which every employee pays.

Oookay:

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Wednesday, 1 July 2020

Medicare (Re-)Certification: Are you kidding me?

Got this in email:

"Things to pay attention to when doing your recertification:

New Kids- plan to do one section a day over a course of days cause it’s REALLY boring! It will take you about 12-14 hours to complete including the exam.

Recerts- it will take you 4-6 hours approx. You will need to click into EACH section to download the slides and then you are required to take the quizzes at the end of each section."

■ Well first, up to 14 hours? That's ridiculous. And keep in mind that, unless one pays an additional fee, they don't count toward one's Continuing Education requirements (TBF: Same with ACA certification/re-certification).

■ If this does nothing else, it should definitely discourage lay people from trying to DIY their supplemental Medicare coverage.

■ Finally, because we so value the 1st Amendment:

"Section 4 has more and better examples plus clarification on what you can do/not do on social media."

Or else, what?

#Overreach

[Hat Tip: Amanda B]

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