Insurance

Allstate Finally Releases Claims-Handling Documents, But Keeps Some Under Wraps

April 14, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong> Carrier Draws Line After Making 150,000 Pages Public, Including McKinsey Report</strong><br/> <br/> Allstate's reluctant release of some 150,000 pages of documentation -- including a consultant's controversial recommendations on...

Donations at Issue in Delaware Insurance Commissioner Race

April 14, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Insurance commissioner candidate Gene Reed Jr. has taken thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from officers of a Pennsylvania company that has received millions doing work for the state insurance department.<br/> <p> Reed,...</p>

What’s Ailing WellPoint?

April 13, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Health Insurance Market Trends Fuel Climbing Medical Expenses, Which Are a Sore Point on Wall Street</strong><br/> <p> Health insurance -- despite being famous for confusing jargon and complicated forms -- operates under a pretty...</p>

Insurance agents, brokers pad Schwarzenegger campaign chest

April 11, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Governor Schwarzenegger's ballot measure committee just reported receiving 10 grand from the Insurance Brokers and Agents Issues PAC. <a href="http://www.cal-access.ss.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1261406&view=late1">Here's the contribution</a>:

No “secret handshake” for scientists

April 11, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Though the <a href="http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ABOUT_main_page" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Academy of Sciences (NAS)</a> must be commended for hosting the Interstate Alliance on Stem Cell Research meeting in Washington under a policy that completely opened the meeting to the public, the august body needs to update its own procedures.<br />

Consumer Advocates Criticize Allstate’s Claims Practices

April 10, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

A California consumer advocate group is condemning Allstate for allegedly "systematically underpaying claims to policyholders, or forcing them into protracted court battles to secure a fair settlement." <p> According to...</p>

Flurry of Interest Over Allstate Posted Papers

April 8, 2008  ·  Doug Heller

<strong>Critics look for keys to what they deem unfair policy pricing</strong><br/> <br/> Insurance industry watchdog Doug Heller was at a birthday party for his mother Sunday when he got an e-mail.<br/> <br/> "Documents posted on...

For the Rest of Us, Tabloids Are Not the Problem

April 8, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> It's amazing how fast Gov. Schwarzenegger reacts when it's his wife, Maria Shriver, whose medical records are being snooped. "This kind of practice has been happening all over the state, wherever there's celebrities involved" including himself, <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/844132.html">Schwarzenegger said</a> at an unrelated news conference today. He reiterated that his administration is "working with UCLA," where the leaks were uncovered by an <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ucla7apr07,0,7549228.story?page=1">excellent LA Times investigation</a>--and hadn't even been reported  to state regulators. </p>

Allstate’s ‘good hands’ groping around in your pocket

April 8, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <a href="/insurance/articles/?storyId=19621">Allstate made a surprise decision</a> to release internal documents about claims handling procedures that they've been fighting to keep secret in court for over a decade. The documents... </p>

Singin’ the Blues? Not These Execs

April 7, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Blue Cross Chief Gets $10 Million as Health Care Costs Continue to Surge</strong><br/> <br/> "Wellness,'' the new marketing slogan of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois, also applies to the pocketbooks of the insurer's top...

Insurers Slow to Zap the ZIP Code

April 6, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

A lot of drivers probably thought they were finally getting a break when then-California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi announced in 2005 that he was requiring insurers to stop using ZIP Codes as a main factor in determining car-insurance...

Paulson’s plan to deregulate insurance companies

April 2, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/business/01regulate.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin">Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s proposal</a> for a newly created federal insurance regulator, and the... </p>