USAA offers members online car-buying service

USAA insurance, a Fortune 150 financial services company that caters to the military and their families and has about 1,000 employees in Colorado Springs, has launched an online auto loan and car-buying service for members.

The new services allow members to handle all the steps of car buying -- from selecting a vehicle to financing and obtaining insurance -- electronically and without having to leave home.

The program is being done in partnership with Zag.com, which established a network of participating dealerships in 70 cities across 28 states.

To get started, members can go to www.usa.com/auto.

Central Bancorp completes Van Gilder deal

Central Bancorp Inc. completed its purchase of Van Gilder Insurance Corp.'s Colorado Springs office on July 1, making its CB Insurance unit one of the largest locally owned insurance brokers in the Colorado Springs area.

"This acquisition creates tremendous opportunities, both for our firm and our new insurance clients," said Steve Schneider, president of CB Insurance. "We are anxious to move forward with our business strategies now that this acquisition is closed, and will continue to add resources and talent to better serve clients of CB Insurance and the other divisions within Central Bancorp."

The Van Gilder office employed 23 and last year generated $3 million in commissions on premiums totaling about $35 million. The local operation was founded as Bennett-Shellenberger Co. in 1890, was acquired by Norm Coleman in 1959 and was sold to Van Gilder in 1998. Central also owns mortgage, title insurance, wealth management and trust operations and plans to open a bank later this month.

Memorial workers comp audit shows program being conducted properly

Though city auditor Jeff Litchfield found nine deficiencies in an audit of Memorial Health System's Workers' Compensation Fund from May 2005 through December 2006, the program is being handle properly, he said.
"They used proper underwriting techniques and claims' procedures," he said.
Released April 30, the audit found such deficiences as:
The 2006 Annual Review was not filed within 60 days of the permit anniversary date.
A 2006 quarterly analysis of the Worker's Compensation Reserve was insufficient, with no reconcilation between claims' payments in the administrative software and the general ledger.
The policies and procedures manual was out of date.
A lack of controls and maintenance of claimant files, with missing documentation and late filings.

Pinnocol pays dividends

Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s state-owned workers’ compensation insurer, paid $55 million in dividends in May to 58,000 businesses it insures.
The payments went to 92 percent of Pinnacol’s policyholders, based on their safety records and claims costs. The dividend is the fourth consecutive annual payment to policyholders; Pinnacol has paid $227 million in dividends since 2005.
Pinnacol paid $4.48 million in dividends to 5,372 businesses in El Paso County. The average dividend check in the county was about $830.
“Issuing a general dividend for the fourth straight year is a continuing sign of our policyholders’ commitment to maintaining safe workplaces and to Pinnacol’s financial health and stability,” said Ken Ross, Pinnacol’s president and chief executive.
Pinnacol cut rates 16.5 percent earlier this year because of lower-than-expected claims, its third consecutive annual rate reduction.

Humana realigns offerings with acquisitions

Humana Inc. is aligning the company's dental subsidiary, HumanaDental Insurance Co., with products offered by two recent acquistions, CompBenefits and KMG America. The restructuring will enable employers to offer a wider range of benefit options to employees, Humana officials said.

Products under the label, "Humana Specialty Benefits," encompass dental and vision plans, life, disability, critical illness and accident insurance, wellness and work-life programs, behavioral health and others.

USAA ranks tops in customer service

San Antonio-based financial services giant USAA, which has nearly 1,100 employees in Colorado Springs, tops BusinessWeek’s ranking of “Customer Service Champs” for the second consecutive year.
BusinessWeek's special report, “Customer Service Champs,” is featured in the March 3 issue, which hit newsstands Feb. 25. Additional content is at www.businessweek.com/magazine.

Uninsured artists get their own health insurance plans

Fractured Atlasa, a nonprofit oganization for artists and art organizations, in conjunction with Aetna, is offering health insurance for uninsured artists in 29 states, including Colorado.

Aetna Advantage PPO Plans for individuals and families will be available March 1 to more than 50,000 members of the Fractured Atlas Open Arts Network.

There are about 300,000 uninsured artists in the nation, according to Fractured Atlas and U.S. Department of Labor statistics.

Go to www.fracturedatlas.org/healthcare for enrollment information.

Humana hires new market president for Colorado

Dan Oftedahl has been appointed market president of Humana’s Colorado operations. He will be responsible for the overall management and strategic planning for Humana’s commercial, consumer-driven health benefit products sold to employer groups in the state.
Oftedahl most recently served as regional vice president for KMG America, a subsidiary of Humana specializing in group and voluntary insurance based in Minnetonka, Minn.
He replaces Leslie Andrews, who recently accepted a regional position.

Bargain on snowmobile insurance

The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies is expanding coverage and cutting rates up to 40 percent for snowmobile insurance in Colorado and nine other states.

The insurance covers the rider anywhere and features accessory coverage up to $3,000 of aftermarket equipment and accessories, roadside assistance and various discounts.

For more information, see http://www.progressive.com/.

Rehabilitation center receives Medicare certification

The Center at Centennial, a doctor-owned rehabilitation center that opened in July near the intersection of Fillmore Street and Centennial Boulevard, has received Medicare certification following a state survey that showed zero deficiencies, said Dr. Alexander Senkoff, medical director.

Featuring 80 private patient rooms, the center provides physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapy for patients needing more time to recover after leaving the hospital following a heart attack, stroke, pneumonia, joint replacement or other conditions.

In addition to Medicare, the center contracts with Kaiser Permanente and other commercial insurance companies.

Progressive to plant trees at Memorial Park

Progressive call center employees in Colorado Springs will team up with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant 70 native trees in Memorial Park, 1605 E. Pikes Peak Ave. , on Wednesday, Oct. 17. The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies is the third largest car insurance group in the country and fifth largest in Colorado.

About 30 Progressive call center employees were selected to help plant the trees as a reward for their work. The Colorado Springs tree planting is part of Progressive’s “70 Years, 70 Trees” events in which the company is celebrating its 70th anniversary in its six call center communities. In the next three months, Progressive volunteers will plant 420 large trees in Cleveland, Tampa, Austin, Colorado Springs, Phoenix and Sacramento.

American Family offers free safety program for teen drivers

American Family Insurance's Teen Safe Driver Program is now available in eight states, including Colorado.

Produced in conjunction with DriveCam Inc., the year-long program helps young drivers learn the ropes and is free to American Family auto insurance customers who have a teen driver. Register at www.teensafedriver.com.

Results from a pilot program in Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin show the program reduces risky driving behavior by 70 percent or more, said Jack Salzwedel, American Family's president and chief operating officer.

An in-vehicle video and audio camera captures risky driving behavior, such as swerving, hard braking, sudden acceleration and collisions. The unit wirelessly sends the images and sounds to an analysis center, where analysts review the problem, add coaching comments and assign a risk score. Parents and teens receive weekly status reports via e-mail and can view the video clips.

Check out HMO, PPO satisfaction rates

A Consumer Reports National Research Center study rates experiences with HMOs and PPOs. Results are published in the September issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
Overall, 67 percent of 37,000 survey respondents said they were completely or very satisfied with their health insurance plan, up from 64 percent in a 2004 survey.
The reasons? Problems getting a doctor’s appointment: 10 percent.
Problems with billing errors: 21 percent.
Problems with primary care provider: 25 percent.
Problems with getting help from insurance company: 36 percent.
Of Colorado’s HMO plans, Kaiser Permanent Colorado ranked highest, with an overall satisfaction score of 81 percent, out of 100 percent. Pacificare of Colorado ranked next, with 75 percent satisfaction.
On the PPO list are UnitedHealthcare with 74 percent satisfaction, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado with 73 percent satisfaction, CIGNA HealthCare, 72 percent, Humana, 71 percent and GreatWest Healthcare, 69 percent.

Progressive recognized for IT innovation

The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, the third largest auto insurance group in the nation, has been selected by CIO magazine as one of the top 100 companies in the world to excel in information technology.

Progressive received the award based on its Total Loss Concierge service, which helps drivers find a replacement vehicle if their car is declared a total loss after an accident. The software program allows employees to retrieve customers' claim information and find a new vehicle for the driver through a networking of car dealerships and lenders.

Complete coverage of the 2007 CIO 100 awards will be in the Aug. 15 issue of CIO magazine and available online at www.cio.com.

The local Progressive office is at 4925 N. Union Blvd.

New high-deductible dental plan available for local employers

Ben-e-lect, a third-party administrator, has launched a new high-deductible dental plan
for Colorado employers.

Companies with as few as two employees can sign up for the plan, which touts premium savings of 25 to 40 percent. The plan also can be purchased as a stand-alone benefit, without having to be bundled with medical coverage.

Orthodontics coverage is an option, and rates for single employees are as low as $14 per month.

GroupLink Inc. is the provider with Madison Life Insurance Co. the underwriter.

Employers, insurance agents and brokers can call 1-888-866-7973 for more information, or see www.benelect.com