Insurance

A Scrappy Insurer Wrestles With Reform

May 14, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Some people say WellPoint’s combative stance reflects just how worried the company is about the future. “In some ways, WellPoint feels more embattled,” says Jerry Flanagan, a consumer advocate in California, because it dominates the increasingly regulated individual market, and this “puts them into a defensive mind-set.”

Jones Bill to Extend California’s Low-Cost Auto Insurance Program Approved by State Assembly

May 14, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

SACRAMENTO – The California State Assembly today approved legislation to extend California´s Low-Cost Automobile Insurance program through 2016. Assembly Bill 1597, authored by Assemblymember Dave Jones (D-Sacramento), was approved with a bi-partisan vote of 73-3.

Mercury Pours $10 Million Into Prop. 17 Effort

May 14, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

One of California’s largest insurers has sunk upward of $10 million into ads and efforts supporting Proposition 17, the auto insurance measure on the June 8 ballot, in what consumer advocates are calling a “David and Goliath” battle that they say could affect consumers for years.

Major Calif. Auto Insurer Champions Prop. 17

May 14, 2010  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

The insurance company that placed Proposition 17 on the June ballot says it did so to save money for most policyholders. The consumer-advocacy groups opposing it say that’s merely a smokescreen. What the company, Mercury Insurance, really wants is to undermine a provision of a voter-approved insurance initiative passed in 1988, said Harvey Rosenfield, founder of the Santa Monica-based group Consumer Watchdog. That would allow it to assess a surcharge on drivers who seek to restart auto insurance coverage after dropping it temporarily.

Prop 17 Insurance Reform Battle Heating Up in CA

May 13, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The battle over Proposition 17 on the June ballot is heating up. The measure could change auto insurance rates and both sides of the issue say they say they are protecting consumers. There are two major players. One is Consumer Watchdog, the group that sponsored Prop 103 insurance reform back in 1988, and is now opposing this measure. On the other side, Mercury Insurance Company has contributed $10 million to support Prop 17.

Big Bucks Advantage in Fight Over Prop. 17

May 12, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> “You’ve got an insurance company that’s already spent $10 million and could spend another $10 million,” said Harvey Rosenfield, a longtime consumer rights attorney who authored Prop. 103 and founded Consumer Watchdog, which is funding the No On Prop.17 campaign. “They’ve been carpet-bombing the state with ads. We’re just throwing a rock back with a sling shot.”  Consumer Watchdog’s political committee started airing its first-ever TV ad this week, a 15-second spot that, at a cost of $250,000, will run for one week around the state. It plays on the public’s suspicions of insurance companies, as a voice asks “Why are car insurance companies spending millions to pass Prop. 17?” </p>

Consumer Watchdog Launches Air Strike Against Prop. 17

May 12, 2010  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

For decades, respected <a href="http://www.harveyrosenfield.com/">consumer advocate Harvey Rosenfield</a> has been battling Mercury Insurance and other corporations that have sought to undermine Proposition 103, the landmark car insurance regulatory measure that he wrote and California voters approved in 1988. But he’s never felt the need to advertise on television, until now.

State Offers Low-Cost Car Insurance

May 9, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>Program in place until January 2011</strong><br /> <br /> State insurance officials estimate 18 percent of drivers will let their car insurance lapse in this tough economy, but California's Low Cost Automobile Insurance Program could help some motorists stay legal. “It needs to stay around because you have so many people who are struggling financially right now and who want to stay insured,” said Douglas Heller, executive director of Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog. “Especially if they're trying to get job interviews or hold on to a new job. Some people can't afford auto insurance except for this bare-bones policy, which is really a lifeline for people who might otherwise be stuck at home or driving illegally.” </p>

Battle Over Care Insurance Effort Focuses On Who Would Benefit

May 7, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>Backers say letting drivers carry discounts from carrier to carrier would aid most drivers. Foes say the measure would make rates unaffordable for many new drivers.</strong> </p> <p> Consumer Watchdog founder Harvey Rosenfield, who authored Proposition 103 and is active in the Stop Prop 17 campaign, complains about Mercury’s expenditure of more than $7 million pushing the latest initiative in hopes of getting voter approval to raise premiums on new drivers and those reentering the insurance market. The Campaign for Consumer Rights behind Stop Prop 17 has, by contrast, spent about $200,000 in contributions. </p>

Our View: Prop. 17 Has Too Many Tricks – Vote ‘No’

May 6, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Frankly, there’s little credibility in a major insurance company spending beaucoup bucks on a ballot measure just so it can offer motorists a discount. What others say, such as Consumer Watchdog, if Prop. 17 is approved is that automobile insurance companies will then be able to tack on surcharges to these folks...

AM Alert: Ballot Watch

May 4, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

“Prop 17’s sponsor, Mercury Insurance, has launched its ad blitz the same way it launched its campaign, with deception aimed at covering up a lie,” Consumer Watchdog Executive Director Doug Heller said in a statement. “The ad misleads voters into thinking that this biased information is from a trusted source, when, in fact, it just quotes the lies Mercury submitted as its best arguments for Prop 17.”

Consumer Watchdog: New Prop. 17 Ad Deceptive

May 4, 2010  ·  Doug Heller

The Mercury Insurance Company’s ballot initiative, Proposition 17, officially began its air campaign Tuesday with a statewide 30-second TV spot, and it’s predictably raising hackles from its opponents. The Consumer Watchdog’s Doug Heller called it another attempt at misleading voters.