 
Catastrophe experts urge congress to move forward with comprehensive disaster plan
Says five years after Katrina and America is unprotected from financial calamity. "When it comes to shoring up the financial system that stands behind homeowners, communities and insurers, we are no better off than we were when Katrina struck. Indeed, given the global economic conditions, we may even be worse off than we were five years ago," according to James Lee Witt, former Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. |
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Common US health risks surface abroad at multinationals
Towers Watson survey points out that with chronic conditions, stress and behavioural issues driving medical inflation; multinationals are beginning to shift the focus of their global health care programs from the cost of care to the prevention of illness. |
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BRICs and N11 countries top Maplecroft’s natural disaster risk ranking
Fifteen countries are rated as ‘extreme risk’ in the ranking, including N11 members Bangladesh (1), Indonesia (2) and Iran (3), with Asian heavyweights, India (11) and China (12) also in the highest risk category. These are the same countries that are projected to set leading growth trends amongst emerging economies. |
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Staying healthy does not reduce post-retirement health care costs
Costs for the healthy can reach $105,000 more than the unhealthy. Study found that the expected present value of lifetime health care costs for a couple turning 65 in 2009 in which one or both spouses suffer from a chronic disease is $220,000, including insurance premiums and the cost of nursing home care; five per cent can expect to spend more than $465,000. Comparable numbers for couples free of chronic disease at 65 are substantially higher, at $260,000 and $570,000, respectively. |
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