Insurance

What the new consumer financial regulator looks like

July 22, 2010 · Consumer Watchdog

<img src="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/images/blog/4529835/THLAsml.jpg" alt="THLAsml.jpg" title="THLAsml.jpg" width="300" height="200" align="right"/>I flew back to Los Angeles this week to touch base with colleagues in CW's Santa Monica...

Rivals Say Google Has Too Much Sway Over Administration’s Net Neutrality Policy

July 19, 2010 · Consumer Watchdog

Internet service providers cite e-mails between onetime Google executive Andrew McLaughlin, who now works for the White House, and his former colleagues as the FCC prepares to rewrite the rules governing broadband. McLaughlin's e-mails were obtained through a public records request filed by Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica nonprofit advocacy group, and were first reported on by The Hill, a Washington newspaper. John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog said the e-mails suggested that Google, an Internet behemoth with $23.7 billion in annual revenue, had too cozy of a relationship with the White House. "You have to sort of wonder, well, how many times did Alan Davidson pick the phone up and have a conversation with McLaughlin?" Simpson said. "It shows an attitude and connection that seems to me to be ongoing and inappropriate."

U.S. Health Reform Spurs Battles in States Over Premium Rate Increases

July 19, 2010 · Consumer Watchdog

OLDWICK, N.J. --Since the passage of U.S. health care reform, battles have erupted in some states between insurance commissioners and health insurers over double-digit premium rate increases sought by insurers on members in their individual and small group health plans. With more talk at the federal level about the need for oversight of excessive rates, insurance commissioners are interested in showing that they are acting to protect consumers, said Carmen Balber, director of the Washington, D.C. office for Consumer Watchdog. Insurance departments are scrutinizing premium rates because consumers "have reached their breaking point," said Balber. Complaints are rolling into departments from consumers who cannot pay "the outrageous prices" insurers are charging, she said.

Senate Passes Financial-Reform Bill

July 16, 2010 · Consumer Watchdog

Obama Plans to Sign Measure; GOP Leader Vows Repeal Try Both banking groups and their consumer and labor adversaries vowed to keep lobbying during the regulatory process to get the results they want. "The fight will continue for stronger regulation, including stricter limits on bank size and leverage to ensure no bank will ever again be deemed 'too big to fail,' " said Carmen Balber, Washington director for Consumer Watchdog. She called the bill "a critical first step toward reversing the deregulatory excesses that culminated in the 2008 financial collapse."

Big Money from Special Interests Attempts to Sway Three Local Elections

July 11, 2010 · Consumer Watchdog

Without directly revealing their involvement, major industries and organizations play key roles in legislative contests. Voters may not have been aware that insurance companies, lawyers and other interests were calling most of the shots in the three campaigns. The California Senior Advocates League, which paid for attack ads in two of the three contests, received money from JobsPAC, which is affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce, and Put California Back to Work, a committee sponsored by the Civil Justice Assn. of California. Both groups' members and contributors are mostly big corporations. Doug Heller, executive director of the Santa Monica nonprofit Consumer Watchdog, said the league's name gives the impression that the candidates' support is coming from "an authentic campaign by seniors."

Applicants Dismayed as Minor Medical Conditions Lead to Insurance Denials or Big Hike in Premiums

July 4, 2010 · Consumer Watchdog

People have been rejected for such common conditions as acne and high blood pressure, said Judy Dugan, research director for Consumer Watchdog. "If you are pregnant, (insurers) will run the other way screaming," she added. "They don't want to insure a baby until they have looked it over to make sure it's absolutely healthy."