Insurance

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  ·  John M. Simpson

<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  ·  Carmen Balber

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  ·  Jamie Court

<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.”

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  ·  Judy Dugan

<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>