Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.insur From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: insur Fri, Feb 28 1992 Date: Fri, 28 Feb 92 05:50:42 EST Message-ID: 02-28 0000 DECISIONLINE: Insurance USA TODAY Update Feb. 28-March 1, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network MEDICAL SERVICES NOT ACCESSIBLE: Medical services are simply not accessible to the people who need them the most in thousands of communities across the USA, says the National Association of Community Health Centers Inc. in a report out Thursday. Nationwide, 17% of the U.S. population don't have adequate access to a doctor. Another 8 million people were at risk of falling into that category, the report said. (For more, see special Study package below.) JOBLESS CLAIMS UP: Claims for jobless benefits rose for a second straight week in mid-February. The Labor Department reported Thursday that 7,000 more people filed initial claims for unemployment compensation in the week ended Feb. 15, pushing the seasonally adjusted total to 459,000. It was the second straight advance, although less than the 18,000 increase a week earlier. MEASURE TO BAR PENSION TAX: Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is pushing a measure prohibiting states from taxing the pensions of former residents. California taxes "tens of thousands" of retirees living in Nevada because their pensions were earned from employment in the Golden State. Reid argues the tax is unfair because Nevada retirees can't vote in California nor enjoy other tax-financed services in the state. 10 STATES TAX PENSION: For the past five years, Sen. Harry Reid has tried to get Congress to outlaw source taxing. An estimated 32 states have statutes permitting them to impose source taxes, according to a report published in Retirement Life magazine. But only Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, California, and New York collect the tax. COURT ORDERS INSURER LIQUIDATED: The Cook County, Ill., Circuit Court has issued an order of liquidation against Inter-American Insurance Company of Illinois, Chicago. An examination by the Illinois Department of Insurance found the company to be impaired by $30 million. The company has been under the insurance director's control since it was placed in conservation October 25. GUARANTY INSURERS GET BOOST: The Association of Financial Guaranty Insurers says its members reported aggregate increases in capital, premiums, earnings and other measures of financial strength during the third quarter of 1991. AFGI reported strong demand for insured bonds, reflecting investors' concern about the safety of their investments. Total par amount insured rose to $50.1 billion, up 47% from last year. COLORADO LIMITS LIABILITY: A bill that would limit the liability of rafting companies to $400,000 for each individual involved in any commercial accident passed the Colorado House Thursday. It now moves to the Senate. The bill is aimed at helping to strengthen the tourist industry. Foes say the limit may not be enough for some injuries. HHS CITED FOR VIOLATIONS: The Department of Health and Human Services in Boston has been cited for 13 safety and health violations, according to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration report. The violations "were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees" in the JFK Federal Building, the National Treasury Employees Union said Thursday. BURROUGHS TO ANNOUNCE NEW DRUG: Drugmaker Burroughs Wellcome Co. promises an announcement Friday about "treatment of a major childhood disease." Expected news: Food and Drug Administration approval of the first treatment for chicken pox, the anti-viral drug acyclovir. The drug, already approved for treatment of herpes, reduced severity and duration of chicken pox in recent studies. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON STUDY: 1.7M IN MICHIGAN `AT RISK': Just over 15% of Michigan's 9.2 million residents are being shortchanged on needed health services, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers Inc. About 1.4 million of the state's residents are medically underserved. Michigan ranked seventh among all states in the number of people classified as medically underserved. PENNSYLVANIA RANKS EIGHTH: Pennsylvania ranks eighth in the number of residents who are struggling to get basic medical health care services. About 1.3 million Pennsylvanians lack adequate access to primary medical health care. Another 600,000 state residents were "at risk" of being "medically underserved." The state ranks behind California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. DELAWARE HAS SHORTAGE OF DOCS: In Delaware, more than 91,000 - over one-seventh of the state's population - are struggling to get basic medical care services. The report said residents of Kent County are in worse shape than people in the state's other two counties. The reason: A shortage of doctors. Delaware ranked 47th in the population that is considered underserved. OVER 1 MILLION IN N.J. AT RISK: More than 850,000 New Jerseyans - or 11% of the state's population - lack access to basic health-care services, and the problem is most extreme in Gloucester and Ocean counties, The National Association of Community Health Centers study said. More than 1 million persons in New Jersey are "at risk" medically, living in counties that scored poorly on health measures. (End of package.) Insurance Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. 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