Consumer Watchdog

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Consumer Watchdog

Healthcare

Healthcare and patient-safety coverage — medical negligence, prescription drug prices, and your right to quality, affordable care.
Business Insider– Aetna CEO Gets Critic In His Corner

Business Insider– Aetna CEO Gets Critic In His Corner

<p class="source">Sacramento Bee</p> <p>Consumer activist Jamie Court's view of managed care companies isn't ambiguous. He is, after all, the author of "Making a Killing: HMOs and the Threat to Your Health." So it might come as a surprise that Court's Santa Monica-based group, The Foundatio</p>
The Law on Lawsuits Can Be Confusing

The Law on Lawsuits Can Be Confusing

<p class="source">Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel</p> <p>Nancy Dunkle is a six-year survivor of ovarian cancer but an insurance company has decided not to pay for treatment that might help her live longer. Robert Dewey was ready for a liver transplant that might save his life but his HMO and his hospital co</p>
In Need Of A Cure

In Need Of A Cure

<h3>Health Care System Is Ailing</h3><p class="source">Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel</p> <p>When Beth Guendjoian got the news she had breast cancer, her gynecologist told her she needed to find a surgeon. Using her HMO booklet, she contacted all the surgeons listed in Palm Beach County. Not one still had a contract with her HMO. Guendjoian,</p>
Doctors Hope CEO’s Departure Brings More Cooperative Era

Doctors Hope CEO’s Departure Brings More Cooperative Era

<p class="source">Hartford Courant</p> <p>Former Aetna CEO Richard Huber once joked that when he met doctors at social events he would tell them he worked in the post office. But the tension that marked Huber's tenure was no laughing matter for many doctors - and some said Friday they hoped his</p>
Supreme Court Hears HMO Case

Supreme Court Hears HMO Case

<p class="source">Gannett News Service</p> <p>WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court justices listened skeptically Wednesday as attorneys for a woman who won a malpractice claim against her doctor argued that the bonuses given by the woman's HMO to its doctors harmed the care that its patients received.</p>
Bill Seeks Ban On Trial Waiver

Bill Seeks Ban On Trial Waiver

<p class="source">Oakland Tribune</p> <p>OAKLAND -- Health maintenance organizations would be prevented from requiring incoming patients to sign away their rights to a jury trial if a new state bill introduced this month becomes law. The measure by Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, would stop the r</p>
The Corporate Roots of Medical Errors

The Corporate Roots of Medical Errors

<h3>Opinon Editorial by Jamie Court</h3><p class="source">San Diego Union-Tribune</p> <p>This month, the chief lobbyist for the HMO industry pronounced managed-care reform dead in Congress due to a new focus on "patient safety" prompted by a highly publicized report that more people die annually from medical errors than from car crashes, bre</p>
Texas Liability Model Shows Success

Texas Liability Model Shows Success

<!-- excerpt --><p>Texas Senate Bill 386 became law on September 1, 1997 to provide patient protection by assuring that managed care companies are responsible for their health care treatment decisions.</p>