Renton, WA

Do we need to make it illegal for insurers to “unreasonably” deny certain coverage claims?

Sunday I read the Focus section of the Seattle Times with interest, as there are several significant issues coming up on the ballot. I could see good points on both sides of the radio and TV advertising for this issue.

On one hand, making the unreasonable denial of claims actually illegal would allow the consumer to sue if a claim is denied. I imagine that right now all one can do is go to the Washington State Insurance Commissioner, which may not be common knowledge to the average state resident. The con side of the argument tried to prove that this law was not necessary because only 2800 complaints for which this law would apply were filed with this Insurance Commissioner. If only 2800 complaints were filed, then it must follow that 99% of claims are satisfactorily settled, right?. I find it hard to believe that 99% of insurance claims are truly settled to the satisfaction of the consumer. Perhaps instead the low percentage of complaints indicates a lack of the knowledge by the consumer on how to complain. Does the consumer really know that they can and should go to the State Insurance Commissioner if they feel unfairly treated? Or how to do that?

On the other hand, I imagine that this law would encourage anyone who felt their claim was denied when it should have been covered - which would be just about everyone denied - to sue. So I can certainly see how this would lead to some frivolous lawsuits. Even if the insurance company does not have to pay the reasonably denied claim, the insurance company does have to pay for court costs to defend itself. Naturally, rising costs will be passed onto the consumer in the form of higher rates.

The con argument started off with the emotional appeal to consider those who would have to pay higher insurance premiums when they could barely afford current insurance premiums; I consider starting with an emotional appeal to indicate not having a strong factual basis. Sure enough, the increased cost is estimated to be $205/year. This was calculated by the “con” side of the argument, the people trying to convince us it will be too expensive to us, so that number would err on the side of over-estimating. That’s $205 over the course of a year. If that could push a family over the edge, any small extra bill, like a speeding ticket or a cavity, would do it too.

After having read the arguments, I am voting for the proposition. $205/year, about $15/month, seems like a relatively small price to pay in order to have additional legal protection. What do you think? Are you voting for or against, and why? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Get in the Halloween spirit by hearing and/or telling funny and/or scary stories, and enjoying free pizza and pop. At the Fairwood library Tuesday October 30, 7PM.

Sign up in the library in person or by phone (425.226.0522) beginning October 16.

VMC has a network of neighborhood clinics which provide a convenience location, but doctors with the training and access you would expect from a major hospital. Two new neighborhood clinics have just opened up:

Covington Primary Care
Primary Clinic: Monday-Friday 8AM - 8PM (ph.253.395.1960)
Acute Care: Monday-Friday 11AM - 8PM; Saturday 8AM - 4PM (ph.253.395.2006)

Renton Highlands Clinic
Primary Care Clinic: Monday-Friday, 8AM - 5PM (ph.425.656.5500)
Urgent Care: Monday-Friday 8AM - 8PM; Saturday & Sunday 8AM - 4PM (ph.425.656.5518)

No, I don’t know the difference between “Acute” care and “Urgent” care. I would venture a guess that “acute” is even more critical than “urgent”, but there are fewer available hours for that service. If either of those words applies to you, just go to the nearest clinic or ER and stop quibbling over technicalities.

Other existing neighborhoods served by VMC neighborhood clinics are Cascade, Fairwood, Kent, Maple Valley, and New Castle. To access their referral system, call 425.656.INFO or go to www.valleymed.org

Renton residents tired of trekking to Tukwila’s Westfield Shopping Center, formerly known as Southcenter mall, rejoice, the end is near! Renton’s “The Landing” is opening the first of many establishments in a few days. On Sunday October 14th, Target opens its doors. But, Target, PetSmart, Staples, and Starbucks, will not be part of a mall. They will be part of a “lifestyle center“.

The Landing eventually will have 600,000 square feet of retail space, a 14-screen movie theater and nearly 900 apartment units. The theory of a “lifestyle center” is to combine the walk-ability of an urban area with enjoyable outdoor spaces, outdoor seating, and stores accessible from the sidewalk (similar to the much less upscale “strip mall). The best comparison so far constructed in the Seattle area is University Village. Only it has about 1/3 less space. Another example is Redmond Town Center.

Other shopping malls are also updating, in order to stay on the cutting edge of attracting competitive consumption. Alderwood and Northgate have already added open-air additions. Factoria Mall, which was renamed “Marketplace at Factoria” has a $50 million dollar redevelopment budget, to more closely resemble the lifestyle center model, with shops opening onto sidewalks and outdoor gathering places.

In Tukwilla, the Westfield Group thinly veiled their lawsuit by paying local resident Brad Nicholson to sue for concerns regarding The Landing’s effects on traffic and the environment. The suit was settled out of court, and now the Westfield Group will shift their focus to retaining customers who might defect to “The Landing”. They have planned a $240 million renovation of the shopping area formerly known as Southcenter, and expect to add “a wide variety of new retailers and restaurants not currently found in South King County.”

I’m not sure that Southcenter has even finished their current renovation process yet. The ostentatious glamor of Vegas casinos displays shows the cynical how immensely profitable they must be. Apparently, even in our current economy, shopping malls, er excuse me “lifestyle centers”, are also immensely profitable. Or maybe they are making them pretty for us out of the kindness of their hearts. Nah, they’re immensely profitable.

Free public tours of Renton’s Valley Medical Center’s recently redesigned Birth Center are conducted on the second and fourth Sunday of every month at 1PM. There is no charge, just show up and be shown around.

Fairwood is a nice neighborhood, but like many, we have a problem. Being part of unincorporated King County seems like just a technicality, but it presents some problems. In short, the County wants all the urban unincorporated areas out of its hair. By 2012 all such areas are “strongly encouraged” to either incorporate into our own city, or annex to an existing city. For Fairwood, which has a Renton address but sends kids to Kent School District, the most likely annexation option appears to be Renton.

However, many people favor incorporating into a city of Fairwood, as evidenced by the recent vote where the incorporation proposal narrowly failed. Although it failed, the issue is not yet dead. Heated debate continues.

The main criticism levied by those who supported annexation towards the idea of incorporation was that snobbery (not wanting to annex to gasp! Renton) was pushing them to create a city which couldn’t support itself. Other than the Fairwood Shopping Center at 140th and Petrovitsky, there would not be a large tax base of businesses relative to the number of residents. But, an amazing change has taken place in the law …

With a change of a few words, sales tax revenue is now routed to the destination city where goods are delivered. Thus, your purchases from an internet retailer like Amazon, or your furniture delivery from a warehouse in Tukwila, will cause the sales tax revenue to go to your home city. Suddenly, in “Virtual Fairwood“, we have a larger tax base.

So, while signs sprout up supporting annexation to Renton, at the same time the Fairwood Municipal Initiative works to create a new feasibility study, hearings, and get the issue on the ballot by late 2008 or early 2009.

Do you have any thoughts on the possible Fairwood incorporation, or annexation to Renton? Leave me a comment, and let me know.

Saturday evening at Game Farm Wilderness Park, you and your kids and check out “S’more Than You Imagined”. There will be a giant bonfire, big band music, s’mores and scary stories in the dark. Free glow necklaces for the first 100 kids.

That’s Saturday October 6th from 6-8PM. For more information call 253-931-3043 or visit www.auburnwa.gov

IKEA is celebrating it’s 13th Anniversary on October 13th. If you turning 13 on that date also, they will give you a $100 IKEA gift card. Check the store for details (and also to end up spending a few hundred dollars).

If you are not turning 13 on October 13th, like most of us aren’t, you can enter a drawing to win a $100 gift card anyway. You can get an entry form in the mail, if you are on their mailing list, in the Sunday paper on October 7th, or in the store October 12-15. 13 winners will be drawn at random.

I thought that a rain garden was what I had 9 months out of the year. As long as you live in the Seattle area, that is. Oh, no, I’m thinking of rain FOREST. So I was intrigued when I saw that someone named Anna Thurston was teaching a class about rain gardens. So I checked the source of all knowledge, wikipedia, and learned that a rain garden is “a planted depression that is designed to take all, or as much as possible, of the excess rainwater run-off from a house or other building and its associated landscape.”

Seattle started experimenting with this idea a few years ago. The one trial area known as Street Edge Alternatives Project (SEA Streets) has for the two years of its’ existence shown a 99% decrease in the amount of storm water leaving the street.

This sounds like a good thing to me. Water has a chance to slowly filter into the ground, instead of rushing away to the sewer (or not). Good for me personally, attractive to wildlife, and good for the environment. For more information, on Tuesday October 2nd go to the Greater Maple Valley Community Center. Don’t just show up, Seating is limited, so please contact the arboretum at phone: 425-413-2572 or email: info@lakewildernessarboretum.org.