Winter 2019 Insurance News - Banas Insurance

10 Ways to Prevent Frozen Pipes & Avoid Costly Insurance Claims

Frozen water pipes and the damage they cause are a reality for thousands of people each year. And unfortunately, a burst pipe can cause more than $5,000 in water damage, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. Luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent pipes from freezing.

Using Hands-Free Devices While Driving Not So Risky: Research

New research suggests that drivers who use hands-free electronic devices, as opposed to handheld ones, are not increasing their risk of getting into a crash.

According to the research from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), with hands-free technology, drivers can make calls and perform a variety of other tasks while still keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Protections and Limitations of Title Insurance — What You Need to Know

Most people have title insurance on their property but some may be unfamiliar with the concept, protections or limitations of title insurance. Title insurance is a form of insurance that protects a property owner from financial loss caused by defects in title to a property.

What to Do If an Employee Displays Signs of Dementia

Faced with an aging American workforce, companies are increasingly navigating delicate conversations with employees grappling with cognitive declines, experts say.

Workers experiencing early stages of dementia may struggle with tasks they had completed without difficulty. Historically punctual employees may forget about scheduled meetings. And those who have traveled to the same office day after day, sometimes for years on end, may begin to lose their way during their morning commutes.

New Airbnb Taxes Impose Added Costs on Homeowners

Interest in short-term rentals has increased over the past several years with the growth of home share platforms such as Airbnb and HomeAway. As a result, state legislatures across the country have seen this as an opportunity to increase revenue by taxing these services. Surprisingly to many, some of the biggest proponents of this type of legislation are actually the home-sharing platforms themselves. In addition to publicly advocating for them, they’ve also put their lobbying might behind these proposals. The home-sharing platform providers see an opportunity to access another revenue stream because they can offer tax collection and remittance as an additional service and charge for it. There are a lot of interests involved.

Travel Insurance Increases in Popularity for Tourists

Consumers are seeing the benefit of insuring their travels against the unexpected.

With the frigid temperatures covering much of the country, a trip to warm locale just might be in order. Travel, whether for business or pleasure, has grown in popularity and Generali Global Assistance’s Travel Insurance division recently shared insights on the trends it observed in 2018.

Pain Management Task Force Releases Best Practices for Fighting Chronic Pain

A draft report from the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force, which acts in an advisory capacity for the federal government, contains new guidance for pain management in the United States in the age of the opioid epidemic.

Court Rules Federal Age Bias Law Protects Only Current Employees, Not Applicants

A divided U.S. appeals court dealt a setback to older job applicants, saying they cannot invoke a federal law against age bias in employment to challenge hiring policies they believe have a discriminatory impact.

In an 8-4 decision, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago said the “plain language” of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which forbids discrimination against people 40 and older, showed that Congress intended that law to cover current employees, not outside job applicants.

Most Medical Cannabis Users Have Operated Vehicles Under the Influence, Study Finds

More than half of people who take medical cannabis for chronic pain say they have driven under the influence of cannabis within two hours of using it at least once in the last six months, according to a new study.

One in five said they had driven while “very high” in the past six months, researchers from the University of Michigan Addiction Center reported in a new paper in the journal Drug & Alcohol Dependence.