Insurance

Blue Shield Urged to Hold Off on Rate Increases

January 7, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> State health regulators called on Blue Shield of California on Thursday to hold off raising its health insurance premiums for 60 days to thousands of individual policyholders, some of whom were hit with hikes as high as 59 percent.</p>

Health insurance Rates Soar in California

January 7, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> While the House of Representatives is moving towards repealing the national healthcare reform law passed last year, residents of the nation's largest state are facing another round of health insurance rate hikes.</p> <p> Blue Shield of California, which raised rates twice in the last quarter of 2010, plans another rate hike for March 1, 2011 for its 193,000 policyholders. The increases would average between 30 and 35 percent, and the three rate hikes in six months mean an increase in the cost of health insurance by as much as 59 percent.</p>

Calif. Officials Seek Control Over Insurance Premiums

January 7, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/01/07/132743606/california-officials-seek-control-over-insurance-premiums">Click here</a> to listen to the audio clip of this broadcast.</p>

Californians Brace for 59% Premium Hike

January 7, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> One of California's largest health insurers - Blue Shield - announced plans to hike its premiums by as much as 59%.<br /> <br /> The jacked up premium rates are set to take effect on March 1, pending review from state insurance regulators. The move impacts 193,000 individual Blue Shield policy holders.<br /> <br />

Fed, Calif Officials Vow to Fight Blue Shield Hike

January 6, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> LOS ANGELES (AP) -- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones are vowing to push back against massive health insurance rate hikes proposed by Blue Shield of California.</p> <p> <span id="articlebody">Blue Shield has implemented two rate hikes since Oct. 1 and plans another for March 1. Some policyholders would pay 59 percent more in premiums cumulatively over the three increases.</span></p>

Calif. Blue Shield Seeks Another Round Of Rate Hikes

January 6, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <img alt="(AP/FILE)" class="attachment-single wp-post-image" height="315" src="http://cbsla.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/760500.jpg?w=420" title="Nurses And Hospital Workers In Emergency Room" width="420" /></p> <div class="wp-caption"> <p> (AP/FILE)</p> </div> <div class="reporting"> <p>  </p> </div> <p> <strong>LOS ANGELES (AP) —</strong> Blue Shield of California is seeking another round of rate hikes that would mean a cumulative increase averaging over 30 percent over a five-month span for nearly 200,000 policy holders, reports Wednesday said.</p>

Dave Jones Sworn In As California Insurance Commissioner

January 4, 2011  ·  Doug Heller

<p> <img class=" size-full wp-image-1910" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/images_jones_inaug.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 188px;" width="640" height="480" />After a $5 million campaign by insurance companies to defeat him, Dave Jones has been sworn in as California's fourth elected Insurance Commissioner.  I was at the inauguration in Sacramento and these are my notes...<br /> <br /> Interestingly, if not surprisingly, the insurance industry that spent all that money attacking Jones is here in full force. (Well, it's an open event...)<br /> <br />

BP Spill Claims: Secrecy Raises New Suspicion

January 4, 2011  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> <a href="http://www.oilwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Cantfeedmyfamilysign.png" rel="lightbox" title="BP Spill Claims: Secrecy Raises New Suspicion"><img alt="BP Spill Claims: Secrecy Raises New Suspicion" class="right" src="http://www.oilwatchdog.org/wp-content/themes/freshnews/thumb.php?src=wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Cantfeedmyfamilysign.png&w=300&h=214&zc=1&q=90" style="width: 300px; height: 214px; " /></a></p>

Mercury Auto Insurance Cuts Insurance Premium Hike After Challenge

December 31, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

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Former Google Lobbyist Resigns from White House

December 28, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

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Brown Plans Low-Key, Low-Budget Inaugural

December 23, 2010  ·  Mark Reback

<p> It'll be a little more upscale than the impromptu dinner at a Chinese restaurant where <a class="taxInlineTagLink" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/government/jerry-brown-PEPLT007547.topic" id="PEPLT007547" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-decoration: none; " title="Jerry Brown">Jerry Brown</a> celebrated his first swearing-in as California governor three decades ago — but maybe not by much.</p>

Is AHIP Having a Bernie Madoff Moment?

December 22, 2010  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> Massachusetts has the highest or near-highest health insurance premiums of any state in the nation and it's the only state that mandates the purchase of health insurance by every resident. Yet the health insurance industry, in hunting for ways to sell the mandate to Americans who hate the idea,  has concocted a ruse that a lot of people are actually buying.</p>