Prague Duet movie download Life Insurance Company of North America has reached an agreement with the California Department of Insurance to settle charges of disability claims handling violations. Under the terms of the settlement, Life Insurance Company of North America will pay a $600,000 fine, make changes in its claims handling policies and procedures, and review previously closed claims to determine if additional benefits are due.

The settlement stems from an onsite examination of Life Insurance Company of North America’s claims handling practices conducted by the California Department of Insurance. According to a press release issued by the Department, instances were found where Life Insurance Company of North America had made claims determinations prior to requesting medical records and examples of the company’s adjusters ignoring substantial new information after a claim had initially been denied. As part of the settlement, Life Insurance Company of North America has agreed to make significant improvements to its claims handling practices in order to avoid future violations, the press release said.

In addition to the $600,00 penalty, the settlement calls for Life Insurance Company of North America to cease and desist from engaging in any acts or practices in violation of California law. Life Insurance Company of North America’s revised claims handling practices are designed to avoid the type of violations alleged. The Department will provide oversight to assure that this goal is being met. Under the agreement, Life Insurance Company of North America will also review all California resident closed denied claims for the period January 2005 through December 2007 using the agreed upon quality standards outlined in the settlement.

“Individuals purchase long term disability insurance to protect themselves and their families in the event they become disabled and are unable to work,” said California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. “When insurance companies fail to follow the law in fairly and expeditiously adjusting these claims, it has a devastating impact on policyholders and their families. I am pleased that LINA (Life Insurance Company of North America) has taken responsibility for its actions and has implemented changes in its policies, procedures and practices. The Department will continue to monitor the actions of all insurers selling and marketing disability insurance in the state of California.”

Lamplight Farms Inc., of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin is recalling about 720,000 of its Flame Guards on Clear-Vu® Torch Fuel Containers due to fire hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced.

The flame guards on the recalled replacement torch fuel containers can malfunction and cause the containers to melt while the torch is in use, posing a fire hazard to consumers. To date, Lamplight has received 35 reports of the fuel containers melting while the torch was lit including one report of a minor burn injury. (more…)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just announced its plans to review six controversial toxic chemicals, Environmental Health News is reporting.

President Obama’s top environmental official—EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson—announced a plan to change how the United States regulates toxic chemicals that could present adverse effects to people and the environment, said Environmental Health News. Jackson said the currently followed 1975 law is “inordinately cumbersome and time-consuming” and that the Obama administration will promote a new chemical law in Congress that geared to place the onus on industry to prove the chemicals are safe, reported Environmental Health News. (more…)

Some patient advocates are concerned that the new swine flu vaccine may not be safe for everyone. The worry that the vaccine has not been subjected to enough testing, and fear that there could be a repeat of the public health disaster that was spawned by the use of a vaccine for a strain of swine flu that appeared in the 1970s.

According to a report on WFAA-TV, the 1976 swine flu vaccine was used to inoculate 43 million people to stop the spread of a virus that was first detected at a New Jersey military base. The feared swine flu outbreak never happened, and worse, hundreds of those receiving the vaccine developed a paralyzing neurologic condition called Guillane-Barre Syndrome, and dozens died. (more…)

U.S. regulators have postponed an approval decision on GlaxoSmithKline’s cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix. The Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) delay of the Cervarix decision came a day after news broke that a British girl had died only hours after receiving the vaccine. According to the Associated Press, Glaxo said the death in Britain did not play a role in the FDA’s decision to postpone the Cervarix ruling.

Cervarix protects against two strains of HPV that cause more than 70% of cases of cervical cancer in women. According to the Associated Press, the FDA was supposed to announce its Cervarix ruling on Tuesday, but needed additional data. Earlier this month, an outside panel of health experts voted that Cervarix appears safe and effective for girls and women ages 10 to 25. The vaccine is already approved in 100 other countries. (more…)

Kristen Diane Parker, 26, the scrub tech who is infected with hepatitis C and who agreed, earlier this week to a plea agreement on charges stemming from her alleged theft of fentanyl syringes has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Parker allegedly stole the syringes for her own use, replacing them with saline after injecting herself and potentially infecting countless others with the disease.

Parker was indicted on July 23 on 42 counts by a federal grand jury: 21 counts of product tampering and 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, reported the Denver Post previously. These charges, said the Denver Post, only related to Parker’s alleged activities at Rose Medical Center, one of several facilities in which Parker worked. Parker was also charged with three criminal counts connected to stealing the potent pain killer, Fentanyl, the Denver Post noted. (more…)

The risk of bone fracture in individuals taking thiazolidinediones has again been suggested in another recent study. Science Daily just reported that research published this week in PLoS Medicine discussed the risk between the type 2 diabetes drugs and bone fracture. Thiazolidinediones—known as TZDs—were introduced in the 1990s and include such popular medications as Avandia (rosiglitazone) or Actos (pioglitazone).

The study, led by Ian Douglas of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine—reviewed, said Science Daily, the General Practice Research Database, which is a listing of clinical records of over six million patients registered at 400 general practice surgeries in the United Kingdom. (more…)

Toyota is poised to recall 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles because of defective floor mats. According to the Detroit Free Press, the recall will be the automaker’s largest ever U.S. safety recall.

Earlier this month, we reported that Toyota had advised its Lexus and Toyota dealers to inspect the installation of floor mats in certain vehicles. The warning was issued following a fatal accident in San Diego, California that may have occurred when a floor mat in a Lexus ES 350 sedan was caught in the vehicle’s gas pedal, leading to an unintended acceleration. The accident killed a California state trooper and three of his family members. (more…)

We have long been covering the issue of consumer products, foods, and medications imported to the United Sates from China that have made news for toxins, high lead levels, bogus ingredients, and general defectiveness. Now, MSNBC has reported that Chinese-made tires can be included in the mix.

The two countries are arguing over trade tariffs for the tires, but some consumers are also concerned about tires coming from a country that has shown an abysmal track record for product safety. MSNBC noted that tire imports from China have increased from 15 million in 2006 to 46 million in 2008, citing the United Steelworkers union. The union—which represents rubber industry workers—has accused China of unfair trade practices, saying tire imports from China have jumped this year by an astounding 57 percent based on the weight of tires brought into U.S. docks, said MSNBC. (more…)

It seems everyone has been awaiting word on when the court-appointed trustee—Irving Picard—in the historic Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme would go after other members of Bernard’s family. Duped investors, investigators, and virtually anyone who has read about the massive financial swindle has long believed that Madoff’s family members were involved in the scam that stripped countless investors of their life savings.

CNN is now reporting that Picard intends on suing four more of Bernard’s family members for about $200 million this week, citing a CBS “60 Minutes” broadcast report. Picard will be suing both of Madoff’s sons, Mark and Andrew; Bernard’s brother, Peter; and Bernard’s niece, Shana for a combined total of $198 million, said CNN. (more…)