Lundy Law Blog

Personal Injury Lawyers

Archive for June, 2010

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11
Jun

Rendell Orders Investigation of Health Insurance

If you feel that you have been the victim of unfair health insurance rate increases, you call the Pennsylvania insurance department at 717-787-2317.

The AP (6/10, Scolforo) reports that on Wednesday, “Pennsylvania regulators said…they have detected a pattern of rate increases by health insurance companies that suggests insurers are trying to pad revenues before federal health reforms are fully implemented.” According to Gov. Ed Rendell, “the Insurance Department was investigating the state’s nine largest health insurers over the use of what he described as questionable health profiling tools.” For example, “Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario said there was evidence that some companies recently have expanded their use of individualized medical questionnaires and drug profiling in the small-group insurance market,” as well as “attempts to ‘identify and drive up premiums for the most vulnerable groups.’”
The Pittsburgh Business Times (6/10, Mamula) reports that “Pennsylvania has some of the weakest protections in the country against rate increases for small businesses, with no cap on increases for medical conditions, according to…Ario.” Meanwhile, on June 7, “US Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius…announced the availability of $51 million in grants for states to create and strengthen the insurance rate review process.”

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11
Jun

McDonald’s paying three dollar refunds on cadmium-tainted Shrek glasses

If you have purchased a Shrek Forever After drinking glass at McDonalds, you can get a $3.00 refund. See below.

The Chicago Sun-Times (6/9, Knowles) reported, “McDonald’s Corp. is providing $3 refunds to consumers who purchased ‘Shrek Forever After’ drinking glasses that the restaurant chain recalled last week because they contained cadmium.” The glasses cost $1.99 with a food purchase and $2.49 without. “To get the refund, customers must return the glasses inside a McDonald’s store and fill out a refund slip.”
House committee requests documents about glasses. Dow Jones Newswires (6/9, Ziobro) reports that House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman sent a letter to McDonald’s Corp., asking it to reveal how it ensures the products it sells to children aren’t hazardous. The committee also is requesting all the documents pertaining to the company’s voluntary recall of Shrek glasses tainted with cadmium. The committee also asked ARC International North America Inc., which made the glasses, for information, including the origin of the paint used on the glasses.

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9
Jun

Every Dog…

Parents, it’s really important to teach your children about how to properly handle dogs – especially with 4.5 million people bitten by dogs each year. Here are a few tips to help you keep your kids safe.

  1. Teach them how to pet gently: Kids can be rough with pets. Show them how to pet your dog. Don’t let them pull on ears or fur. Of course, no tail pulling. If you have a young child, you might let them use a stuffed animal for practice.
  2. No Fear: Please don’t bring your children up to fear all dogs. Teach them to respect all animals and their boundaries – not to run from them.
  3. Strange Dog? If you meet a strange dog and the owners are not present, you should take care. Keep calm, and using a loud, firm voice, tell the dog to “go home”. If he doesn’t leave, don’t panic. The do may just be curious. You’ll know this by his posture — ears perked, tail wagging and relaxed stance. If this is how he looks, just walk away calmly. Again, do not run.However if its ears are laid back along his head, his body tense, his tail up, this a threatening posture. Tell him to “Go lay down” in a firm voice, do not yell, do not scream. Any sudden move on your part may trigger an attack. Start to walk away slowly. Do not make any sudden moves. If he starts to advance on you, and lunges, drop into a “turtle” position, and yell for help. Parents, if you come across your child in this position, do whatever you have to do to get the dog away.
  4. Never Run: Running will only trigger a “prey” response, and a dog that may have been content to sit and watch will suddenly chase. Even a dog whose only intent is to “play” may cause devastating results when the “prey” is caught.
  5. Never Approach a Dog When He is Eating: ‘nuff said.
  6. Never Leave Your Child With a Dog Unattended: Accidents happen in the blink of an eye, and even the gentlest family dog will bite if he is in pain, or if he has just “had enough”.
  7. Finally, if you see a loose dog, or if a dog threatens you or your child, call Animal Control. Dangerous dogs are a menace. Don’t put up with it!

If you follow these guidelines, you will have a better chance of keeping your loved ones safe. That’s the key to a great summer!

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9
Jun

Chrysler recalls nearly 600K jeeps, minivans over brake and wiring defects

If there is any upside to the Toyota recall, it may be that other automakers are being more responsive to defects in their own vehicles. Here is a recall from Chrysler that was mentioned in Bloomberg News (6/8, Plungis). Bloomberg reports that Chrysler “is recalling almost 575,000 Jeep sport-utility vehicles and Dodge and Chrysler minivans for brake line and wiring defects, US safety regulators said. The company recalled 288,968 Jeep Wranglers for 2001 through 2010 to repair a defect” that could lead to brake failure, according to a NHTSA statement. Chrysler “isn’t aware of accidents or injuries related to” this defect.

Similarly, Ford, Hyundai and Volvo have recently issued recalls, according to Automotive.com. Lundy Law recommends that you check regularly to see if you may be affected by any of these calls by manufacturers to address any problems that your vehicle may have.

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7
Jun

Retailers agree to limit lead levels in handbags

Finally, some good safety news from manufacturers. The Associated Press (6/3) reported, “More than 40 major retailers and apparel makers have agreed to limit the use of lead in handbags and other fashion accessories, an environmental group said Wednesday. The companies will set new industry standards for lead use in their products as part of a $1.7 million legal settlement filed Tuesday in Alameda County [CA] Superior Court.” Michael Green, executive director of the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health, which filed the suit, “said he hopes other companies that make, import or sell fashion accessories will follow the health standards spelled out in the legal agreement.”

Lead exposure has been linked to a variety of health problems including higher infertility rates for women and increased risk for stroke, high blood pressure and heart attacks. Young children and pregnant women are particularly at risk.

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