Today's Hit and Run Links
Scurvy Dogs: Piracy along west coast of India leads Lloyd's to hike insurance premiums 300-fold; India appeals. India has stepped up naval patrols. Serious question: where are the pirate-killing drone aircraft?
What if they threw a pre-existing condition insurance plan and nobody came? More here, from Megan McArdle of The Atlantic.
Terrorism exclusion: Pakistani journalists demand life insurance from bosses after 21 killed covering War on Terror. Sounds like the least they could do for them.
Nebraska flooding: It may already be too late to get flood insurance. A 30-day post-purchase exclusion applies. Also, flood insurance doesn't cover finished basements or stuff in them, which kind of figures, but it's a bummer.
The Trashing of the Kiwi: New Zealand teen tenants run amok, destroy house, party with 200 of their closest friends leaving drug paraphernalia, cigarette butts and dog feces strewn about. I feel sorry for the owners, who are in their 80s. They tried to get the tenants out but the process takes a long time. "We are devastated. We won't get insurance because we didn't know we needed to have separate insurance for damage by tenants."
Floridians push hurricane-related tax breaks: I admit it, I miss Gov. Charlie Crist. It was always such fun to tear into him when I was writing about the last Florida insurance crisis.
Coverage for the Dreaded Lurgies: I've never heard it described this way -- a story from South Africa.
Worst timing for insurance fraud evah: Takeaway -- it's not a good time to talk on the telephone about insurance fraud while the feds just happen to be wiretapping your buddy for investigation of other alleged crimes.
I now have the pre-existing condition insurance plan available under Obama and I am more than grateful. I have had health insurance until I was 47 years of age, paid my fair share unitl I was knocked off by my divorce. For 6 years I was "uninsurable." Now, I have total coverage and I am paying for it and happy to do so. This is a great plan for people like me. Just wait until you're uninsurable and then come talk to me. The only reason more people don't know about it is because the insurance brokers don't know because it didn't affect them. Now, they'll pay to get the word out. Good job, I'll say. GO USA!