Insurance
Dawn Rich, Healdsburg CA
Back in 2004, I had Kaiser health insurance through my employer. I was diagnosed late that year with a fibroid uterine tumor…
Sep 12, 2008Consumer Watchdog
Providing an effective voice for American consumers in an era when special interests dominate public discourse, government and politics. Non-partisan.
Articles by Consumer Watchdog
Healthcare
State, Insurers, Doctors in Battle Over Balance Billing
Jerry Flanagan of the Consumer Watchdog group in Santa Monica feels sympathy for doctors who can't break what he called the stranglehold…
Sep 12, 2008
Insurance
Health Net to Reinstate Members
The company, without admitting fault, will give new coverage to 926 Californians it had dropped and pay fines. One of the state's…
Sep 12, 2008Insurance Cancellation Settlements Not Enough to Protect CA Patients
Schwarzenegger Must Keep His 'State of the State' Promise to Protect All Californians By Signing Legislation Los Angeles, CA -- New legislation…
Sep 12, 2008
Insurance
We still have to pass laws to stop discrimination
Governor Schwarzenegger should sign a bill that prohibits workers' compensation insurance...
Sep 12, 2008
Privacy
Approval ratings tank as politicians earn overtime
It’s time to cut off the cash flow for politicians who don’t do their jobs. California lawmakers should lose salaries and per…
Sep 12, 2008
Energy
Self-Serving Prop. 10 Sounds Good, Should Lose
It's never hard to find self-serving propositions on the California ballot. But there has never been anything quite like this fall's Proposition…
Sep 11, 2008Patients Whose Health Coverage Was Retroactively Cancelled When They Got Sick Urge Governor to Keep His ‘State of the State’ Promise to Protect Innocent Patients
Los Angeles, CA -- Patients whose health coverage was retroactively cancelled after they got sick and filed an insurance claim held a…
Sep 11, 2008
In The News
Interstate stem cell group wrestles with model policies
The Interstate Alliance on Stem Cell Research, meeting in Baltimore, MD, Tuesday and Wednesday, moved into new territory, opting to develop a…
Sep 11, 2008
Insurance
Palin as Arnold sequel
On the issue of tactics alone, Carla Marinucci at the San Francisco Chronicle filed a fascinating article tonight comparing the rise of…
Sep 11, 2008
Energy
Chief of Prison Guards Union Fighting His Own Insurgents
According to figures with the secretary of state that were compiled by Consumer Watchdog, a nonpartisan consumer protection group, the union has…
Sep 10, 2008
Insurance
Will Drivers Trade Privacy for Discounts?
California-based Consumer Watchdog wants to make sure GPS or location-based information doesn't creep into any insurers' plans. It has lobbied the California…
Sep 9, 2008
In The News
IP key as state cell agencies meet
Representatives of 10 state stem cell agencies are meeting today in Baltimore at the fall gathering of the Interstate Alliance on Stem…
Sep 9, 2008
Accountability
Who’s behind the curtain?
I just got an email that the FPPC is planning to tighten up the rules for disclosure of who's behind political committees.…
Sep 9, 2008
Insurance
Recall, again?
Critics say a coin-operated governor is beholden to the special interests that have given him more money than any governor (and most…
Sep 8, 2008
Insurance
Health Insurance Bills Clear Calif. Legislature
Jerry Flanagan, a health care advocate for Consumer Watchdog, said the bill is an important piece of the health care puzzle, but…
Sep 8, 2008
Energy
Lost and Phoned
For Those Prone To Misplacing Their Cell, Providers Offer Some Help Companies will often try to pawn off a "refurbished" phone to…
Sep 7, 2008
Healthcare
Cancer? Ask Plenty of Questions
My sister had the advantage of a hell-raising brother who's accustomed to rattling cages and demanding answers. And I was lucky enough…
Sep 7, 2008