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At the annual conference of America’s Health Insurance Plans, (the corporate lobbying group that recently released a threatening report about how any inclusion of a public option in health care legislation would cause private insurers to grossly inflate their rates even more), attendees were entertained by the Billionaires for Wealthcare with their clever rendition of the ever hopeful song “Tomorrow“.

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Brave New Films has just created this short video which clearly exposes the utter hypocrisy and obdurate cruelty of Republican health care “efforts”. I commend Congressman Grayson for his honesty and bravery. It is so incredibly rare and refreshing to hear one of our nation’s elected officials actually speak the truth and call out divisive Republicans on their bald-faced lies and obstruction.

Ironically, as I am writing this I am at present a patient at UCSF Medical Center, one of the best hospitals in the country. Three days ago I just had a big scary surgery, and have been receiving amazingly great health care, for which I am immensely grateful. Thanks to the visionary Tom Ammiano, San Francisco, unlike nearly every other place in the United States, provides universal health care coverage for all of its residents. It is now time that the rest of the nation does the same. Health care is a human right, not a privilege.

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According to the Billionaires’ website they are:

A grassroots network of health insurance CEOs, HMO lobbyists, talk-show hosts, and others profiting off of our broken health care system. We are not a political, religious or even particularly well-organized group. We’re simple folk, thrilled profiteers pouring out of our corner offices to dance on the grave of “Change.” We’ll do whatever it takes to ensure another decade where your pain is our gain. After all, when it comes to health care, if we ain’t broke, why fix it?

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Green business practices are not limited to factories and buildings anymore.  According to Yahoo Finance, some insurance companies are offering clients who drive green cars or live in green homes a break on their premiums.  Still others are offering to rebuild a green home that is lost due to fire or other catastrophes “greener” than it was before.

Novato based Fireman’s Fund is now offering a 5% discount on homeowner’s policies for those who live in LEED certified homes.   Fireman’s also offers a Green Upgrade, which allows a homeowner the option to rebuild it greener with a slight premium adder. 

Farmer’s Insurance offers up to a 10% discount for drivers of hybrid vehicles currently, and is planning to offer a new Green homeowner’s policy in 28 states by this summer.   

Very soon, it will pay to go green! 

A recent survey of drivers found that 2,150 tons of CO2 are generated by UK motorists warming up their cars in the morning, creating the equivalent CO2 emissions of three 747 flights from London to New York each day.

“Everyone is now familiar with simple energy saving tips like switching off a tap, turning off lights and recycling but it seems many people’s green intentions go out the window when they are faced with a cold start in the morning. Our research has shown that an estimated 2,150 tonnes of CO2 and 21,450MW  of electricity will be wasted each cold morning across the UK.” - Lucy Bailey, ibuyeco spokesperson

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Climate change must be factored into all new planning to safeguard coastal developments against sea level rise, flood and other disasters or effects on the environment, the State Government of Victoria in Australia has decided.

Earlier this year, significant coastal property was found to be exposed to risk. Now, housing sprawl along coastal strips must be curtailed and new residential developments along canals banned under the State Government’s new coastal planning strategy. In September The Sydney Moring Herald had noted that:

“One general insurer has estimated that the value of coastal property in Australia at risk to rising sea levels and erosion is between $50 billion and $150 billion.”

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Homeowners using sustainable building materials or installing alternative energy sources now have an insurance option that will cover these green upgrades in case of a disaster. Fireman’s Fund offers this “green” homeowners insurance in select states. Georgia signed on to the program in July, joining 23 others.

Coverage isn’t limited to folks with green additions on their homes. If an event results in “total loss,” the coverage will replace the damage with products that meet LEED standards! Additionally, it covers the cost of any necessary demolition and the pricey hauling of debris to a recycling facility rather than a junk yard.

States have been able to sign on since June, and Illinois was the first place that green coverage was available. Coverage is now available in:

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Findings from a new report examining insurance companies’ responses to climate change were released at the International Association of Insurance Supervisors last week. The study found that an increasing number of companies are implementing initiatives to reduce the risk of climate change’s impacts and reduce the emissions that cause the problem.

"From Risk to Opportunity 2007: Insurer Responses to Climate Change" was commissioned by Ceres, a U.S. group of investors and clean energy supporters that also directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk, which manages more than $4 trillion in assets. Mindy S. Lubber, President of Ceres, explained the report’s findings:

Insurers are beginning to respond to global warming – and not just by withdrawing from coastal markets with high financial exposure. We’re seeing a rapid proliferation of products that will reduce climate-related financial losses, as well as the pollution causing global warming. Yet, insurer responses to date are not nearly sufficient given the scale of the challenge. We need more insurers, especially U.S. insurers, to step up.

Indeed, Europe’s largest insurer, Allianz, said that climate change may increase insured losses from extreme events in an average year by 37 percent within a decade. Karolinska medical university in Sweden predicts cardiovascular health problems to rise along with global temperatures.

Some specific initiatives offered by companies around the globe include:

• Green building credits
• Drought protection
• Incentives for investing in renewable energy (London-based Willis Holdings will cover potential underproduction of wind power)
• Clean transportation (The Japanese company Sompo gives premium discounts to policyholders who drive low-emitting cars)

All in all, the report found 422 examples from 190 insurers, reinsurers, brokers, and insurance organizations from 26 nations. That’s more than double the number of products found in a similar report barely over a year ago. I was surprised to learn that forty percent of the initiatives are from U.S. companies, although not surprisingly only a small minority of companies overall are exploring how climate change may affect business or are offering products to mitigate it.

With billions of dollars lost this year from unprecedented flooding and windstorms in Europe and wildfires in the U.S., some are nervous that climate change threatens the entire industry’s long-term viability. While the products from a handful of companies certainly won’t slow the consequences on their own, they must multiply to be part of the global solution that includes private sector involvement, government leadership, and consumer response.