Healthcare

For Heart Surgery, Head for the Border?

July 20, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Walker saved almost $100,000 on his heart surgery. But Judy Dugan of Consumer Watchdog say there's no way to know how safe these procedures are. Judy Dugan: I mean, the medical facilities can look gorgeous, the doctor's credentials can look good, but really, you can't tell. Dugan agrees that the choice is up to consumers, but as domestic health care costs continue to climb and companies try to save money, that might soon change. </p>

Insurers Shift Focus to Health Reform Rules

July 12, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Carmen Balber, director of the Washington office for Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group that has been highly critical of the insurance industry and is closely tracking implementation of the health reform law, concurred. "This regulation was one of the most concrete steps that Congress took to rein in costs for consumers," she said. "The idea here was to ensure that insurers spend more on patient care and less on overhead and profit." </p>

If insurers will cancel you for a penny, what won’t they do to kill health reform?

July 8, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> A Colorado woman who's in the middle of intensive chemotherapy for leukemia gets laid off.  Bad enough, but at least she can afford to keep her insurance through COBRA continuation. But she's unknowingly a penny short--actually, less than a half-penny short--on her first COBRA insurance bill. Then comes the letter saying her health insurance "has not been reinstated with your insurance carrier(s)." And when she calls (in the middle of a day of chemo), the phone rep demands immediate payment of the penny. </p>

UCSF Head Has Millions in Medical, Drug Stocks

July 1, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Days after selling her tobacco stock and donating the proceeds to an anti-smoking program at UCSF, Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann, chancellor of the public medical school and hospital system, is facing new questions about her investments. This time it's about companies that sell prescription drugs and medical supplies. "The potential conflict is that the official in charge of the institution could push plans and research that directly benefit her financially," said Doug Heller, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, a consumer rights group based in Santa Monica.

Healthcare Reform Raises the Stakes in California Insurance Commissioner Election

May 26, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>The prospect of broad new powers has attracted two Democrats, two Republicans and four minor-party candidates to the June 8 primary. </strong> <p> All four candidates have pledged not to take campaign contributions from the insurance industry, which has not endorsed anyone in either of the two primaries. Nor has any candidate yet been endorsed by major consumer advocates, such as Proposition 103 author Harvey Rosenfield. </p>

Boomers Struggling to Stay Afloat

April 30, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong> Their retirement dreams gone, a growing number of local baby boomers are simply trying to survive as jobs, money and health insurance disappear</strong> <br /> </p> <p> "One thousand dollars a month is not uncommon for people in their 50s," said Jerry Flanagan, a health advocate for the Consumer Watchdog group in Santa Monica. "Insurance companies charge more based on your age and they charge more based on health conditions. All of those add up." </p>

The story inside United Healthcare’s jumping profits

April 21, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Wall Street was moderately pleased today that the <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2024387820100420">first-quarter profits </a>of United Healthcare, the biggest health care company in the U.S., jumped 21 percent in the first quarter. By definition, that means the rest of us shouldn't be, because every dollar spent on overhead--including profit--is a dollar less spent on making us healthier. That's the Catch 22 of our whole for-profit health care system--insurers will do whatever it takes to keep Wall Street happy even when we're all required to buy their product. </p>

If only actuaries and regulators were as cute as squirrel videos

April 20, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Did you hear the one about the actuary and the federal regulator who walked into the bar? No? Neither has anyone else. Which is why attention to the health reform law is dropping off the cliff now that all the "death panel" jokes are forgotten. Yet what's happening now, as <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/CRSReportHCRRegs.pdf">in reams of specific rules and regulations,</a> is even more important to your pocketbook and health. When you see a news story about "health reform regulations," you've got a reason to read it instead of hunting up the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6FCwN7zmfk">"squirrel love" slide show</a> again on YouTube. </p>

Consumer Watchdog Urges Congress To Fix 10 Problem Areas In The New Health Care Law

April 13, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Consumer Watchdog has identified at least 10 <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=3369110"> problem areas “in the new federal law</a> that, if not addressed, will be exploited by health insurers and drug companies looking to charge more for less health care.” </p>

Why are doctors backing a $50-million anti-reform campaign?

March 31, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will spend $50 million against vulnerable Democrats who said "yes" to the health reform law. It's also <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304739104575153983746754308.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_us">assembling a pencil-toting army</a> to weaken regulations based on the bill, and planning lawsuits. Why would the American Medical Assn., by staying on the Chamber's <a href="http://www.uschamber.com/about/board/all.htm">board of directors</a>, financially and morally support this continued effort to kill health reform? You should call and ask. Click onward for the phone numbers. </p> <p>   </p>

Best outcome for health reform? That we barely notice

March 24, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Everyone has a take on what will happen next on health reform. Consumer Watchdog, of course, is digging out the loopholes and<a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=33413"> trying to plug them</a> before corporate lobbyists gain the upper hand. On the other hand, some ultraprogressives are so disappointed that they're j<a href="http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/03/19/fact-sheet-the-truth-about-the-health-care-bill/">oining hands</a> with the "start over on a clean sheet of paper" crowd that wants only to kill reform. Looking way down the road, the Washington Post's<a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/03/some_thought_on_how_the_health.html"> Ezra Klein </a>sees a collective yawn--and that's a good thing. </p>

Insurers Test Health Plans That Stress Patient Choices

March 11, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Workers at a Portland, Ore., steel mill soon will be able to pick a new type of insurance that offers free care for some illnesses, such as diabetes or depression, but requires hefty extra fees for treatments deemed overused, including knee replacements, hysterectomies and heart bypass surgery. The policies are among the first to apply financial incentives on both sides of one important factor driving up the nation's health care tab: The underuse of proven treatments and overuse of certain surgeries and diagnostic tests that may be less valuable. But efforts to charge workers more for some treatments put employers in the position of "playing doctor" and are well into a "danger zone of... limiting access to medical care," says Jerry Flanagan of the Santa Monica, Calif.-based advocacy group Consumer Watchdog.<br /> </p> <p>   </p>