Latest Rhode Island Headlines
All the headlines from our Rhode Island Topic Page, ordered by recency.
R.I. Lawmaker Seeks Med-Mal Rate Controls
Feb 14 2005 // Rhode Island Rep. Fausto C. Anguilla (D-Dist. 68, Bristol, Warren) has introduced legislation aimed at reining in high and rising malpractice insurance premiums. His bill, the Fair Insurance Act of 2005, would prohibit...
R.I. APPROVES 20% WORKERS’ COMP CUT:
Jan 24 2005 // Average loss costs for workers’ compensation insurers adopting figures from the National Council on Compensation Insurance in Rhode Island are going down 20.2 percent following an order by the Department of Business...
R.I. Blue Cross Settles Lawsuits for Nearly $18 Million
Jan 17 2005 // Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island will pay $17.5 million to settle a pair of lawsuits accusing it of bilking subscribers by failing to pass along discounts negotiated for prescription drugs and health...
R.I. Gov. Carcieri Nominates Medicaid-HMO Exec Koller as State’s First Health Insurance Chief
Jan 13 2005 // Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri has nominated Christopher Koller, chief executive officer of an HMO that serves primarily Medicaid recipients, to serve as the state’s first health insurance commissioner. The General...
R.I. Gov. to Replace Business Regulator McConaghy
Jan 10 2005 // Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri will oust Department of Business Regulation director Marilyn Shannon McConaghy and two other officials, following widespread criticism of the department’s oversight of Blue Cross &...
R.I. Approves 20% Cut in Workers’ Comp Loss Costs
Jan 9 2005 // Average loss costs for workers’ compensation insurers adopting figures from the National Council on Compensation Insurance in Rhode Island are going down 20.2 percent following an order by the Department of Business...
Mass. Gay Couple Seeks Benefits in R.I.
Jan 4 2005 // The Tiverton Rhode Island School Committee has asked a Superior Court judge whether it can extend health care coverage to the same-sex spouse of a retired high school teacher. Cheryl McCullough, who worked as a health...
R.I. NIGHTCLUB SUITS JOINED:
Jan 3 2005 // The civil suits stemming from The Station nightclub fire were consolidated last month under a complaint filed by 240 plaintiffs that names 47 defendants. U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux said the consolidation will help...
From Maine to Virginia … What Happened in 2004
Dec 20 2004 // Leaving aside the insurance brokerage compensation investigations, the World Trade Center trial, the St. Paul-Travelers merger and the UnumProvident settlement, all of which have their roots in this region but grew to...
R.I. EYES INSPECTION IMMUNITY:
Dec 6 2004 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) filed a motion for permission to file an amicus brief with the Rhode Island District Court to challenge the potential expansion of the state’s statute...
R.I. OFFICIAL SEEKS BAN ON FEES:
Nov 22 2004 // In the wake of the ongoing insurance brokerage probe involving bid rigging and incentive payments, Rhode Island Secretary of State Matt Brown is proposing legislation to prohibit insurance industry “incentive...
Insurers Oppose Broadening R.I. Inspection Liability
Nov 18 2004 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) filed a motion for permission to file an amicus brief with the Rhode Island District Court to challenge the potential expansion of the state’s statute...
R.I. Official Plans Bill Banning ‘Incentive Fees’
Nov 5 2004 // In the wake of the ongoing insurance brokerage probe involving bid rigging and incentive payments, Rhode Island Secretary of State Matt Brown is proposing legislation to prohibit insurance industry “incentive...
R.I. LEAD LAW CHANGES SOUGHT:
Oct 25 2004 // Implementation of a landmark lead paint law has been delayed in Rhode Island until next July, and now critics and some supporters say it should also be modified. The Lead Hazard Mitigation Act, which became law in 2002,...
PAWTUCKET MUTUAL CANCELS IN N.Y.:
Oct 25 2004 // The New York Supreme Court recently affirmed the position of Rhode Island regulators that decisions on policy cancellations involving a rehabilitating insurer must be handled within their state rehabilitation court and not...
R.I. MED-MAL HIKE SOUGHT:
Oct 11 2004 // Medical malpractice insurers in Rhode Island are seeking state approval for new rate hikes, over the protest of doctors who say insurance costs have caused some physicians to quit or curtail their practices. The Department...
Pawtucket Mutual Cancellations in Effect in New York
Oct 6 2004 // The New York Supreme Court recently affirmed the position of Rhode Island regulators that decisions on policy cancellations involving a rehabilitating insurer must be handled within their state rehabilitation court and not...
R.I. Fire Marshal Struggles to Meet Tough Code
Sep 29 2004 // Rhode Island Fire Marshal Irving Owens’ office has struggled with deadlines for stringent fire-safety measures approved after a deadly West Warwick nightclub fire. Owens’ five-year term ran out in July and one...
R.I. Lowers Workers’ Comp System Assessment
Aug 18 2004 // Rhode Island officials have decreased the premium assessment that insurers must charge to cover the costs of administering the state’s workers compensation system. Effective July 15, 2004, the Workers’...
R.I. Court to Decide Next Week on Personal Liability of Nightclub Owners for $1 Million Workers’ Comp Penalty
Aug 12 2004 // The Rhode Island Workers Compensation Court has refused to dismiss a case by state labor officials that seeks to hold the owners of The Station nightclub personally liable for their failure to purchase workers compensation...
