December 07, 2005

• Dunno what to think, really. The beanies were in the basement, not all over the house. I know this one guy, he & his wife have this very nice bungalow, he has about a thousand star wars toys arranged all over the entrance hall and the living room, around the tv on shelves and whatnot. Some in unopened packages. I don't begrudge him his collector hobby, but inflicting it on his wife and visitors is a bit off.
• Touch his monkey!!
• I think she's better off without him, to be honest. Anyone that would start a fire like this seems stupid at best and violent at worst.
• Is it entirely predictable that insurance companies in the US fight tooth and nail to avoid payouts, or is that just the way it seems after media reports like this one filter across the Pacific? Maybe I've been reading too many John Grisham novels (well, one, but it was "Rainmaker", so I'm qualified to deliver a legal opinion about the insurance industry).
• I had to read it like 3 times, but apparently she "found" several beanie babies (or something) after filing the claim, so they charged that she made up thier loss.
• So, let me get this straight ... you can't burn down your own house intentionally in order to collect an insurance award, but you can collect an insurance award if your spouse sets fire to your house in a fit of rage against you. Seems like that should only be a valid insurance claim if criminal charges are brought against the spouse, or else, voila, we have a new easy insurance fraud scheme! Not saying that this is a case of insurance fraud, just sayin'.
• to answer planetthoughtful, yes, insurance companies fight tooth and nail to avoid playing claims. Of course they do. The longer they can delay paying on the claim, the longer they keep that money invested and generating income for them. Disclosure: I used to work for an insurance company that prided itself on being known as the "Gallo" of the insurance industry: "They will pay no claim before its time."
• Is it entirely predictable that insurance companies in the US fight tooth and nail to avoid payouts Like oh so many statements, you can cross out "US" or "American" and it stays just as true. Like pretty much any for-profit business, they want as much money coming in and as little going out as possible. I cant imagine its different anywhere else in the world.
• yes, insurance companies fight tooth and nail to avoid playing claims. Of course they do. I ask because I've never had problems with insurance payouts in Australia. Never. Not health insurance, not home and contents, not car insurance. Of course, my experiences may not be typical (and maybe some of the other of God's Own Monkeys might be able to confirm or contradict).
• Right now I'm fighting my health insurance company. They're refusing to pay for hospital care for the night I lost consciousness and kept vomiting blood after a bad chemo treatment. Apparently my doctor filled in the admissions form wrong. I can totally see where they need to make sure every claim is valid, or they wouldn't be able to stay in business, but they do get overzealous sometimes. From what the article says it sounds like she had a good claim. It's possible they're sticking to their piss-and-moan routine mostly to discourage anyone who gets the bright idea of copycatting.
• While we're moaning about insurance companies, my sister, who is getting married in two days, had her and her fiance's wedding rings stolen last week, two nights after picking them up from the jeweller. Because they hadn't had time to send in a formal valuation, even though the insurance company had the receipts, they won't get any insurance coverage. On the other hand, my parents are getting new kitchen linoleum because of tiny holes caused by stones lodged in their shoes from their gravel driveway, and are getting their carpet replaced because it's faded in spots and they don't like it any more. Insurance is covering all of it.
• And my sympathies, Underpants Monster. A couple of stolen rings doesn't compare to what happened to you.
• The unfortunate condition of being reliant on privately-supplied health insurance. They don't want to know your name if you're sick. So sorry, Underpants Monster. Hope the chemo has gone/is going well with you. Not at your level, but my wife has had to fight tooth and nail over medical bills relating to her spinal and connective tissue problems. I also know a guy who got nearly all of his teeth knocked out by a swinging gate, and his dental insurance denied a claim to pay for artificial replacements, saying that it was "cosmetic." You know, for him to have teeth. Cosmetic. Said the dental insurance company. But to be fair, if it weren't for insurance, my wife's cervical laminectomy would have cost over half as much as her graduate degree from Northwestern, so we'd be living with her parents. Better than not having it.
• It's the proverbial double-edged sword, ain't it? (BTW, I should have mentioned that the chemo is all over and I got the all-clear this week. No worries.)
• I'm torn. If the husband was one of the owners of the house and/or on the policy, how can a fire he deliberately set be eligible for payout? On the other hand, it sounds to me like the two of them deserved each other.
• I'm torn. If the husband was one of the owners of the house and/or on the policy, how can a fire he deliberately set be eligible for payout? I was confused by this as well. Maybe if criminal charges are placed against the husband, and collusion isn't evident? Don't know, but it would be interesting to find out.
• I dunno why I had such a hard time understanding what the headline said, but I clicked the link just to figure out how to parse it. That being said, (just twisting your nipple, fish tick) insurance companies suck. Except when they pay for a new car. When a car/deer collision appears inevitible, I have trained myself, thanks to my insurance provider, to switch from the brake to the gas pedal. One 18-pointer away from a new car!
• cheers, Underpants Monster, on getting the all clear! I say we all burn Beanie Babies to celebrate! oh, wait. that would be toxic. Red wine then! But we'll drink it, not burn it.
• Hurrah for The Underpants Monster!
• If we dunk the Beanie Babies in the red wine, will they be more flammable?
• I don't understand why people are mad at the lady. Why does she deserve to have her house burned down? I'm not snarking, I'm just confused.