Insurance

HHS Rewards States That Reject Excessive Health Insurance Rate Hikes

February 25, 2011  ·  Carmen Balber

<p> <img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-1976" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/pillbills.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 140px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="300" height="168" />HHS struck a blow for affordable health insurance yesterday when it announced that $27.5 million in extra grant money will be available to states that have the power to modify and deny excessive insurance rate hikes.</p>

Draft HHS Rate Review Rules Fall Short

February 23, 2011  ·  Carmen Balber

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State Stem Cell Firm Uses Tax Dollars for Nonpublic Campuses

February 20, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> California taxpayers have spent $135 million in recent years building state-of-the-art research facilities on four private campuses for stem cell research — an expense some critics have questioned in the face of California’s budget crisis.</p>

Calif Regulator: Malpractice Insurance Too Pricey

February 17, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> LOS ANGELES, CA -- Medical malpractice insurance rates might be too high because some insurers are spending as little as 2 or 3 percent of premiums to pay out claims, according to the California Department of Insurance.<br /> <br /> Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in a statement Thursday that insurers should reduce rates paid by doctors, surgeons, clinics and health providers while his staff scrutinizes the numbers.<br /> <br />

Chevron Ecuador Judgment: A Long Way From Paid

February 15, 2011  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> <img class=" size-full wp-image-1971" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/images_chevron_oil_refinery_pembrokeshire_0.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; " width="651" height="651" />An Ecuadorean judge's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/world/americas/15ecuador.html">ruling Monday </a>that Chevron owes $8.8 billion for oil-drilling damage and pollution in the Amazon is far less than asked. But it's far more than Chevron intends to pay--which is zero, except for the tens of millions of dollars or more the oil giant is shelling out to its army of lawyers.</p>

Our Revolution

February 15, 2011  ·  Jamie Court

<p> <img class=" size-full wp-image-1973" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/egypt-celebration-in-tahrir-square-021.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 163px;" width="781" height="510" />The largely peaceful revolution in Cairo and Americans’ celebration of it raises the question:<br /> <br /> <em>What would it take to mount a peaceful revolution in America against the Wall Street and corporate powerhouses that have turned the government against the best interests of our people?</em><br /> <br />

Google Helps Mortgage Scammers Con Needy Homeowners, Study Finds

February 10, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <strong>Public advocacy group Consumer Watchdog says Google ads are helping mortgage relief fraudsters trick desperate homeowners, and has contacted the FTC to help make them stop.</strong></p>

Alternatives To Mandating Insurance? Maybe

February 7, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <a href="http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=1 33503755&m=133584003">Click here to listen to the podcast of this broadcast</a>.</p> <p> Both supporters and opponents of the health care law routinely refer to the requirement that most people get health insurance or pay a penalty as the measure's "linchpin." But is it? Not everyone thinks so.</p>

Judge Grants Farmers Customer the Right to Challenge Class Action Settlement

February 5, 2011  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <img class=" size-full wp-image-1969" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/farmerslogo_0.gif" style="width: 225px; height: 121px;" width="600" height="323" />Over the objections of the insurance companies and attorneys for the plaintiffs, Superior Court Judge William F. Highberger granted a Farmers customer’s request to intervene in <i>Fogel v. Farmers Group, Inc.</i> and postponed the preliminary class action settlement approval hearing until March 2, 2011.</p> <p> Consumer Watchdog's lawyers, who represent a former Farmers policyholder, argued that the terms of the settlement are unfair to customers.</p>

Insurance Commissioner Can’t Stop Premium Increases

February 2, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <a href="http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_insurance03.2388b1b.html">Click here to listen to the podcast of this story</a>.</p> <p> Clamor over an insurance company's decision to increase premiums by as much as 59 percent could lead California lawmakers to consider pre-approving such increases.</p>

3 Insurers Agree To Delay Calif Rate Increases

January 28, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> SACRAMENTO Calif. -- Customers of three California health insurers will get some breathing room after the companies agreed Thursday to delay rate increases for 60 days, isolating Blue Shield of California as the lone holdout.<br /> <br /> Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna and PacifiCare agreed to the delay to give the state Department of Insurance time to examine their recent rate filings, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said.<br /> <br />

Court Rules That Consumers Can Sue Manufacturers Over Misleading Claims

January 28, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b>The decision resolves a battle between consumers and business over the scope of Proposition 64, a 2004 measure intended to reduce 'shakedown' suits.</b><br /> <br /> Consumers who buy a product as a result of misleading advertising can sue the manufacturer even if the product was not defective, the California Supreme Court decided in a 5-2 ruling Thursday.<br /> <br /> Advocates of limiting lawsuits lambasted the ruling and warned that it might lead to clogging of the courts at a time when court funding is being cut.<br /> <br />