All Posts in "Press Release"

Medicare Part D Enrollment period begins Oct. 15

Starting this year, Medicare’s open enrollment period for prescription drug plans (Part D) and Medicare Advantage plans takes place Oct. 15 through Dec. 7.

The Affordable Care Act moved and expanded the annual enrollment period a week, giving people additional time to consider their choices.  “The new enrollment time allows Medicare consumers to avoid conducting business during the holiday season and increases their time to compare Part D plans and Medicare Advantage plans,” said Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. “Don’t miss this opportunity to review your options. Our Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program can help you understand your choices.”

SHIBA helps people answer questions and evaluate plans. “Our trained volunteers in your community can help answer your questions and search for plans online,” said Marijean Holland, SHIBA Program Manager.  “We also offer assistance with Original Medicare and other health plans, and provide free, unbiased information to help you decide.”

Before you make your decision, consider the following tips:

  • Plan costs and coverage can change every year, so carefully review all letters and notices from your current plan.
  • Make a list of all current prescription drugs you take, the doses, and how often.  Then, use the Plan Finder at www.medicare.gov to compare Part D plans.
  • Review the 2012 Medicare & You handbook. You should have received it in September.
  • If you have questions, call 1-800- MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) before you sign up.
  • If you have limited income and need help paying for prescription drugs, check out Medicare’s “Extra Help” program.  To see if you qualify, contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or go to www.socialsecurity.gov and click on Medicare.

“Whatever you do, don’t wait until the end of the enrollment period to get help,” added Kreidler. “Call our Insurance Consumer Hotline today at 1-800-562-6900 and ask to schedule an appointment with a SHIBA volunteer in your area.”

To attend a free Medicare workshop in your local area, go to:  http://www.insurance.wa.gov/shiba/shiba_contacting.shtml

For help in other languages, call:

  • Spanish, Medicare, 1-800-633-4227
  • Spanish, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, 1-866-783-2645
  • Korean, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, 1-800-582-4259
  • Chinese, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, 1-800-582-4218
  • Vietnamese, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, 1-800-582-4336

Individuals in Pierce County can contact Aging Disability Resource Center for help:

  • English: (253) 798-4600
  • Khmer: (253) 798-4550
  • Russian: (253) 798-4552
  • Spanish: (253) 798-4553
  • Vietnamese: (253) 798-4554

 

Press Release by — October 11, 2011 in Everything Else

National Fire Prevention Week 2011 will be observed from October 9-15.  This year’s theme is: Protect Your Family from Fire, and according to FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy, the 2011 campaign is all about keeping ourselves, our families, and our communities safer from fire.

 “Annual observances like National Fire Prevention Week are excellent opportunities to focus on fire hazards-but we should all practice fire safety every day-at work, at play, and particularly at home,” said Murphy. “The most common causes of home fires include cooking, heating, electrical malfunction, smoking materials and candles.”

 Safety tips to reduce home fires include:

  • Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking.  Many cooking fires start from “unattended” cooking.
  • Have heating equipment and chimneys inspected and cleaned annually.
  • If you smoke, smoke outside.
  • Keep flammable materials away from light bulbs, light fixtures and lamps.
  • Use flashlights during power outages, not candles.  If you do burn candles indoors, blow them out before leaving the room, and keep them away from things that can burn.

Murphy also cautions against complacency. “It’s officially Fall, and as temperatures become cooler, the rate of fire and fire-related deaths increase. FEMA, and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) offer a wealth of safety information, fire prevention tips and resources online: www.fema.gov and www.usfa.dhs.gov” said Murphy. “I encourage everyone to contact their local fire department to learn more about making their homes safer from fire, or how to best participate in fire prevention activities.”

For more information on protecting your family and your home from fire, statistical tips and more, go to: www.firepreventionweek.org.

Press Release by — October 9, 2011 in Everything Else

Retirees who lost more than $1 million to an unscrupulous insurance agent will be repaid, under an agreement reached between the insurance company and state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler.

Bankers Life and Casualty, one of the companies that the independent agent worked for, has agreed to replace the money allegedly stolen by the agent.

An investigation by Kreidler’s office found that several of Jasmine Jamrus-Kassim’s clients repeatedly cashed out large portions of their annuities with Banker’s Life and Casualty from late 2007 to late 2009. The money was then pocketed by Kassim.

Jamrus-Kassim, of Kent, was arrested in March 2011 and charged with 21 counts of first-degree theft. Her trial is pending in King County Superior Court.

“I commend Bankers Life for stepping up and making these victims whole, to the extent possible,” said Kreidler. “I’m deeply saddened that one victim, stripped of his life’s savings, has already passed away. In his case, restitution will go to his estate.”

The victims, who ranged from age 74 to 90, typically made out their checks to “S.A. Saad” and gave them to Kassim. Several said they believed that S.A. Saad was an insurance company official. They thought their money was being reinvested.

In reality, Kassim has two daughters, both with the initials and surname “S.A. Saad.” Most of the money was deposited briefly in the girls’ accounts, then moved to Kassim’s personal credit union account. Kassim’s financial records show thousands of dollars spent on clothes, jewelry, and a trip to Mexico. They also show large payments to online psychic advisors, including $20,000 in charges from one psychic website in one month.

The victims live in Bellevue, Renton and Seattle. The payment amounts are:

  • $512,112
  • $488,071
  • $116,070
  • $65,321
  • And $929

Bankers has also agreed to pay interest.

Press Release by — October 4, 2011 in Everything Else

From the Office of the Insurance Commissioner:

Hundreds of thousands of people who were led to expect more interest than they got from annuities are eligible for a multi-million dollar class-action settlement – if they sign up on time.

“Consumers across the country were misled, and I’m very glad to see this case finally resolved with restitution,” said Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. “I urge anyone who qualifies to sign up for their share of the settlement.”

The settlement involves Northern Life Insurance Company’s marketing of tax-sheltered fixed annuities, primarily to teachers, starting in 1995. (The company, which was based in Seattle, merged with Minnesota-based ReliaStar Life Insurance Co. in 2002.)

The annuity documents, Kreidler said, misrepresented to consumers the way that interest would be calculated over the life of the annuities. Instead, Northern Life paid a high interest rate only in the first year of the contract, reducing the rate during all the remaining years.

Under the settlement, Northern Life has agreed to pay $29 to $40 for each $10,000 in value of a person’s annuity. The settlement provides up to $31 million for the payments. A King County Superior Court judge recently approved the mediated settlement, in which Northern Life did not admit wrongdoing.

Northern Life has notified 406,000 account holders that they are potentially affected by the settlement. An estimated 20,000 of those people are in Washington state.

“People are naturally skeptical of mailings,” said Kreidler, “but don’t just toss this one in the trash.”

The one-page claim form, also available at www.curtissettlement.com, must be mailed back or before Oct. 17, 2011. (It can also be scanned and emailed by that date.) Under penalty of perjury, signers must certify that they owned a fixed annuity issued by Northern Life sometime between Jan. 1, 1995 and the present time.

Typical payments are likely to range from $60 to $80, although some will be significantly larger.

Private attorneys in the 10-year court case, which involved more than 1 million pages of documents, represented the claimants. Kreidler’s office investigated the issue and filed an amicus brief in the case, saying that misleading marketing had substantially harmed consumers.

Press Release by — September 30, 2011 in Everything Else