Consumer Watchdog

Insurance

Anthem Blue Cross To Delay Rate Increases

The scheduled March 1 hike of up to 39% for individual health insurance policies will not take effect before May 1. In…

Feb 15, 2010

Insurance

Anthem Blue Cross Delays Major Rate Increases

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Days after national furor erupted over double-digit health insurance rate hikes for about 700,000 Anthem Blue Cross members…

Feb 15, 2010

Anthem Blue Cross’s Announcement That It Will Temporarily Suspend A 39% Health Insurance Rate Increase Should Not Deter Immediate Legislative Action

Los Angeles, CA - Anthem Blue Cross's announcement today that it will temporarily suspend a premium increase of up to 39% or…

Feb 14, 2010

Privacy

Google updates Buzz social-networking service amid privacy concerns

The Internet giant has tweaked the sign-up process to make the opt-out option clearer and made it easier to block people from…

Feb 13, 2010

Insurance

Steep Rate Increases By Anthem Blue Cross Under Scrutiny

Consumers say they're seeing steep increases in their health insurance premiums, and one insurer raised rates as much as 39 percent for…

Feb 12, 2010

Privacy

Next Chapter In Digital Book Deal: Google vs. DOJ

Google seems to want Judge Chin to be the man making the decision, said John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, one of the…

Feb 12, 2010

Privacy

Perata’s Campaigns Overlap in Oakland

Doug Heller, executive director of the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Consumer Watchdog, which keeps close tabs on the states initiative process, noted that…

Feb 11, 2010

Insurance

Probes Sought On Jump In Rates

Lawmakers quick to demand action on Anthem Blue Cross Angry lawmakers turned up the heat on Anthem Blue Cross on Tuesday, calling…

Feb 10, 2010

Insurance

Memo To Giant Health Insurance Companies

RACHEL MADDOW: In September, the group Consumer Watchdog alleged that the company was pressuring its own employees to write and call members…

Feb 10, 2010

Insurance

Ensuring Insurance Inequity

A California ballot item would legalize practices Mercury has been fined for. If passed, Proposition 17 would require insurers to…

Feb 10, 2010

Insurance

Mercury Insurance in Trouble for High Rates

There are major questions for a big auto insurance company over sky-high rates. A 275 page California Insurance Commission report obtained by…

Feb 9, 2010

Blue Cross Claim That 39% Premium Hikes Due Only to ‘Escalating Cost of Health Care’ Trigger Calls For Regulation of Rates

Consumer Watchdog Also Warns Against Insurer-favored 'Cost Solution': Selling Policies That Amount To 'A Cardboard Box to Replace Our Apartment' Washington, DC…

Feb 9, 2010

Privacy

AdMob May Win Big Even As Privacy Debate Rages

It's these highly personalized capabilities that raise the hackles of privacy advocates, however. They raise a host of questions about "how the…

Feb 9, 2010

Insurance

History of Discrimination Cited Against Mercury Insurance

SACRAMENTO, CA -- Mercury Insurance Corp. has a history of discriminatory practices against an array of groups, including military personnel, that led…

Feb 9, 2010

Insurance

Lawmakers Want Insurer Scrutinized

Federal and state lawmakers called Monday for a closer examination of Mercury Insurance Group in the wake of a state report that…

Feb 9, 2010

Insurance