Declarations – Southcentral

Patently Unfair

“The whole idea that a court would send someone there involuntarily and then charge them for it is patently unfair.”

—L. Jeth Jones, an attorney for a Texas man ordered to a state psychiatric hospital after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2009 for pulling a gun on his sister. The man, who is still in the state hospital, has been billed $50,601 by the state for his stay. About a dozen patients a year in Texas are billed by state hospitals for psychiatric care they were ordered to undergo by courts, a practice that has rankled criminal defendants committed to a hospital against their will, according to a newspaper report.

Healthcare Challenge

“This challenging environment increases the pressure on healthcare providers to seek the most appropriate and cost-effective insurance programs.”

—Dominic Colaizzo, chairman of Aon Risk Solutions’ Health Care Practice, commenting on an annual industry study by Aon Risk Solutions that shows among other challenges, hospital risk managers are grappling with greater physician integration and changes in state legislation that influence professional liability costs.

Independent Dynamic

“This is great news for the independent agency system and reflects a stable and growing distribution system that remained resilient during the recent economy challenges.”

—Robert Rusbuldt, Big “I” president and CEO, commenting on a 2012 Agency Universe Study that shows the number of independent insurance agencies has increased, newer agencies are growing and the system as a whole is dynamic.

Pushing the Limit

“People do pay attention to the speed limit: They use it as a guideline and figure out how much faster they can go without getting a ticket.”

—Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, comments on the opening of a toll road in Central Texas that has an 85 mph speed limit. Lund said raising the speed limit will inevitably lead some drivers to push the envelope. “There’s an assumption that the government is always conservative, so if 85 is the speed limit, then 90 and 95 must be safe, right?” he added.

Topics Texas