Author Archives: Morgan O'Rourke

About Morgan O'Rourke

Morgan O’Rourke is editor in chief of Risk Management magazine and director of publications for the Risk & Insurance Management Society (RIMS).
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Invasion of the Carp

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Asian carp are headed to the Great Lakes and neighboring states are not happy about it.

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The fish, which are considered an invasive species and a threat to the ecosystem of the lakes, have prompted the state of Michigan to sue the state of Illinois, the City of Chicago and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to force them to protect the region’s $7 billion fishing industry by permanently closing the Chicago-area waterways that separate the Mississippi River from Lake Michigan. The states of Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana have all joined in supporting the suit while the Canadian province of Ontario has also expressed an interest in participating in the effort to stop the carp.

Originally Asian carp were introduced to the United States in the 1970s by catfish farmers who used the bottom-dwelling fish to clean out the algae and other debris from their ponds.

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But when the ponds were flooded in the 1990s, the carp found their way into the Mississippi River where they have been moving north and wreaking havoc on indigenous species ever since.

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While protecting the Great Lakes’ ecosystem seems like an obvious priority, Illinois officials are concerned that closing the waterways, specifically the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, will not only damage the area’s barge industry but will force a reconfiguration of wastewater disposal methods, which are currently handled by the 100-year-old canal.

“While we recognize that Asian carp pose a significant threat to the Great Lakes,” said Suzanne Malec-McKenna, the commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Environment, “shutting down the waterway system in Northeastern Illinois before fully understanding the impact it would have on the movement of people, goods and storm water is a shortsighted answer to a complex problem.”

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is expected to respond to the suit sometime today.

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New Option for Gulf State Homeowners Insurance

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Usually when we discuss news of homeowners’ insurance in Florida and other hurricane-prone areas, it is to report how yet another insurer has pulled up stakes and decided to stop writing policies in the region. But yesterday’s announcement from Travelers that they will begin a pilot program to write policies in Certain Atlantic and Gulf states bucks that trend. The news came as part of an initiative to raise awareness of catastrophe preparedness that was started by The Travelers Institute, a kind of think tank group created by Travelers to further the discussion of public policy topics of particular importance to the insurance community. 

The pilot program brings Travelers into the homeowners’ insurance market in these high-risk areas, but with an important condition — the company will be writing policies for those homes that meet specific natural disaster resistant building standards. As an added incentive, qualifying homes will be eligible for a 35% hurricane premium credit.

Eric Nelson, Travelers’ vice president of personal insurance, explained that the company wants to educate consumers about the value of these standards, which include recommendations for reinforced concrete framing, wind-resistant roofs and impact-resistant glass, so that they ask for these features when building or retrofitting a home.

“Homes built to meet these stringent standards are better able to withstand severe weather, reducing property losses and saving lives, and we want to promote and raise awareness of these smarter building practices,” said Nelson. “Building stronger homes is a key principle of the Travelers Coastal Hurricane Wind Zone Plan, our proposal to improve the availability and affordability of catastrophic wind coverage in communities along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. We hope this initiative and meaningful premium credit will encourage homeowners, builders and building officials to adopt these disaster resistant standards.”

For homeowners in high-risk areas, Travelers’ program seem like a reasonable alternative to state-run pools and exorbitantly high premiums. Of course, it will take some effort (and money) to meet these fortification standards but in the end it is about managing the risk proactively, which can’t be all bad. And with so many insurers choosing to leave these states, perhaps programs like this will give insurers the incentive to come back and hopefully bring lower insurance premiums with them.

New Food Safety Rules on the Way

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A long-overdue overhaul of U.S. food safety regulations looks to be inevitable after a Senate committee recently approved a bill to increase the federal government’s oversight of the food industry.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76 million people in the United States get sick, 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die from foodborne illnesses each year. And in recent years, disease outbreaks in contaminated peanut butter, peppers, tomatoes, ground beef and spinach, to name only a few, have made headlines and have led consumer groups to demand reform of the country’s ineffective food safety regulations. 

The bill, which was approved by the House in July, will give the FDA the power to actually order food recalls (rather than merely recommending them as it can do now), increase inspection rates and require facilities to have a food safety plan. The legislation would also mandate inspections of all food processing plants every four years and high-risk plants every year. Currently, there is no regular schedule for food facilities.

There is some question as to how all this increased oversight will be paid for, but Sen. Tom Larkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which approved the bill, doesn’t think this is a deal-breaker.

“If this is for public protection, it’s something we should all pay for,” he said.

Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), a member of the committee, underlined the bill’s importance. 

“There are very few things that are as important as ensuring that the food we eat and the food we serve our families is safe for consumption,” said Dodd.

Despite the bill’s support, it is likely that it won’t come to full vote in the Senate until next year after the health care debate has been decided.

More Headaches for the NFL

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In recent months, the concern about concussions and their long-term effects among NFL players has gained widespread attention. In the past month alone, two high-profile players — running backs Clinton Portis of the Washington Redskins and Brian Westbrook of the Philadelphia Eagles — have sustained concussions that have put their seasons in jeopardy. Meanwhile, in a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee last month, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the league’s policies amid heated criticism and accusations that the league has failed to protect and care for its players.

“I have been clear: medical considerations must always come first,” Goodell said. “We are changing the culture of our game for the better. Our goal is to make our game as safe as possible for those who choose to play it and treat our retired players with the respect and care they deserve.”

But after a weekend that saw both starting quarterbacks from last year’s Super Bowl — Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals — leave their games early after suffering blows to the head and three members of the St. Louis Rams — quarterback Marc Bulger, linebacker Chris Chamberlain and offensive tackle Jason Smith — forced to undergo tests for possible concussions of their own, the NFL has decided to implement a new approach to handling concussions.

According to the plan, teams will be required to use independent neurologists to treat players with brain injuries. While teams already employ their own medical staff, outside consultation will eliminate potential of conflicts of interest from team owners and coaches who want injured players to return to the field more quickly than is medically advisable. While no deadline for implementation has been put in place, about half of the league’s 32 teams have approved doctors in place already.

But the independent, objective aspect of this is the key change.

These newly appointed neurologists would be “independent of the teams themselves, and they’re rendering an opinion that is guided by expertise in concussions,” the NFLPA’s Mayer said. “They’re not part of the club medical staff, so they’re an independent voice with regard to whether the player’s ready to return or not.”

The league has also called for other players to report teammates who they suspect are suffering from concussion symptoms but the players’ union opposes the requirement.

“If every player were a medical doctor that could recognize symptoms of concussions, then that would be a great idea,” said NFL Players Association assistant executive director George Atallah. “I hope that the league — instead of asking players to police each other — would consider calling on team medical staffs and independent doctors to police the situation closely.”

Some players, like Washington Redskins fullback Mike Sellers have even gone so far as to characterize players who report teammates as “snitches,” which speaks to a larger cultural problem among NFL players. Evidently in a game that values “toughness,” acknowledging an injury of any kind is frowned upon. According to an Associated Press survey of 160 current players, 30 report having hidden concussion symptoms from team personnel and half reported having at least one concussion during their career.

So it would seem that the NFL’s fight against brain injury will not only require a change in policy but a change in attitude as well.

For more on the NFL and concussions, check out the December issue of Risk Management, coming soon.

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