Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston has to create a detransition clinic for transgender patients later this year and keep a list of “potential” gender affirming care patients, according to new details released Monday by the Texas Attorney General’s Office. According to a 10-page list of settlement terms, requested by The Texas Tribune, Texas Children’s has 90 days from the effective date of the settlement to set up the detransition clinic. The attorney general announced the settlement two weeks ago but because a final settlement has not been signed there is no effective date agreed upon yet. The clinic must provide…
Author: Awais
Enrollment in Medicare Advantage, the private plan alternative to traditional Medicare, has increased steadily over the past two decades, with more than half of eligible beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage since 2023. The growth in enrollment has implications for federal spending, because according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Medicare payments to private plans are higher than spending for similar beneficiaries in traditional Medicare. In 2026, payments are 14% more per person, which translates into an additional $76 billion in federal spending this year. While payments per person relative to traditional Medicare are similar to a decade ago (15%…
The artist who painted a giant mural on a building in downtown Dallas of life-sized swimming whales has filed a $25 million lawsuit against soccer’s international governing body and others, saying they illegally painted over his work to promote the city’s upcoming World Cup matches. The artist Wyland says he hand-painted the sprawling mural that covered roughly 17,000 square feet (1,580 square meters) across two of the building’s walls. The mural stood for nearly three decades before workers began painting over it last month, causing an uproar among residents who admired the mural’s grand scale and message of ocean conservation.…
This edition of International People Moves details claims appointments at Aon and Canopius. A summary of these new hires follows here. Aon Promotes Navas as Chief Claims Officer for EMEA Insurance broker Aon plc has appointed José María Navas as chief claims officer for EMEA, effective immediately. José María Navas In this role, Navas leads the firm’s claims organization across EMEA, overseeing strategy, advocacy and claims preparation capabilities to support clients in navigating an increasingly complex claims environment. He reports to Luca Tassarotti, head of Commercial Risk for EMEA. Navas brings nearly 25 years of experience with Aon, most recently…
Markets/Coverages: Fidelis Partnership Forms PVT Consortium for Rising Capacity Demand The Fidelis Partnership (TFP), the Bermuda-based managing general agent, announced the launch of the TFP PVT Consortium, which brings together leading Lloyd’s syndicates to deploy meaningful new capacity into the war, terror and political violence (WTPV) market at a time of heightened global demand and significant market dislocation resulting from the Middle East conflict. TFP’s political violence and terrorism consortium, which was placed by Guy Carpenter, will bring together capacity from leading Lloyd’s syndicates including Argenta, alongside The Fidelis Partnership’s own syndicates, 3123 and 2126. Following capacity provided from TFP’s…
Having a baby in the United States is about to get more complicated. Under new billing codes that take effect in January, doctors who manage maternity care will start charging à la carte for visits and services related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. It’s an about-face from recent years, when doctors have often received a single “bundled” payment for maternity care they provided. Although OB-GYNs strongly back the change and have pushed for it for years, some patient advocates and employers say it’s an open question whether the new system will result in better care or increased patient costs.…
Over the last few year’s we’ve noticed increasing interest in the insurance-linked securities asset class as an investment opportunity from institutions in Latin America and now pensions in Chile have reportedly begun allocating to catastrophe bonds.Helped by a number of years of consecutive strong performance, catastrophe bonds and ILS as an investable asset class is generating meaningful attention. This has resulted in capital flows that have helped to fuel the expansion of the cat bond market over the last few years. But, institutional investors can take months or years to make new allocation decisions, especially when it comes to niche…
Allianz SE is in advanced talks to buy Caravela Seguros after submitting an offer for the Portuguese insurer, according to people familiar with the matter. Allianz is currently discussing a potential acquisition of Caravela Seguros with company shareholders, said the people, who asked not to be named because the information is confidential. Deliberations are ongoing and talks may still not result in an offer, they said. London-based Toscafund owns a 48% stake in Caravela and has hired Mediobanca to advise on divesting the stake, Bloomberg News reported on Jan. 19. Caravela’s remaining shareholders — a group of more than 20…
The US and its “Five Eyes” intelligence partners issued what they said was an unprecedented joint notice warning about attempts by Chinese spies to use websites such as LinkedIn to recruit assets. “China’s military intelligence services are using an increasingly wide array of professional networking sites and online job platforms to target Five Eyes government and military personnel — and anyone with access to classified or privileged information,” according to a joint statement by the FBI, Britain’s MI5 security service and the domestic intelligence agencies of Australia, Canada and New Zealand. “These actors use an aggressive online recruitment strategy whereby…
Year over year, average U.S. commercial premium renewals for May increased in all lines except workers’ compensation, according to the Ivans Index. However, month over month, commercial auto, business owners policy, general liability, and umbrella saw a decrease, while commercial property and workers’ comp experienced an increase, said Chicago-based Ivans. Premium renewal rate change by line of business for May 2026 highlights include: Commercial Auto: 4.96%, down from 5.24% last month. BOP: 6.07%, down from 6.43% at the end of April. General Liability: 5.28%, down from April, which was 5.70%. Commercial Property: 6.71%, up from 6.24% in April. Umbrella: 8.01%,…
The first officer on a United Airlines Holdings Inc. plane that struck a light pole while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport last month told safety investigators that he warned his captain that the aircraft was “slow and a little low” as they were approaching the runway. The first officer said he didn’t process the information fast enough to call for the plane to abort its landing and climb back into the air, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the US National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB has been digging into the cause of the May 3 accident,…
Harrowing scenes are unfolding at health facilities at the epicenter of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A 25-year-old midwife and a doctor in his early 30s are sick with Ebola symptoms, including fevers and severe joint pain, said their colleague Elisabeth Furaha, the medical director at SOFEPADI’s Karibuni Wa Mama Medical Center in the northeastern province of Ituri. They had cared for patients with similar symptoms in early May, before the outbreak was detected. One of the patients is now dead, Furaha said, and none of them has been tested for Ebola, even though samples were…
Isaac Anthony, CEO of CCRIF SPC, the regional parametric risk pool for the Caribbean and Central America, has announced that the organisation grew its coverage by 9% to US $1.57 billion, and introduced new members ahead of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.Speaking during a video message posted by the organisation, Anthony recognised the transformations that have occurred in the world, noting the alterations in the planet’s climate, which are ongoing and will persist. This indicates that the industry’s financial and institutional preparations must also adapt accordingly. “Let me begin with what the science is telling us about this hurricane season.…
British gambling company Betfair is fighting a landmark London lawsuit that could determine whether betting companies owe a duty of care to problem gamblers, in a case that opened on Thursday and is being closely watched by the industry. The family of Luke Ashton, who died by suicide in April 2021, allege Betfair encouraged him to place bets and that this exacerbated his gambling disorder, and caused or materially contributed to his death. Betfair denies the claims. The family is suing Betfair – owned by Flutter, which also owns the Paddy Power and Sportsbet brands – at London’s High Court,…