Insurance news: Gunshot wounds and insurance, fraud's up in bad times, and why you shouldn't post video of yourself street racing on YouTube...

Lots of insurance news today:

The Seattle Times' Danny Westneat has a column about readers outraged over big -- big -- health insurance rate hikes. From it:

"I don't know where you got the numbers you're reporting, but they're way too low," phoned Anneliese Whitney, 70, of Renton, in a typical call.

Whitney was ticked off that I cited the state insurance commissioner's office as saying health premiums went up on average 6 to 17 percent last year, depending on the plan or company.

The Times, like a lot of news outlets, has the latest on the health legislation in Congress:

Health Care 101: A consumer primer on Obama’s bill
A look at Democrats’ health care overhaul

ScienceBlog -- a source we don't often get a chance to cite on this insurance blog -- reports on a medical journal's study indicating that people hospitalized with gunshot wounds are substantially more likely to die of their wounds if they're uninsured.

Insurance Journal says that Virginia lawmakers have approved a system that would allow police to quickly check whether a driver has the required liability insurance.

McClatchy has a lengthy story and graphic, based heavily on National Insurance Crime Bureau stats, suggesting that insurance fraud has risen during the recession.

From California comes this helpful hint: If you're filing a claim saying that your car was damaged in an accident, it's a bad idea to put up a YouTube video showing you wrecking your car while street racing. That's what a CA brother and sister allegedly did, according to the LA Times.

Lastly, from the Tampa Tribune: Staged crash sweep nets arrests. Interesting facts from story: hundreds of people were arrested in Florida last year for staging crashes, and Allstate says that fraudulent claims account for $200-$300/year per insured driver.