Healthcare

‘Error-Free’ Hospitals Scrutinized

November 27, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b>State health officials question whether a lack of reports required by a 2007 law means a lack of incidents.</b></p> <p> California public health officials are scrutinizing hospitals that claim to be error-free, questioning whether nearly 90 facilities have gone more than three years without any significant mistakes in care.</p>

Groups Urge FTC To Probe Online Health Marketing

November 23, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Four public interest groups filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission Tuesday urging the agency to investigate whether those offering online health information and services are engaging in unfair and deceptive advertising practices.</p>

Equal Justice For Patients

November 9, 2010  ·  Jerry Flanagan

<h3> Why don't 50 million Americans have the same rights as other patients to hold their health insurer accountable for denials of care?</h3> <hr /> <p> Insurance companies profit when they delay or deny care to patients, sometimes causing permanent harm or even death. But not all patients are equal when it comes to holding insurers legally accountable for such deeply wrongful behavior.</p>

Health Insurers Sit Pretty At Their Customers’ Expense

November 8, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <strong>'People aren't getting the care they need because they have to pay more out of pocket,' says the president of Consumer Watchdog.</strong><br /> <br /> It's a good time to be a health insurer.<br /> <br />

Consumer Groups Cheer, Insurance Lobby Groans As State Officials Finalize Rules On Medical-Loss Ratio

October 21, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>Insurance officials defy industry pushback, finalize key part of healthcare law</strong></p>

Liberal Groups Push Back Against Last-Minute Insurance Lobbying On Medical-Loss Ratio

October 20, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is scheduled to vote Thursday on regulations governing the law's medical-loss ratio, which requires insurers to spend 80 percent to 85 percent of premiums on medical spending or activities that improve care. Liberals by and large approve of the regulations that have been adopted by several NAIC subcommittees so far but worry about intense last-minute lobbying to water them down.<br /> <br />

Insurance industry cares, all right. About Wall Street.

October 19, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> In years past, a profit result like United HealthCare's <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/united-healthcare-profit-climbs-26">26% increase in the third quarter</a> would spike the stock price. Not so on Tuesday, because insurance companies' profit rocket could, maybe, slow down next year as health reform requirements kick in. That, in a nutshell, is why the insurance industry is spending tens of millions of lobbying dollars in a battle to cripple the early consumer reforms. </p>

Health-care Law’s Guidelines on Premiums’ Use Take Shape

October 7, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Consumer advocates are hoping that the commissioners or Sebelius will ultimately opt for a stricter interpretation, said Carmen Balber, Washington director of the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog. "At the end of the day, how much money health insurers are able to exclude from the amount they have to pay on health care will determine whether or not the health law's mandate that more money go to patient care is really enacted," she said. Still, on most other questions, Balber said she was pleased with the NAIC's direction. For instance, the current draft requires insurers to meet the medical loss ratio for each separate plan they offer, rather than allowing them to lump all plans across states or types together in one aggregate calculation.

Yep, employer healthcare costs more, and it’s employees paying for it

September 2, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Corporations are shoving all of the increased cost of worker healthcare, and more, onto their employees, says <a href="http://ehbs.kff.org/">a new study. </a>And that's on top of news that companies are <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a6kXsL1Q5FYc">sitting on loads of cash while refusing to hire </a>laid-off workers. Please pass the salt to rub in our wounds. </p>

Health Law Changes Rules For Docs With In-House Imaging Machines

August 23, 2010  ·  Jamie Court

<p class="embedded-byline"> By Journalist Person, PERIODICALS WEEKLY</p> <p> <strong>Physicians Must Disclose If They Own CT, MRI or PET Scanners</strong></p> <p> Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a national consumer advocacy group based in Santa Monica, Calif., said the new disclosure requirement may eventually lead patients to think hard about the financial relationship their doctor has. But in the short term, he said, the law will have little impact. "People will still defer to the white coat."</p>

The Hospital ER As Main Selling Point : Facilities Market Wait Times – And Prompt Concerns

July 29, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Despite years of concern about crowded emergency rooms, many California hospitals have embarked on aggressively courting patients to their ERs – a nascent campaign that has raised concerns among healthcare advocates and providers. “It’s a good business decision if they’re targeting insured patients,” said Judy Dugan, director of research for Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based advocacy group. “But it’s the opposite of what the healthcare system needs.” Dugan noted that many patients are charged co-payments and other fees they would not incur if they visited their primary care physician or an urgent care clinic.

Insurers Want The Calls To Go Through

July 20, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Health-care Overhaul May Threaten Popular Disease Management Programs</strong><br /> <br /> Even supporters of disease management programs worry that the rules being drafted will prove too loose, prompting insurers to lump in all sorts of programs that are at best unproven and at worst actually administrative in nature. "You cannot trust the insurance industry to police itself. You have to watch them like a hawk," said Judy Dugan, research director of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog. At a minimum, said Dugan, disease management programs run by insurers should be accredited by an independent organization.