Declarations

A Speedy Slow-Down

“Clearly the statistics are going in the right direction. I realize it’s just one year, but it’s pretty dramatic.”

—Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen, commenting on the year anniversary of the Commonwealth’s Junior Operator License Law. Since it was enacted, the number of 16- and 17-year-old drivers and passengers killed in auto accidents fell from 19 to 13, while the overall number of speeding citations fell from 10,016 to 6,726. Officials credited the new law for the declines, which created a zero-tolerance policy for first-time offenders under the age of 18.

Differing Diagnoses

“We’re on the same page. I think we disagree with how they get there. You can’t put this on the backs of the physicians.”

—Dr. Theodore A. Christopher, chairman of the Emergency Medical Department at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, commenting on Pennsylvania’s elimination of a medical malpractice subsidy for doctors. The move comes amidst attempts by lawmakers to expand public health insurance. Doctors say the vanished subsidy pushes some of that cost back on them.

Shared Pain

“I can’t imagine how I would have psychologically felt if my children hadn’t been there. And I find it very hard to not be sympathetic with others who may not have the economic wherewithal to make that happen, so it fortifies my view that it’s a good thing.”

—New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine, reflecting on his experience following an auto accident last April in which he broke his left leg in two places and spent 18 days in the hospital – much of it in intensive care and on a ventilator. Corzine said the care he received from his family following the crash strengthened his resolve to give workers the right to take paid leave from work to care for a new child or sick family member. A bill to make New Jersey the third state to approve such leave is nearing final approval.

Matter Settled

“To their credit, both companies have cooperated fully with the department and are living up to the terms of the settlements. They have extensively revised their compensation practices so clients can be confident transactions are transparent and conflicts of interest are avoided.”

—New York Deputy Insurance Superintendent Kermitt Brooks, commenting on an auditor’s report that says Marsh and Willis are complying with a 2005 settlement in which the two insurance brokerages paid $850 million and $50 million, respectively, to settle allegations of bid-rigging and other anti-competitive practices.

Web of Lies

“The Web site as it is currently maintained is not only not helpful, it’s misleading.”

—Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, commenting on a state run Web site that helps consumers compare insurance rates from different carriers. The Web site was set up by the state’s Insurance Department as the Commonwealth began deregulating its auto insurance system earlier this month. Coakley said the site is accurate less than 40 percent of the time and needs a revamp; she stopped short, however, of asking the Insurance Department to take it down.