Declarations – West

Fake Dead Cat

“We’ve handled some pretty unusual fraud cases, but this is one of the stranger ones.”

—Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, referring a Tacoma man who is facing attempted theft and insurance fraud charges after filing a $20,000 claim for a fictitious dead cat, using pet photos he lifted off the Internet.

Illegal and Immoral

“Aetna is putting profits ahead of patients’ health and safety; that’s immoral and too often it is also illegal.”

—Rocky Delgadillo, CEO of the nonprofit Los Angeles County Medical Association and the former Los Angeles City Attorney. LACMA was one of three groups that filed a lawsuit against Aetna Health of California for allegedly denying patients access to out-of-network doctors.

MVR Mortality

“Our research shows that motor vehicle records can be a reliable indicator of lifestyle risk for insurance applicants.”

—Elliott Wallace, vice president, life insurance, LexisNexis, which issued its Motor Vehicle Record Mortality Study analyzing more than 7.4 million MVR requests, determining they are a predictive data source of an individual’s all-cause mortality.

Renters in Dark

“It’s important for renters to know that their landlord’s insurance most likely will not cover the tenant’s personal belongings.”

—Keith Rutman, vice president of Allstate’s Consumer Household unit. A new Allstate survey has found that only 45 percent of U.S. renters have a renters insurance policy to protect their personal possessions and collectibles.