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Prop 103 California Insurance Reform

Prop 103 California Insurance Reform

New Bill Requires Insurance Companies to Offer and Renew Insurance Coverage for Fire-Safe Homes

New Bill Requires Insurance Companies to Offer and Renew Insurance Coverage for Fire-Safe Homes

Homeowners Dropped by Insurers

Homeowners Dropped by Insurers

Insurance

Insurance news, investigations, and reform — auto, home, and health insurance rates, claims denials, and industry accountability.
With Wall Street Crisis, Bill Creating Federal Insurance Office Stalls

With Wall Street Crisis, Bill Creating Federal Insurance Office Stalls

September 17, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog
Consumer advocates had argued that this week's $85 billion federal bailout of insurer AIG was necessary because the federal government has been lax in its regulation of the financial-services industry. But the House's measure would only weaken federal oversight, they said. "AIG's stunning collapse and unprecedented bailout was driven largely by the massive failure of financial industry deregulation and the policy of weak federal oversight of the banking system," said California nonprofit Consumer Watchdog in a letter to bill sponsor Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Pa.
AIG: You have the right to remain silent

AIG: You have the right to remain silent

September 17, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog
<p> Just days before Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992, an AIG executive wrote a memo (<a href="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/resources_AIG_Memo.pdf" target="_blank" title="AIG memo" rel="noopener">.pdf of memo</a>) calling the impending devastation "an opportunity to get... </p>
Sacramento’s muggers

Sacramento’s muggers

September 16, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog
<p> What if a mugger took you at gunpoint to the bank and made you hand over 10% of your savings? (He's a compassionate robber.) What if he said he'd give you back the money--someday--but he'd keep the interest? I suppose you'd be grateful to be alive. But don't Californians deserve more--or at least more honesty--from their own government? </p>
Death of the corporation tax

Death of the corporation tax

September 15, 2008  ·  Judy Dugan
<p> This warning --<strong> "Death of the Corporation Tax” is part of the Budget Deal</strong> -- kicks off a press release I just got from our friends at the California Tax Reform Association about the new smoke and mirrors budget... </p>
Told ya, AIG’s subprime porfolio sinks dow

Told ya, AIG’s subprime porfolio sinks dow

September 15, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog
<p> Remember how incredulous those<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ErE57Rz_ps&eurl=http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/corporateering/"> CNBC</a> Wall Street denizens were when I <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/insurance/articles/?storyId=22269">suggested</a> a few weeks back that insurers' investment losses, particularly in the subprime mortgage mess, would hit the Dow?  Well, wonder what those anchors are saying now about that "big charge" I made.  </p>
CIRM Mulls Loan Program to Help Plug Stem Cell Funding Gaps

CIRM Mulls Loan Program to Help Plug Stem Cell Funding Gaps

September 15, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog
California's stem cell agency is hammering out key details of a loan program that could deliver badly needed cash to companies trying to develop stem cell therapies and tools. "Some of the loans will be risky, but we need some sense of how risky will they be allowed to be," said John Simpson, stem cell project director at Consumer Watchdog, which has tracked CIRM since voters approved the sale of $3 billion in bonds by the state to fund stem cell research.
Dawn Rich, Healdsburg CA

Dawn Rich, Healdsburg CA

September 12, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog
Back in 2004, I had Kaiser health insurance through my employer. I was diagnosed late that year with a fibroid uterine tumor and the doctors said I needed a hysterectomy. After the surgery that December, at Kaiser in Santa Rosa, my cervical...
Health Net to Reinstate Members

Health Net to Reinstate Members

September 12, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog
<strong>The company, without admitting fault, will give new coverage to 926 Californians it had dropped and pay fines.</strong><br /> One of the state's largest insurers, Health Net signed a first-of-its-kind agreement with the California Department of Insurance, agreeing to pay $3.6 million in penalties, plus as much as about $14 million in reimbursements for medical charges that the insurer had refused to pay.
Palin as Arnold sequel

Palin as Arnold sequel

September 11, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog
<p> On the issue of tactics alone, Carla Marinucci at the San Francisco Chronicle filed a <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/09/10/MNI112QPR6.DTL">fascinating article tonight</a> comparing the rise of Arnold and Sarah Palin as champions of the mantles of change and reform, and in particular their media management strategy. What's particularly interesting in the realm of history and political accountability strategy is Team Arnold's admissions about how it managed the media under the intense scrutiny the press placed on revelations about the would-be-governor. </p>
Will Drivers Trade Privacy for Discounts?

Will Drivers Trade Privacy for Discounts?

September 9, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog
California-based Consumer Watchdog wants to make sure GPS or location-based information doesn't creep into any insurers' plans. It has lobbied the California Department of Insurance to make sure consumers won't be required to participate in location-based tracking. It wants insurance companies to offer low-tech alternatives for pay as you drive discounts, such as regular manual odometer inspections.