Insurance

Report: UnitedHealth Urges Employees To Lobby Senate, Oppose Reform

November 17, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

“No United HealthCare employee would modify the lobbying letter to favor Medicare-for-All, or even a modest public option, knowing that his or her managers may be reading that e-mail,” said Judy Dugan, research director for Consumer Watchdog, in a statement. “They wouldn’t dare to speak against the company position unless they’ve already got a new job lined up.”

When Does Oversight Overstep?

November 16, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

There are mixed reviews among the scientific community about whether CIRM's close watch of their grantees is a good thing. To some, it is an important practice for public funding agencies such as CIRM to show the tax payers that their money is going towards productive and fruitful research. "I think the oversight is outstanding," said John Simpson, the stem cell project director at the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog in California. "It shows that they're not asleep at the switch. CIRM is functioning as both a grant making agency [and] also something of a steward of the funds it hands out."

Drug companies and banks: Bedfellows in abuse

November 16, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> I don't think you'll be shocked by this news, but drug companies are jacking up their prices in advance of new laws that might rein in their abuses. We know that credit card interest rates are through the roof, in the high teens for good customers and up to 30% overall. Now we find, thanks to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/business/16drugprices.html?_r=1&hp">a New York Times investigation,</a> that drug makers are ratcheting up wholesale prices even as inflation goes negative. </p>

Con: It’s An Industry Scam

November 15, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

When Californians enacted insurance reform with Proposition 103 in 1988, voters prohibited auto insurers from considering prior insurance coverage. Now, two decades later, Mercury Insurance, California's third largest auto insurer, wants to reestablish the costly and unfair practice.

Poizner’s Claims As Insurance Commissioner Questioned

November 15, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

SACRAMENTO, CA -- As he campaigns to become California's next governor, Republican Steve Poizner often proclaims that auto and homeowner insurance rates have fallen by $1.81 billion since he took over the state's Department of Insurance in January 2007. But one consumer group, which compiled statistics at the request of the Mercury News, argues that nearly half those reductions were the work of Poizner's predecessor, Democrat John Garamendi.

Big Insurance Companies Have Absolutely No Shame

November 14, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> ED SCHULTZ, HOST: UnitedHealthcare, the country's largest insurer, is pressuring employees to do their dirty work for them and lobby Congress against the Senate health care bill. Consumer Watchdog says the e-mail sent to employees are full of misleading GOP talking points such as the claim that millions of Americans will lose coverage. They also say the campaign amounts to intimidation of employees of United Health Group, and its main operating division, UnitedHealthcare. And UnitedHealth isn't alone in its dirty tactics. </p>

Watchdog Group Questions Propriety Of DSCC Fundraiser For Bingaman, Others

November 13, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

A $5,000-per-ticket “national innovation conference,” hosted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and attended by senators including New Mexico’s Jeff Bingaman, is being criticized by a <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/corporateering/articles/?storyId=31125">consumer watchdog group</a> that says it gives the appearance of “pay to play.”

UnitedHealth Urges Its Workers To Lobby Senate

November 13, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<b>Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth suggested its employees write U.S. senators to oppose health care reform proposals and even provided letters to use.</b><br><br> The Nov. 10 e-mail, with the subject line "Write Your Senators!" was sent by United for Health Reform, the company's lobbying group. It was made public Thursday by Consumer Watchdog, a consumer advocacy group based in Santa Monica, Calif., and Washington, D.C.

Insurer Enlists Employees To Fight Health Reform

November 12, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>Consumer Group Accuses UnitedHealth Of Intimidating Workers </strong> </p> The nation's largest health insurance carrier is urging its employees to lobby the Senate against reform proposals that would hurt the firm's bottom line, according to copies of e-mails released Thursday by an advocacy group. UnitedHealth Group, which is based in Minnesota, e-mailed its 75,000 employees Tuesday, asking them to write their senators and local newspapers in opposition to a public insurance option, alleging that "government-run health care" will force "millions of Americans" to drop their current coverage.<br /> <p>   </p>

Blizzard of lies in Congress

November 11, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> As the old saying goes, you can fool some of the people all of the time. That appears to be the target audience of politicians who blatantly lie about what health reform would do, and never apologize. They were at peak form during the debate over the house health reform bill on Saturday and Ruth Marcus at the Washington Post <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/10/AR2009111013406.html?wpisrc=newsletter&sid=ST2009111013591">called them out</a>. </p>

New Software Helps Translate Your Complex Medical Bills Into Simple Language

November 10, 2009  ·  Jerry Flanagan

While Intuit's new software is consumer-friendly, Consumer Watchdog's Flanagan warns that such easy-pay products miss the real problem for health care consumers: They don't help reduce costs.  "Even if you are armed with this information, it's not as if you shop for health care directly. You go with your insurance company," Flanagan said. "It's unclear that the information really translates into any new buying power."

California Moves Closer To Insurance By The Mile For Drivers

November 10, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Watchdog Group Says New Rules Give Insurance Companies All The Power </strong><br /> <br /> Two thirds of homes in the country would save about $270 per year per car with mileage based plans according to a study from Brookings. However, Carmen Balber from Consumer Watchdog says that the new policies cater to the insurance industry and don’t require the premiums to reduce when driving does. "I think the regulations were drafted to guarantee that insurers win, because they were left with all of the choice," Balber said.