Insurance

Insurance And The Feds

April 24, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> RE: ''Regulate Me, Please,'' by Tom Wilson, the chairman of Allstate (Op-Ed, April 16). </p> <p> What the insurance industry really wants is to escape tough state rules, like those that prohibit excessive profit, overhead and executive salaries in California, or mandate an affordable lifeline auto insurance program for low-income drivers. Our consumer group intervened before the California insurance commissioner to force Allstate to lower its homeowner's and auto insurance rates by $500 million last year because of strong state laws that Mr. Wilson hopes to evade.<br /> </p>

Poizner Runs A Rocky Path To Governor’s Race

April 24, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> With 13 months until the GOP primary, the insurance commissioner has grappled with turnover among campaign advisors, $150,000 in unpaid inaugural fund bills and questions about his donors. Harvey Rosenfield, a consumer advocate who endorsed Poizner for insurance commissioner, described the inaugural fund as improper, even if it is legal. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other officials have set up similar funds. "No public official should ever maintain a sort of off-the-books entity that collects money from donors, whether that elected official regulates them or not," said Rosenfield, who now sees Poizner's record on consumer protection as mixed. </p>

SGV Water Rate Hike Proposed

April 24, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

PASADENA, CA -- Some residents of the San Gabriel Valley could be facing a more than 50 percent hike in water rates. The Pasadena Star News reports the California American Water company is asking for state approval of a 56 percent rate hike. Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica based consumer rights group, says it's up to the state to decide whether the rate hike should be allowed. The consumer group also says California American Water's rates won't be out of line with rates in the rest of the region if the increases are approved. The California Public Utilities Commission must review and approve the rate increases.

Big Water Rate Hikes On Tap For Some Valley Residents

April 23, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Some San Gabriel Valley residents could see their water rates go up by as much as 56 percent next year under a proposal by California American Water Company. Consumers have no choice but to rely on the state to guard against utility rate hikes, said Judy Dugan, research director at Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based consumer rights group. "The PUC is not exactly the most ferocious watchdog in this government," Dugan said. "Their policy on rate increases for everything from telephone to cable TV... doesn't appear to be vigilant."

Google lobbying revealed

April 22, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> First quarter lobbying reports just filed with the <a href="http://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=selectfields" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Senate's Office of Public Records</a> show that <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/corporate/http://www.google.com/intl/en/corporate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google</a> lobbied Congress about electronic medical record provisions in the federal economic stimulus act. </p>

THE INFLUENCE GAME: Insurers Eye New Regulator

April 22, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

WASHINGTON, DC — Not many financial companies saw an opportunity in the economic meltdown. But large insurers did, and now they're using it to lobby for a lucrative change they've sought unsuccessfully for years, which would give insurance companies the option of escaping state regulators by setting up a new federal agency and letting them choose whose rules to obey — a proposal consumer advocates view with horror. Consumer advocates argue that such a system would let insurance companies shop around for the weakest rules and lead to the same kinds of abuses and reckless risk-taking that brought other financial services firms to their knees.

Health-Care Dialogue Alarms Obama’s Allies

April 21, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> As Congress returns to begin an intense debate over reshaping the nation's $2.2 trillion health-care system, prominent left-leaning organizations and liberal House members are issuing a warning to their Democratic allies: Don't cave on us. To date, the health reform debate has been cordial, with a wide spectrum of interests talking up a willingness to compromise. The amiable tone stands in marked contrast to the vitriol of 1993 that quickly buried a reform effort by the Clintons. But that amiable tone is precisely what troubles liberal advocacy groups such as Consumer Watchdog. The California-based nonprofit, in unusually harsh rhetoric, is accusing the Obama administration and congressional Democrats of negotiating a deal with industry lobbyists at the expense of average Americans.<br /> </p>

Insurance Appointment Flap Sheds Light On Insider Politics

April 20, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

A consumer watchdog group is howling over a recent appointment by state Sen. Ron Calderon, but for the vast majority of California voters, trying to make sense of these types of inside-baseball appointments can be like trying to snorkel in the San Francisco Bay.<br />

AIG Agrees To Sell 21st Century

April 17, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>The sale to Farmers, for $1.9 billion, would create the state's biggest auto insurer.</strong><br /> <br /> Two of Southern California's biggest insurance companies are joining forces to create the state's largest auto insurer, at the same time throwing a financial lifeline to troubled insurance giant American International Group.  Consumer advocates largely agreed with the commissioner. "We don't have any concern," said Douglas Heller, executive director of Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog. "They'll jump to 14% or 15% of the market, but California is incredibly competitive." </p>

Fair claims payment? Not with a federal insurance regulator

April 17, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Here's a small but important example of the kind of state consumer protection that the insurance industry and its allies want to escape by <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/insurance/articles/?storyId=26070">taking insurance r</a><a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/insurance/articles/?storyId=26070">egulation away</a> from the states... </p>

Former Insurance Lawyer’s Legislative Appointment Sparks Debate

April 15, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

SACRAMENTO, CA -- The appointment of a former State Farm lawyer to a California legislative panel has drawn criticism from one of the state's leading consumer groups, while one industry leader has urged critics to reserve judgment.

California Senate Insurance Panel Hires Former State Farm Lawyer

April 11, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>Consumer activists criticize close links between government and industry. Sen. Ron Calderon defends his appointment.</strong> </p> <p> Cooley's appointment has drawn opposition from activists, including Doug Heller, executive director of the group Consumer Watchdog, and Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders in San Francisco. "The revolving door between the Capitol and the insurance industry is in constant motion, because the insurance industry knows how valuable it is to have their people on the inside," Heller said. "And consumers pay for it when the official analyses of legislative proposals have an industry bias." </p>