EASTERN NEWS ZONE......

A Saratoga County, New York man who claimed he hurt his arm lifting sheet rock was taken into custody by New York State Police for allegedly returning to working while he collected workers’ comp benefits from the New York State Insurance Fund.

Michael Waldron, 28, of Ballston Spa, N.Y., faces felony fraud charges of violating the Workers’ Compensation Law following his arrest. Waldron had been receiving workers’ comp payments for an injury to his upper right arm that he said he suffered while working as a drywall installer on Nov. 15, 2007.

It is alleged that Waldron performed a variety of jobs including drywall, painting and carpentry while receiving $2,450 in workers’ comp benefits following the injury.

• New York Gov. David Paterson announced legislation that will introduce several new initiatives to make health insurance more affordable and improve access to health care for more New Yorkers. The four bills submitted to the Legislature will: (1) extend the period of time for the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) coverage from 18 to 36 months; (2) permit families to cover their young adult dependents through age 29 under their job-based insurance; (3) require health insurers to get approval from the Superintendent of Insurance before increasing premium rates; and (4) enact a series of managed care reforms to protect the ability of consumers who have health insurance to timely access necessary health services.

• Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office has entered into a settlement with Ohio-based insurer Great American Insurance Company resolving allegations that Great American submitted a fake and intentionally uncompetitive insurance quote to Norwood-based Analog Devices Inc. as part of a scheme to ensure American International Group Inc. won Analog Devices’ 2004 insurance renewal. Under the terms of the settlement, which was filed in Suffolk Superior Court, Great American is required to pay $60,000 to Analog Devices and $116,000 to the Commonwealth. The agreement also requires Great American to undertake conduct reforms aimed at preventing insurance bid rigging in excess casualty insurance. Among other things, Great American is specifically prohibited from colluding with brokers or other insurance companies to unlawfully fix insurance prices and is required to retain certain records concerning its bidding practices.

• Allstate Insurance Company has filed rates and policy forms with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance to re-enter the Massachusetts auto insurance market. The move marks Allstate’s return to the Bay State after a long hiatus. Allstate has targeted Nov. 2, 2009 as its “open-for-business” date. Massachusetts consumers will have the option of contacting one of Allstate’s participating exclusive agencies in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, calling 1-800-ALLSTATE or visiting Allstate.com to purchase Allstate auto insurance. Additional information about Allstate’s auto insurance products can be found at www.allstate.com.