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Uber raises its minimum age for California drivers to 25
Uber has raised its minimum driver age in California to 25, up from 21, as initially reported by The Associated Press. The company allegedly changed the policy because of climbing commercial auto insurance costs in the state. However, it only affects new signups; drivers already approved before Wednesday will remain eligible.
Tesla can now insure your EV in Colorado, Oregon and Virginia
Tesla is now offering data-based insurance in Colorado, Oregon and Virginia, and Nevada might not be far behind.
UK regulators will allow drivers to watch TV in autonomous cars
With self-driving vehicles possibly arriving on UK roads later this year, the government is starting to put rules in place.
VR-related claims increased by 31 percent in 2021, says UK insurance firm
Insurer Aviva said last year it saw a 31 percent increase in home contents claims involving VR headsets and a 68 percent overall increase since 2016.
Airbnb will offer travel insurance this spring
Airbnb will offer travel insurance this spring to reassure guests worried about resuming travel.
Rapid COVID tests will soon be fully covered by insurance in the US
The Biden administration has announced that COVID-19 testing kits must be covered by private insurance.
Tesla debuts new car insurance that uses Texans' real-time driving behavior
Tesla now offers insurance in Texas, and it calculates for premiums based on owners' real-time driving behavior.
Alphabet's Verily begins offering stop-loss health insurance
Google's life sciences sibling is now selling insurance.
Amazon adds car insurance to its absurd list of services
Amazon is offering auto insurance in India through Amazon Pay and Acko General Insurance.
Ford hopes you'll trade some privacy for discounted car insurance
Ford thinks it has a way to make car insurance more appealing: taking advantage of the data available from connected cars. It's teaming up with Nationwide to introduce its own take on usage-based insurance. If you have one of several 2020 Ford or Lincoln models (like the Mustang you see above), you can sign up for a policy that uses the vehicle's built-in modem to track your driving habits and adjust your rates accordingly with each renewal. The technology tracks distance, your aggressiveness with pedals, idle time and night driving. You'll get a better deal if you're a gentle commuter than a foot-to-the-floor enthusiast, in other words.
Healthcare risk algorithm had 'significant racial bias'
There's more evidence of algorithms demonstrating racial bias. Researchers have determined that a "widely used" risk prediction algorithm from a major (but unnamed) healthcare provider had a "significant racial bias." While it didn't directly consider ethnicity, its emphasis on medical costs as bellwethers for health led to the code routinely underestimating the needs of black patients. A sicker black person would receive the same risk score as a healthier white person simply because of how much they could spend.
Tesla's car insurance is now available in California
Tesla just gave some of its most faithful US drivers the insurance they've been looking for. After rollouts in Asia and Australia, the EV maker has introduced its simply titled Tesla Insurance in California. Drivers can theoretically lower rates on their cars by as much as 20 to 30 percent compared to conventional insurers since "Tesla knows its vehicles best." There are no surprise fees, and you can cancel or modify your policy at any point.
Volvo's new app tells you what to do after a car accident
Being in a car accident is stressful -- even the smallest bump can send your nerves sky high, and in times of extreme tension it's easy to forget the usual protocols. But Volvo is here to make the whole unfortunate experience a little easier to manage. The company has just released a mobile service, Car Accident Advisor, that will guide you through what to do in the event of a crash.
Fitbit's latest tracker is only available through your work or insurance
Fitbit has quietly released a new activity tracker, but don't expect to buy one yourself -- if anything, it'll be issued to you. The company's new Inspire is a fitness band intended for companies that plan to issue wearables en masse, whether it's your health insurance provider or a just a corporation that wants employees to stay active. It's the definition of no-frills. A basic version doesn't do much more than track activity and deliver phone alerts, while the Inspire HR adds heart rate monitoring and phone-based GPS. There's no price listed, but that's likely to vary from deal to deal. It's the company's cheapest device yet, however.
Healthcare.gov security breach leaks info for 75,000 people
Today The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Healthcare.gov, the federally operated health insurance marketplace, has suffered a data breach. Apparently it detected "anomalous system activity" in a tool that's supposed to be used for brokers to help consumers get insurance coverage on October 13th, and declared the breach three days later. The CMS reports that it believes files for as many as 75,000 people were accessed, however it did not say what information specifically may have been revealed. It said in a statement that "CMS followed standard and appropriate security and risk protocols for researching and reporting the incident. Upon verification of the breach, CMS took immediate steps to secure the system and consumer information, further investigate the incident, and subsequently notify Federal law enforcement. We are actively engaged in and committed to helping those potentially impacted as well as ensuring the protection of consumer information." There have been warnings about security for state and federal healthcare websites before, and there was a hack in 2014 that didn't leak any data. The website is still operation, although the Direct Enrollment pathway for brokers has been disabled temporarily. With the Affordable Care Act-created site in turmoil politically, the timing of the breach is especially bad just before open enrollment for 2019 coverage begins. It will run from November 1st until December 15th, giving people who don't have health insurance through some other means a way to get covered. Once that period closes, they can only sign up through a Special Enrollment period if they have a qualifying life event.
Caviar will cover medical costs for injured couriers
Insurance for app-based couriers and drivers tends to be inconsistent. It's not always available, sometimes costs drivers extra and may be focused more on protecting the company than the worker. Square's restaurant delivery service Caviar is addressing this gap by launching Occupational Accident coverage that will cover costs for injuries suffered on the job. If they're hurt picking up or delivering food, they'll receive up to $1 million per accident, $100,000 in accidental death and survivor's benefits and disability pay that equates to 50 percent of their average weekly earnings. This won't cost extra to couriers, and it starts the very moment they start accepting customers.
Insurance giant stops covering firms that depend on coal
The elimination of coal power isn't just good for the environment... it's quickly becoming good for the corporate bottom line. Insurance giant Swiss Re has enacted a policy that refuses coverage to any company that either generates 30 percent or more of its revenue from coal power, or uses at least 30 percent coal power to run its operations. Swiss Re touted the move as reflecting its commitment to limiting global warming (it made a pledge in 2015 alongside the Paris climate accord), but it also casts this as a shrewd business move.
Uber covers illness and parental leave for European drivers
Uber and its drivers have been embroiled in a tug-of-war for years over stronger rights for the people ferrying passengers and food around for the company. Drivers want more protections and rights, while Uber has been reluctant to offer benefits. But Uber and Uber Eats contractors in Europe now have a little more security: Uber just rolled out a Partner Protection insurance plan, which replaces a previous insurance plan for Eats couriers.
Medicare now covers gene sequencing for patients with advanced cancer
Patients with advanced cancer will soon have access to more personalized treatment plans because Medicare will now cover genetic tests that sequence tumor cell DNA and help healthcare providers determine treatment strategies. As Wired reports, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that for Medicare-enrolled patients with recurrent, metastatic, relapsed, refractory or stages III or IV cancer, such FDA-approved tests will be covered by their insurance. And since other insurance companies tend to take their cues from CMS, privately-insured patients will likely get similar coverage soon as well.
Messaging giant Line catches cryptocurrency fever
Let's say you run Line. Your messaging service, plus other forays like smart speakers and music, aren't enough to avoid substantial losses. What do you do to turn things around? If you ask the company, finance is the answer. Line has created a new financial company that will offer cryptocurrency trading on top of staples like insurance and loans. It's not saying what currencies will trade or when the virtual money service will be an option, but it plans to make all the services available within the Line chat app.
