GRAFTON – The historic, double-arched stone bridge connected Pleasant Street over the Blackstone River for 100 years. But while undergoing restoration work in 2007 that had been abandoned by one contractor and then taken up by another, who the state claims didn’t support the structure appropriately, it collapsed.

A workers’ compensation claim filed by state Rep. Mike Christian is an indictment of the system but also says plenty about the continued ill will between Christian and House Speaker Kris Steele. And the 2012 legislative session hasn’t even started yet.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Call it the power of word processing: two letters set off a chain of events last month that still has thousands of state Medicare recipients shaken up, hospital administrators scratching their heads and West Virginia lawmakers fighting mad. On Dec. 5, Thomas Health System president and CEO Steve Dexter received a letter from the Medicare Advantage provider Humana.

TALLAHASSEE — What happens after you get into a car accident, and who pays the bills, could be changing. State lawmakers are wrestling with ways to reform the state’s no-fault auto insurance law. The law requires drivers carry $10,000 worth of coverage and forces insurance companies to pay out regardless of who caused the accident.

BATON ROUGE — Medicaid is a major source of health care for Louisiana’s large low-income and elderly population but it’s also an economic driver, a report released Thursday by the Louisiana Budget Project shows.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation released its 2011 Workers’ Compensation Annual Report. It says the workers’ compensation market in Florida “appears to be competitive” based on a comparative analysis across a variety of economic measures.

The Fayetteville woman said she had insured her home through Allstate for 27 years and had never filed a claim. So she was startled when the insurer contacted her several weeks ago to say it wouldn’t be renewing her policy.

As Pete Gesswein hangs a sign in his office promoting a local pro wrestling event, few people are aware that the 5-foot-10, 200-pound insurance auditor is one of the main attractions.