The furnishing of health care as a collateral benefit of one's employment is largely a matter of historical accident rather than logical choice. Early in the development of the organized labor movement in the U.S. medical insurance was advanced as a benefit for employees. Initially, management found this a less expensive alternative than an outright wage increase since it was a contingent rather than absolute expense and could be covered by an insurance plan. Over the years this concept became generally accepted in U.S. employment contracts. Our current economic difficulties, with large numbers of the work force losing their jobs and as a consequence their health insurance demonstrates the illogic of this arrangement. Also, the cost of the insurance makes U.S. companies less competitive in the world market and is a factor in moving business offshore. ...more

March 22, 2009

Florida's legislators are pushing to outlaw the practice of collecting fees for public safety services at traffic crashes. ...more

March 20, 2009

Sen. Charles Grassley wants AIG executives to apologize for the collapse of the insurance giant — but said Tuesday that "obviously" he didn't really mean that they should kill themselves. ...more

March 17, 2009

The building department has been bleeding money ever since the falloff in construction. ...more

March 14, 2009

When Dr. Ann Marra gives a prognosis, insurance companies listen. Her medical opinion is backed by her certification from the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners. ...more

March 11, 2009

It's very encouraging to see the Obama administration moving so quickly to address the health care crisis in this nation. That said, I know there are many who fear health care reform and think that it means socialism, limits to care and long waits. The truth is there are many examples of successful universal health care systems in the world, some probably more appealing to conservative Americans than others. And in a country like ours where a person goes bankrupt from health care costs every 30 seconds, it's time to start taking a look at them. In England (what we typically think of as "socialized medicine"), they pay for services through taxes and use a primary physician as a "gatekeeper" to keep costs down, similar to our HMOs. There may be wait times for elective services, but they are a leader in preventative medicine. ...more

March 8, 2009

This stimulus plan of the Democrats is the biggest joke yet to hit the bull's-eye inside the beltway. The Democrats in Congress must be rolling in the aisles over the naivety of the American voter. ...more

March 6, 2009

Florida's insurance commissioner says the national credit crunch could lead to more home foreclosures. ...more

March 5, 2009

No one wants to see the return of the day when Florida businesses were bombarded by crippling workers' compensation claims. But reforms adopted by the Legislature in 2003, as the state Supreme Court found, went too far. ...more

March 4, 2009

President Barack Obama challenged the nation's vested interests to a legislative duel Saturday, saying he will fight to change health care, energy and education in dramatic ways that will upset the status quo. ...more

February 28, 2009