Latest Massachusetts Headlines
All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.
No April Fool’s Prank: Mass. Drivers Really Can Shop Around Starting Today
Apr 1 2008 // Today — April Fool’s Day — is the day when competitive rating in the Massachusetts private passenger auto insurance market becomes real. No kidding. For the first time in more than three decades, the state is...
Former Mass. Sen. Jacques Approved as Mass. Workers’ Comp Judge
Mar 28 2008 // A former state senator has been confirmed to be a judge at the Department of Industrial Accidents, despite questions about her qualifications and concern about a political account she plans to maintain on the bench. The...
Insurer Cautions Mass. Drivers about Consumer Web Sites
Mar 26 2008 // Less than a week before historic auto insurance reform takes effect in Massachusetts, one of the insurers is urging Bay State auto insurance policyholders to use caution when using consumer web sites, saying many sites...
Renaissance Alliance Adds 1 Conn., 5 Mass. Insurance Agencies to Group
Mar 26 2008 // The Wellesley, Mass.-based insurance organization Renaissance Alliance reports it has added six independent agencies representing $36 million in additional premium to its group. The new member agencies include five in...
Mass. Construction Worker Charged with Workers’ Compensation Fraud
Mar 25 2008 // A Brockton, Mass. man was arraigned on charges he collected over $9,000 in workers’ compensation benefits while he worked at two different jobs, according to the attorney general’s office. Officials said John...
Mass. Drivers Can Opt Out of Current Policies
Mar 24 2008 // Bay State drivers have started shopping around for better rates on their auto insurance, and the state’s top regulator said that consumers should consider switching if they find a better deal. The new system of...
The Long and Short of the New Mass. Auto System
Mar 24 2008 // The new managed care auto insurance system that is underway in Massachusetts should benefit most consumers as well as the state’s local insurers in the short run, according to a new report by Fitch Ratings. However,...
Mass. Agents Find Out What Their Auto Customers are Thinking
Mar 24 2008 // As Massachusetts independent agents enter a new era in auto insurance, they can’t help but be a bit anxious. After all, they have for years had a lock on more than 85 percent of the auto market under the previous...
Study: Massachusetts Workers Comp Claims Costs Grew Rapidly
Mar 24 2008 // Workers’ compensation costs per claim in Massachusetts were typical among 14 study states, but grew rapidly in four out of five study years, including a nearly 10 percent increase in 2005 claims evaluated in...
Gov. Patrick’s Appointment to Mass. Workers’ Comp Board Delayed
Mar 21 2008 // An expected vote on the nomination of a former senator to be a judge at the Department of Industrial Accidents was delayed this week after one member of the Governor’s Council accused her of lacking the necessary...
Mass. Insurers Seek 2.3% Workers’ Comp Hike; Hearing Scheduled
Mar 19 2008 // Massachusetts officials will conduct a public hearing on April 3 to consider an industry request for an average 2.3 percent increase in workers’ compensation rates. The Workers Compensation Rating and Inspection...
Massachusetts Suspends License of Oft-Sued Obstetrician
Mar 14 2008 // State regulators have suspended the medical license of an obstetrician who has reportedly been sued for malpractice at least a dozen times since 1993. The Board of Registration in Medicine suspended Dr. Suzanne...
Massachusetts Auto Insurance System Not Built for Long Drive, Says Fitch
Mar 14 2008 // The new managed care auto insurance system that is underway in Massachusetts should benefit most consumers as well as the state’s local insurers in the short run, according to a new report by Fitch Ratings. However,...
Massachusetts Workers Comp Claims Costs Grew Rapidly, Study Finds
Mar 13 2008 // Workers’ compensation costs per claim in Massachusetts were typical among 14 study states, but grew rapidly in four out of five study years, including a nearly 10 percent increase in 2005 claims evaluated in...
Mass. Fire Marshal: Exploded Danvers Plant’s Chemicals Exceeded Limit
Mar 13 2008 // A Danvers, Mass. chemical plant that exploded in November 2006 was storing at least twice the combustible substances it was permitted to keep, according to a report released this week. The facility was licensed by the town...
Mass. Medical Society Pushes for Tort Reforms to Curb Insurance Costs
Mar 12 2008 // Massachusetts medical professionals are calling for reforms to the state’s medical liability system that they say will protect physicians from more lawsuits and help control insurance costs. To support their call,...
Mass. AG Urges State Reject FAIR Plan Home Insurance Hikes
Mar 12 2008 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office has filed its final brief recommending that Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes reject the FAIR Plan’s latest proposed homeowners insurance rate...
Mass. Officials: Drivers Can Opt Out of Current Auto Insurance Policies
Mar 11 2008 // Massachusetts car owners who want to see if they can get a better deal under the state’s new managed competition system may decide to opt out of their existing insurance plans early. State regulators say car owners...
Business Moves
Mar 10 2008 // Progressive, Massachusetts Progressive Insurance said it plans to begin selling personal auto insurance in Massachusetts starting May 1 if state regulators approve the company’s rate filings, which it submitted to...
Massachusetts Health Inspectors Order Indoor Water Park Closed
Mar 7 2008 // Massachusetts health officials have shut down an indoor water park after reports that several children were injured by high levels of chlorine. The CoCo Key Water Resort opened last May at the Sheraton Ferncroft Hotel in...
