Insurance

A summary of the health care change we got

March 26, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> With the health care reform overhaul near complete, here's a thumb-nail summary of the combined provisons in the reconciliation bill HR 4872 and and the new health care law <span class="nobreak"></span> it amends, prepared by<a href="http://www.cq.com/"> CQ </a>(subscription wall)... </p>

AM Capitol Alert: Chicken Suits and Spending Cuts

March 24, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Proposition 17 is up for a public airing at a joint hearing of the Assembly Insurance Committee and the Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee. That would be the Mercury Insurance -funded ballot measure that would allow insurers to take a motorist's coverage history into greater consideration when determining rates. Opponents, led by Consumer Watchdog founder Harvey Rosenfield, point out that the change would also allow companies to raise rates for drivers who experienced a lapse in coverage. In the latest crossfire, consumer advocates plan to hold a pre-hearing press conference with a man in a chicken suit to call attention to the fact that Mercury President George Joseph isn't expected to show up in person to back the ballot measure his company is bankrolling. </p>

Proponent Of Prop 17 Accused Of “Chickening Out”

March 24, 2010  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Harvey Rosenfield is the founder of Consumer Watchdog and the lead opponent of Proposition 17. Rosenfield says if voters pass it, insurance companies will be able to add a surcharge to policies of new or former customers who have no existing policy. Rosenfield has called for Mercury Insurance founder George Joseph to appear before the committee. Joseph declined, so Rosenfield brought a man in a chicken costume in his place.

A Healthy Start… With Loopholes

March 24, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Conceived several years ago to save money, it has turned into a big money maker for the insurance business. Medicare Advantage offers some policies with more benefits and lower co-payments than Medicare. But members may have a limited choice of doctors or hospitals. “What Medicare Advantage patients get is very slick marketing, bells and whistles like ‘free gym membership’—and tough HMO-style restrictions on doctors and treatment if they happen to fall seriously ill,” said Judy Dugan of Consumer Watchdog.

California Panel Wants Say On Health Insurance Rate Hikes

March 24, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Assembly committee passes a bill requiring companies to justify increases. The measure faces an uncertain future in the full Legislature amid an industry lobbying effort.<br /> </strong><br /> The bill would put health insurers and health maintenance organizations under the same strict regulation that has covered automobile and other types of property insurance for the last two decades. It would require approval of some rate hikes by state agencies. "Now that Congress has mandated that every American must show proof of owning a health insurance policy or face fines, California must ensure that the prices that insurers charge for coverage are fair," said Jerry Flanagan, healthcare policy director for Consumer Watchdog.

Prior Approval for Health Policies Advances in California

March 24, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Health insurance plans in California would have to submit their rates for prior approval under legislation advanced by the Assembly Health Committee. Consumer Watchdog welcomed the bill and provisions that would allow consumers to intervene in the approval process. "Now that Congress has mandated that every American must show proof of owning a health insurance policy or face tax fines, California must ensure that the prices that insurers charge for coverage are fair," testified Jerry Flanagan, the advocacy group's health care policy director.

Google, like Slick Willie Sutton, goes where the money is

March 24, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/european-court-of-justice-rules-in.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google is crowing </a>about a decision from the<a href="http://europa.eu/institutions/inst/justice/index_en.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> European Court of Justice</a> Tuesday that says it has the legal right to continue exploiting other people's good names in its quest to pile up more cash. </p>

Senate’s choice between the public and the banks

March 23, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Last night, in a surreal process that from gavel to gavel took less than 25 minutes, the Senate Banking committee <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/22/wall-street-reform-flies_n_509009.html">approved Chairman Dodd’s financial reform legislation</a> on a party-line vote. But opponents of Wall Street reform can’t be allowed to avoid public debate entirely by cutting deals behind closed doors before a bill reaches the Senate floor...

State Wants Price Controls For Health Premiums

March 23, 2010  ·  Jerry Flanagan

Even before the historic national health care reform bill takes effect, there's concern some provisions could hurt California consumers.  Consumer advocates worry about the requirement in the new healthcare overhaul that everyone has insurance, even if they have to buy it on their own. "Nothing in the bill, shockingly, constrains what an insurance company can charge for the coverage," said Jerry Flanagan, lead advocate for health care reform for Consumer Watchdog.

Mercury Insurance Chair Refuses to Defend His Initiative, Prop 17

March 23, 2010  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

This Wednesday morning, two legislative committees will hold a joint hearing on Proposition 17, funded by Mercury Insurance. But it looks like Mercury’s Chairman George Joseph is not going to bother showing up for it.

Health reform redux

March 22, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> For someone who has been talking for two decades about the need for universal health care, few words come to me easily about the health care reform passed by the House of Representatives and headed to the President's desk. The legislation unquestionably helps, by 2014, with subsidies for low income people to get health insurance and, by the same year, erases some of the insurance industry's most pernicious practices. These include denials of coverage based on pre-existing condition, pricing based on medical condition, and cancellation of benefits for innocent omissions on an enrollment application.  </p>

Consumer Protection Agency Seeks Its First Home

March 19, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The question of where to house a proposed new consumer protection agency has garnered at least as much attention as whether there is a genuine need for such an agency. “The Fed has a dismal record on consumer protection,” said Carmen Balber, director of Consumer Watchdog's Washington, D.C., office. Consumer Watchdog supports a stand-alone consumer protection agency. “We have argued from the start that to be truly independent, a consumer protection agency needs to be a stand-alone entity.  Dodd’s bill attempts to insulate the proposed agency from undue influence within the Fed by allowing the president to appoint its leadership and by making its budget wholly separate from the Fed’s budget," said Balber.  There are other well-intentioned “firewalls” designed to curtail Fed influence, according to Balber.  “But it’s not enough,” she said. “At the end of the day it’s hard to see a bureau of the Federal Reserve that’s not influenced by Ben Bernanke.”