Insurance

Seattle Story: Pretty good ending

August 17, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> The worst definitely didn't happen in Seattle. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners deferred the worst insurance industry demands for weakening the implementation of health care reform. For a body so closely linked to...</p>

States Get Funds to Boost Oversight of Health Insurance Premiums

August 17, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>The $1-million grants, which went to all but five states, will help many expand public access to information about rate hikes and hire experts to review proposed charges.</strong></p>

Obama’s victory lap in rush hour gridlocks LA to raise $1 million for Congress

August 17, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> It took my wife an hour and half to make the two mile commute home Monday, after the secret service closed some of LA's busiest streets at rush hour to shuttle the president from his Beverly Hills hotel to a fundraiser for Congress...</p>

Seattle on Monday: Insurance commissioners blink in the spotlight

August 17, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> If there's one thing the National Association of Insurance Commissioners don't see much of, it's public attention. Now, however, it's got the attention of the media, consumer advocates and at least part of an increasingly aware public....</p>

HHS rate review grants contain stand-outs and sabotage

August 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that HHS awarded $46 million in rate review grant funds to 45 states. But how much new protection will consumers gain from double-digit premium increases?

Captive Life Agents May Face Selling Conflicts After Financial Reform

August 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

OLDWICK, N.J. -- Certain life insurance agents and broker-dealer firms could face increased legal liability depending on how the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission rules on the fiduciary standard pertaining to the sale of investment products. The concern among affected parties is the possible increased legal liability or financial penalties from the SEC if they don't meet the new standard, said Carmen Balber, director of the Washington, D.C. office of Consumer Watchdog.

ObamaCare’s Loss Ratio Rules Are Out Of Balance, Critics Say

August 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

As part of ObamaCare, the federal government will impose strict new spending rules on health insurers. How it does so could have a sweeping impact on the industry and patient care. "We believe that insurance companies will get enough goodies out of the new "medical loss ratio" (MLR) law that they will not have to do business any differently," said Consumer Watchdog's Judy Dugan. "If a nursing line is something where a nurse can advise a patient on treatment, sure, that may be a medical expense. But if it is just to determine if a patient needs to see a doctor, that's just cost containment."

Saturday in Seattle: Live demonstrators, zombie insurance lawyers, someone’s caving to lobbyists

August 14, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> It's livelier Saturday at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners meeting in Seattle. Most refreshing was a medium-sized street demonstration, with forays into meeting rooms, by young and old demonstrators protesting lobbyist influence on health care reform. They handed out "lobbyist disinfectant packs," including soap and face masks, and demanded that regulators do their job for consumers. The sponsor was the "Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans," and it was backed by Health Care for America Now, a national group that is finally engaging with vigor on regulation issues. </p>

Live from Seattle: The health insurance industry vs. health reform

August 13, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> (Seattle)--The big buzz today at a meeting of the National Association of Insurance Regulators was that President Obama would speak to the thousand-plus people gathered here--and then that he wouldn't. Maybe he didn't want to get...</p>

Insurers hold death benefits for more profit

August 13, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Life insurers are facing broad criticism for profiting from the death benefits of soldiers and other life insurance policyholders after a claim is supposed to be paid... </p>

Health Insurance Limits Are Rising, If Regulators Approve

August 13, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Insurers and employers say a generous waiver process is needed to avoid a sudden jump in premiums. But patient advocates, such as California-based Consumer Watchdog, warn against being too lenient. All sides are pressing their cases with the <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Organizations/Companies/Health+and+Medicine/United+States+Department+of+Health+and+Human+Services" title="More news, photos about Department of Health and Human Services">Department of Health and Human Services</a> (HHS), which is writing the rules on the waiver process but has not specified what they will say or when they'll be in place. It's not clear yet whether waivers could continue after 2014. HHS said details on the process are under development, and declined to elaborate.

Consumer Groups Want Federal Investigation of Insurers’ Medical Spending

August 12, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Consumer advocates urged the Obama administration Thursday to investigate what they called an effort by large for-profit insurance companies to slash spending on medical care even as they raise premiums. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Media and Democracy said that insurers reported less medical spending in recent months ahead of new federal rules that will require the companies to do just the opposite starting next year.