Va. General Assembly votes to ban mandatory health insurance coverageRICHMOND -- Virginia's General Assembly is the first in the nation to approve legislation that bucks federal health care reforms by banning mandatory health insurance coverage.Ecclesiastical Insurance saves millions with e-procurementInsurance company Ecclesiastical Insurance has cut its procurement costs by £3m in a year following a £20,000...Taking insurance education onlineFarmington Hills, Mich.-based Burns & Wilcox Ltd. has created a Web-based portal within its corporate university--The Kaufman Institute--to deliver online education, training and development services to insurance professionals.Interstate health insurance failsA bill giving Washington consumers an opportunity to buy health insurance from other states died in the Legislature this year under pressure from advocates for mental health equality, massage therapists and others.Insurance Mandate May Need Strict PenaltiesThe health care plans before Congress require individuals to purchase insurance. But the penalty for violating the individual mandate may be so low that healthy people might be tempted to pay it instead of buying insurance. That would leave insurers with less healthy customers, prompting companies to raise their rates, prompting more people to drop out, and so forth.Guidewire Wins Insurance Canada.ca's 'Best In Class Technology Provider - Insurer Solutions' AwardGuidewire Software, a leading provider of flexible core systems to property/casualty insurers, recently announced that it has won an Insurance Canada.ca Technology Award (ICTA)Gold May Decline a Fourth Day in New York on China Economy DataMarch 11 (Bloomberg) -- Gold, little changed in New York today, may decline for a fourth day after China’s inflation and industrial output accelerated, adding pressure on the government to pare stimulus measures.New York musician fears her husband was seized in ChinaA New York-based musician is appealing for help to find her husband, who vanished as he boarded a flight from China to the US amid fears he was seized for his Falun Gong beliefs.Investors Bet on Betaworks, a New York Tech IncubatorAs I recently reported , there are many indications that the start-up culture in New York has flickered back to life. Here’s one more for the list: Betaworks , an incubator for early-stage technology start-ups in the meatpacking district of Manhattan, is announcing on Thursday that it raised $20 million in venture financing in a Series B investment round.New York Times Chief Sees ‘Great Deal’ of Revenue From Web SiteMarch 11 (Bloomberg) -- New York Times Co. ’s decision to charge for its namesake newspaper’s Web site will bring in revenue beginning next year, said Chief Executive Officer Janet Robinson .Coffee Climbs in New York as Stockpiles Decline; Cocoa AdvancesMarch 11 (Bloomberg) -- Coffee futures rose in New York, heading for the first weekly gain since last month, as inventories slid to lowest amount in seven years. Cocoa prices increased.
