PIA Urges Support for Bipartisan Flood Bills

PIA National has urged House leaders to support two bipartisan bills to reform and reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Both bills were passed unanimously by the House Financial Services Committee on June 11.

In a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), PIA called for consideration as soon as possible by the full House of the NFIP Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 3167) sponsored by Chairwoman Maxine Waters and the NFIP Administrative Reform Act (H.R. 3111) sponsored by Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY).

"There is unprecedented, bipartisan agreement for NFIP reauthorization with both of these bills," said PIA National vice president of government relations Jon Gentile. "The significance of this legislation passing unanimously by the Financial Services Committee cannot be overstated — every Republican and every Democrat present on the committee voted 'yes.'

"The message to the full House and to the Senate is clear: pass these excellent bipartisan bills without delay." PIA National will continue to champion this effort by opposing amendments that would erode the ability of insurance agents to earn fair compensation for the expertise they provide to consumers to identify and purchase appropriate flood coverage through the NFIP.





Beware of Genetic Testing Fraud Scheme
Targeting Medicare Beneficiaries

The Louisiana Department of Insurance Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) is urging the public to beware of a genetic testing fraud scheme targeting Medicare beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries are being targeted through phone calls, booths at health fairs, tables at grocery stores/pharmacies and door-to-door visits to participate in free genetic testing/cancer screenings. These screenings are a fraudulent means for scammers to obtain Medicare information for identity theft and/or fraudulent billing purposes.

Medicare beneficiaries can avoid becoming a victim of Medicare fraud by doing the following:
  • Do not give out your Medicare number or Social Security number. Be cautious of unsolicited requests for your Medicare or Social Security numbers. If your personal information is compromised, it may be used in other fraud schemes.

  • Do not consent to any lab tests at senior centers, health fairs or in your home. Be suspicious of anyone claiming that genetic testing/cancer screenings are at no cost to you.

  • Genetic tests and cancer screenings must be medically necessary and ordered by your doctor to be covered by Medicare. Random genetic testing and cancer screenings are not covered by Medicare. If you are interested in the test, speak with your doctor first.

  • Monitor your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) to see if there are any services you did not have or did not want but were billed for. Medicare Summary Notices are sent every three months if you get any services or medical supplies during that 3-month period.
If you have questions or are concerned you or a loved one may have been a victim of this scam, you can contact SHIIP at 1-800-259-5300 or the Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-877-272-8720, www.stopmedicarefraud.org.





Why Safer Cars Don't Lead to Cheaper Car Insurance — Yet

Many new model cars are equipped with safety features such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) that preemptively hit the brakes before a collision, avoid obstacles or signal drivers about hazards in their blind spots. However, using ADAS technology does not necessarily result in lower premiums. This is because when crashes do occur, repairs are more expensive due to the replacement cost of the sophisticated technology in the systems.

Scott Wallisch, an auto pricing director with American Family Insurance, said that while adaptive headlights improve visibility, replacing them can run as much as $2,000, compared with traditional headlights, at about $200. Michael Klein, president of personal insurance at Travelers, said that savings from ADAS have not been substantial enough so far to offset the increased cost of repairs, but emphasizes that consumers should always be encouraged to buy safer vehicles.

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Latest Data Breach Statistics

In 2019 through early May the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) tracked 437 breaches that exposed about 11.6 million records. The business category continues to be the most affected sector, with 195 breaches, or 45 percent of all breaches detected through early May. The business sector breaches affected 3 million records. The medical and healthcare sector suffered 158 breaches, or 36 percent of all breaches, which affected 4.6 million records. Unauthorized access and hacking were the leading methods of breaching data in April 2019, accounting for 77 percent and 15 percent, respectively, of total breaches reported by the ITRC and the Insurance Information Institute in April.







How Can AVYST eForms Wizard Save Your Agency Time?

AVYST eForms Wizard is a software solution that enables professional insurance agents and producers to efficiently interview clients and prospects on-site with or without access to the Internet. eForms Wizard reduces the tedium and difficulty associated with completing a set of ACORD, agency, or carrier unique forms since prospect or existing client data is entered only once to get a quote. After client information is collected and entered into data fields, updates and edits are shared across files. Repetitive keystrokes are eliminated which reduces mundane tasks and opportunity for error — and employees are freed up to focus instead on cross-selling, business building, and client retention.

eForms Wizard allows agents to work with their colleagues and underwriters quickly. Agents are able to build, share, and edit forms across their team and send forms as a secure PDF to multiple underwriters when ready.

The eForms Wizard is integrated with the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) Glossary of Terms™ to enable agents to view embedded definitions right on the forms which facilitates and encourages agents to easily discuss additional coverage options with customers.

As a PIA member benefit, all PIA members have free access to the Bronze-level subscription of eForms Wizard and can upgrade to the Gold-level package for $50 per user per year (a 50% PIA member discount off the regular price).

AVYST eForms Wizard is available to all PIA members except those in Colorado and North Carolina.

PIA Members: Get Started — Download Your Software.

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