Latest news with #Pratley
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Consumer NZ Finds Some Car Insurance Premiums Have Almost Doubled Since 2023
Press Release – Consumer NZ Car insurance premiums have surged in the past 2 years but switching providers could save you hundreds of dollars, says Consumer NZ. Vanessa Pratley, investigative writer at Consumer NZ, says its annual car insurance survey found premiums have increased by as much as 46% since 2023. Pratley points to inflation and extreme weather events as factors driving up the cost of insurance across the board, but another contributing factor is your age and life stage. 'Every insurer will base its premiums on risk. How much you pay will depend on things like whether you live in a flood-prone area, the car you drive, and even your age and gender. 'And because not all insurers are equal – which is to say they use their own risk assessments – you might be more or less of a risk to one provider or another. 'You can switch insurance providers any time (though there might be cancellation fees), and that could potentially reward you with hundreds of dollars in annual savings.' Toot if your premium's up! Consumer's survey found young males will pay more in car insurance premiums than older people or young females. And older females could pay more than older males – depending on the insurer. 'When we compared the costs for four different age brackets across nine insurance providers, we found annual savings ranged quite significantly – between $481 and $1,296. 'Since 2023, the lowest median increase was just 0.6% for a family of four living in Auckland, and the highest median increase was 46% for young males living in Christchurch. 'If the cost to insure your car is stressing you out right now, don't cancel your cover or drop down to third-party – shop around and see what savings you could make first.' Switch to a lane you can afford Other than switching providers, Pratley explains some policies may look similar but cover very different things. ''Standard' cover with one insurer will be an optional extra with another insurer. 'You might find your insurance policy includes towing expenses or key replacements as part of its standard offering. But if you very rarely park in the city and never lose your keys, you might be paying more than you need. 'Take the time to compare what's on offer and consider whether switching plans or providers would get you back to a policy you can afford.' Get a steer on satisfaction As well as crunching the numbers on the cost of car insurance premiums, Consumer surveys car insurance customers about how satisfied they are with their current provider. 'No one takes out insurance cover for fun. It's an important financial safety net, for example, if you accidentally swing your car into a parked Tesla. If the right protection isn't in place for you, you could find yourself in a real pickle. 'The experience you get from your insurance provider, especially how they treat you, should be an important consideration, too. We're pleased to announce that FMG and MAS received Consumer's People's Choice award for car insurance this year.' To help New Zealanders independently compare insurance providers' cover, our team has crunched the details on comprehensive car insurance policies.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Consumer NZ Finds Some Car Insurance Premiums Have Almost Doubled Since 2023
Press Release – Consumer NZ Consumer's survey found young males will pay more in car insurance premiums than older people or young females. And older females could pay more than older males depending on the insurer. Car insurance premiums have surged in the past 2 years but switching providers could save you hundreds of dollars, says Consumer NZ. Vanessa Pratley, investigative writer at Consumer NZ, says its annual car insurance survey found premiums have increased by as much as 46% since 2023. Pratley points to inflation and extreme weather events as factors driving up the cost of insurance across the board, but another contributing factor is your age and life stage. 'Every insurer will base its premiums on risk. How much you pay will depend on things like whether you live in a flood-prone area, the car you drive, and even your age and gender. 'And because not all insurers are equal – which is to say they use their own risk assessments – you might be more or less of a risk to one provider or another. 'You can switch insurance providers any time (though there might be cancellation fees), and that could potentially reward you with hundreds of dollars in annual savings.' Toot if your premium's up! Consumer's survey found young males will pay more in car insurance premiums than older people or young females. And older females could pay more than older males – depending on the insurer. 'When we compared the costs for four different age brackets across nine insurance providers, we found annual savings ranged quite significantly – between $481 and $1,296. 'Since 2023, the lowest median increase was just 0.6% for a family of four living in Auckland, and the highest median increase was 46% for young males living in Christchurch. 'If the cost to insure your car is stressing you out right now, don't cancel your cover or drop down to third-party – shop around and see what savings you could make first.' Switch to a lane you can afford Other than switching providers, Pratley explains some policies may look similar but cover very different things. ''Standard' cover with one insurer will be an optional extra with another insurer. 'You might find your insurance policy includes towing expenses or key replacements as part of its standard offering. But if you very rarely park in the city and never lose your keys, you might be paying more than you need. 'Take the time to compare what's on offer and consider whether switching plans or providers would get you back to a policy you can afford.' Get a steer on satisfaction As well as crunching the numbers on the cost of car insurance premiums, Consumer surveys car insurance customers about how satisfied they are with their current provider. 'No one takes out insurance cover for fun. It's an important financial safety net, for example, if you accidentally swing your car into a parked Tesla. If the right protection isn't in place for you, you could find yourself in a real pickle. 'The experience you get from your insurance provider, especially how they treat you, should be an important consideration, too. We're pleased to announce that FMG and MAS received Consumer's People's Choice award for car insurance this year.' To help New Zealanders independently compare insurance providers' cover, our team has crunched the details on comprehensive car insurance policies.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Consumer NZ Finds Some Car Insurance Premiums Have Almost Doubled Since 2023
Car insurance premiums have surged in the past 2 years but switching providers could save you hundreds of dollars, says Consumer NZ. Vanessa Pratley, investigative writer at Consumer NZ, says its annual car insurance survey found premiums have increased by as much as 46% since 2023. Pratley points to inflation and extreme weather events as factors driving up the cost of insurance across the board, but another contributing factor is your age and life stage. "Every insurer will base its premiums on risk. How much you pay will depend on things like whether you live in a flood-prone area, the car you drive, and even your age and gender. 'And because not all insurers are equal – which is to say they use their own risk assessments – you might be more or less of a risk to one provider or another. "You can switch insurance providers any time (though there might be cancellation fees), and that could potentially reward you with hundreds of dollars in annual savings.' Toot if your premium's up! Consumer's survey found young males will pay more in car insurance premiums than older people or young females. And older females could pay more than older males – depending on the insurer. 'When we compared the costs for four different age brackets across nine insurance providers, we found annual savings ranged quite significantly - between $481 and $1,296. "Since 2023, the lowest median increase was just 0.6% for a family of four living in Auckland, and the highest median increase was 46% for young males living in Christchurch. 'If the cost to insure your car is stressing you out right now, don't cancel your cover or drop down to third-party – shop around and see what savings you could make first.' Switch to a lane you can afford Other than switching providers, Pratley explains some policies may look similar but cover very different things. ''Standard' cover with one insurer will be an optional extra with another insurer. 'You might find your insurance policy includes towing expenses or key replacements as part of its standard offering. But if you very rarely park in the city and never lose your keys, you might be paying more than you need. 'Take the time to compare what's on offer and consider whether switching plans or providers would get you back to a policy you can afford." Get a steer on satisfaction As well as crunching the numbers on the cost of car insurance premiums, Consumer surveys car insurance customers about how satisfied they are with their current provider. 'No one takes out insurance cover for fun. It's an important financial safety net, for example, if you accidentally swing your car into a parked Tesla. If the right protection isn't in place for you, you could find yourself in a real pickle. 'The experience you get from your insurance provider, especially how they treat you, should be an important consideration, too. We're pleased to announce that FMG and MAS received Consumer's People's Choice award for car insurance this year." To help New Zealanders independently compare insurance providers' cover, our team has crunched the details on comprehensive car insurance policies.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ozempic Now FDA-Approved for Kidney Disease—Here's What to Know
GLP-1 medications are renowned for their ability to treat type 2 diabetes and aid weight loss. Now, there's a new benefit to taking Ozempic: It may help manage chronic kidney disease (CKD). On January 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the GLP-1 drug to reduce the risk of kidney disease worsening into kidney failure after the success of a clinical trial. To learn more about the effects of Ozempic on chronic kidney disease, keep scrolling. The FLOW phase 3b kidney outcomes trial, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, was trying to solve the problem of diabetes being a risk factor for kidney disease by using semaglutide. According to Richard E. Pratley, MD, medical director at the AdventHealth Diabetes Institute in Orlando, FL, and co-chair of the FLOW clinical trial, there have been new classes of medications released in the last several years to slow down kidney disease progression. While he says these have been helpful, many people still progress to kidney failure. Before the FLOW trial, various studies demonstrated that 'drugs like liraglutide, semaglutide and dulaglutide were effective at reducing the risk for cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death,' says Dr. Pratley, 'But they also seem to indicate that there is a benefit on kidney disease progression.' Those studies weren't meant for kidney disease and had very few patients with the condition. However, they jump-started the need to look into the effects of those drugs as a way to help treat CKD. The FLOW trial began in 2019 as a global study with about 3,500 participants from 28 countries who had a median age of 65. 'Everyone was randomized to semaglutide or a placebo, all had chronic kidney disease or specific criteria and all had type 2 diabetes,' says Dr. Pratley. In addition to taking Ozempic, patients were also being treated with medication to manage high blood pressure, including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs). After more than three years, 'There was about a 24 percent reduction in progression of chronic kidney disease,' says Dr. Pratley. That includes 'kidney failure, progression of the EGFR decline and also cardiovascular death.' How else did Ozempic help people with diabetes and kidney disease? Kidney failure, a decline in kidney function and incidences of death were significantly reduced. Dr. Pratley adds that the risk for major adverse cardiovascular events also decreased significantly. Before Ozempic was developed, Dr. Pratley explains that other studies used SGLT 2 inhibitors for CKD and showed benefits in patients who didn't have diabetes. However, 'there is no comparable data with the semaglutide. At the moment, the label is just for people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease,' he says. That means Ozempic is not FDA-approved to treat chronic kidney disease on its own. Dr. Pratley advises talking to your doctor about treatment options but hopes that more studies will demonstrate the benefits of Ozempic for those with CKD. Results of the FLOW trial showed a reduction in glucose and A1C levels, as well as some evidence for reductions in lipid values, LDL, total cholesterol and blood pressure. But Dr. Pratley says that none of these things are able to fully explain the benefit of GLP-1 drugs for CKD. 'We think it's more likely to be a direct mechanism that perhaps has something to do with inflammation,' he explains. 'There is evidence for decreased inflammation following treatment, and the C-reactive protein levels are about 50 percent lower.' While semaglutide has shown promise in treating patients with chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes, Novo Nordisk is continuing its research. The drug manufacturer is currently conducting a different study to understand the exact ways that GLP-1 drugs can reduce CKD risks. For more health content Bariatric Surgery vs. Ozempic: 1 Woman Shares Her Surgery Success Story How Long Does It Take for Ozempic To Work? A Doctor Shares Tips to Speed Weight Loss NK2R: The Ozempic Alternative That Curbs Appetite and Burns Fat Without Side EffectsThis content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
