Five area school districts are now partnering with a local nonprofit to help ensure that all kids have health-care coverage.

In January, Ferndale schools began a pilot project to refer uninsured families to the Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Access. The confidential service is free for both families and school districts.

Schools identify uninsured kids at registration, teacher conferences and when families sign up for free and reduced-price meals. The alliance, which does not support a particular coverage plan, follows up with families to tell them about various health coverage options.

There are about 4,000 uninsured children in Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan counties, said Wendy Carr, access coordinator for the alliance. Read more »

A Thurston County judge says he’ll rule Friday on whether to let state insurance regulators disclose the identities of three insurance companies whose credit scoring practices were the topic of a 2003 state report to the Legislature.

The information is sought by the state Democratic Party, which seeks to link Safeco Insurance Co. with the practices of a company identified in the report as having canceled auto insurance policies based on credit scores. The report said the practice disproportionately hit minorities, divorced women and poor people, even those with clean driving records. Read more »

It’s that time of year. The time you start thinking about getting the kids to school on time, packing lunches and helping with homework.

The Covering Kids and Families organization hopes parents think about their children’s health insurance, too.

Volunteers with Covering Kids and Families have been out in the community for several weeks, trying to get more children enrolled in the state-run Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, which covers children up to age 19 in low-income families. The program offers medical, dental and vision coverage. Read more »

It won’t be much, but Florida homeowners — especially those in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties — soon will see a dip in their skyrocketing homeowners insurance costs.

New policies announced Thursday allow insurance companies to charge higher deductibles for sinkhole coverage. Backers say the changes will make coverage more affordable and eliminate fraudulent claims if people have to pay more money out of pocket to claim their home sits on a sinkhole. Read more »

Attorney General Tom Reilly has appealed a state-approved premium hike that would boost significantly the price of the Bay State’s home insurance policy of the last resort, an increase that would hit Cape customers the hardest.

In an appeal filed Friday with the Supreme Judicial Court, Reilly contends state officials approved new rates for the so-called FAIR Plan without adequate data analysis.

The rate hike, which was requested last year by FAIR Plan administrators, would boost rates on the Cape and Islands by 25 percent. The rate increase would raise the current average premium for Cape customers from about $1,300 to $1,625. Read more »