Insurance

Group Seeks Documents From Anthem Blue Cross Inquiry

March 19, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>Consumer Watchdog also asks California insurance chief Steve Poizner for public hearings on the healthcare firm's rate hike plan.</strong> </p> <p> Consumer Watchdog filed a public records request Thursday asking Poizner to release Anthem's rate filings, all actuarial data provided to his office and all correspondence with the company over the increases. Among the information sought by the group is the independent study of Anthem's spending practices by Axene Health Partners, a Southern California actuarial firm. The report is expected in mid-April. </p>

Prop 17 Discourages Going Car-Free

March 18, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

“Anyone who has used car sharing (or for that matter rental cars) as their means of transportation would almost certainly not be considered continuously insured and would face the Prop 17 surcharge if they had to go back to private insurance at some point,” Doug Heller, an insurance expert with Consumer Watchdog, told me.

Insurer’s new business plan for ‘after reform’: Kill traditional Medicare

March 18, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> America's largest health insurance and services conglomerate thinks a health reform bill is likely to pass. And it has a plan already for making maximum profit out of the change. United Health Group, in an internal document, sees replacing traditional Medicare as a big profit opportunity, and the two years of delay before most reforms go into effect as a chance to make the law more to its liking. </p>

Endgame on health reform: Bloody, with a touch of weird

March 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Who says legislative procedure is dull? The final machinations leading to a health care vote have me by the throat: What arcane rules will prevail? Which way will the bloody cage match over a few House swing votes go? And what the heck is the insurance industry up to with its weird new ad campaign? </p>

As Lawmakers Grapple With Financial Overhaul, They Call for More Studies

March 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Carmen Balber, Washington director for Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit education and advocacy group, also opposes some of the consumer provisions, but for the opposite reason, saying they do not go far enough. Some of those provisions are subject to study as well.

Editorial: Vote No On Deceptive Proposition 17

March 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Californians should have no trouble figuring out how to vote on Proposition 17, the auto insurance measure. All they have to do is ask themselves if Mercury Insurance Co., which spent $3.5 million to qualify and support the initiative, has consumers’ welfare or its own financial interests in mind. </p>

Buying Power: How PG&E and Mercury Insurance are spending millions to try to trick Californians into voting for corporate interests

March 16, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

California voters are about to be bombarded by more than $50 million in political advertising designed to convince them to approve a pair of measures desperately sought by two powerful corporations with a long history of lies and political corruption.

Insurance Ballot Fight Warms Up In Court

March 13, 2010  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

<p> Lawsuits ensued over just how that impact would be described in the voter pamphlets, landing all three parties in court: Attoney General Jerry Brown, Harvey Rosenfield and the backers of Proposition 17. Brown, for instance, insisted on language saying the initiative "will allow insurance companies to increase cost of insurance to drivers who do not have a history of continuous insurance coverage." Backers of Proposition 17 wanted that language stricken, but the judge disagreed. </p>

Judges Review Language Of State Ballot Measures

March 13, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>A teachers union's effort to change wording in Prop. 14, which would allow open primaries, was largely rejected. Measures on car insurance and public financing got only minimal adjustments.</strong><br /> <br /> "All Proposition 17 does is allow people to take it with them when they move to a new insurance company and get the lower rate," argued Richard Martland, an attorney for the supporters. But Consumer Watchdog founder Harvey Rosenfield said the measure is a thinly disguised attempt by Mercury to be allowed to charge higher rates for those it doesn't want to insure. Rosenfield's attorney, Fredric Woocher, said the proposition is being misleadingly cast as an opportunity for drivers to retain their loyalty discounts even if they switch insurers. "You can't take it with you," Woocher said. "You are taking away the one thing that makes persistency persistent. It would be like taking a good student discount and extending it to people who fail."

Judge Rules On Proposition 17 Ballot Measure

March 12, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Consumer Watchdog argues Prop 17 also allows insurance companies to charge a severe penalty to customers who do not have a history of coverage, therefore, the voter pamphlet should say the initiative will raise rates. “It allows insurance companies to surcharge people just because they didn’t have previous insurance, maybe they didn’t even have a car, or they were in the military serving stateside, or they missed a single payment on their insurance,” said Harvey Rosenfield with Consumer Watchdog. </p>

Assembly Bill Would Slash Coverage Mandates For Health Insurers

March 11, 2010  ·  Jerry Flanagan

Modesto Assemblyman Tom Berryhill (R) has introduced a bill that would allow insurers to drop some four-dozen coverage mandates. These include overnight hospital stays for new mothers. Jerry Flanagan is with the non-profit <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org//">Consumer Watchdog</a>. "If you take those laws away, insurance companies can still charge as much as they want, but provide far less health care," Flanagan argues. "That's really good for the insurance company, because they can keep more of our money for themselves; it's the last thing you want to do for patients."

Insurance rate curbs continue to gain steam

March 11, 2010  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> The latest round of exorbitant health insurance rate increases nationally has helped more and more people recognize what Consumer Watchdog has been arguing for the last year: Congress cannot require all Americans to purchase insurance from the for-profit insurance industry without real oversight of what they charge ...</p>