Insurance

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  ·  Judy Dugan

<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  ·  Carmen Balber

<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  ·  Carmen Balber

<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>

Still in Verizon customer service hell

March 31, 2008  ·  John M. Simpson

I <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/corporateering/articles/?storyId=19316" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported last week</a> on my efforts to receive a promised television set for signing up with Verizon's FiOS Triple Freedom plan.  The saga continues...

AT&T Mobility, VZW, Sprint Nextel Targeted in Gambling Class Action

March 31, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<strong>Legal Action Targets Text Messages Tied to TV Programs</strong><br/> <br/> The nation's three largest wireless carriers have been hit with class action lawsuits accusing them of illegal gambling in connection text messaging tied to...

Punchier Name

March 31, 2008  ·  Jamie Court

<p> Since 1985, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) has been the bane of insurance companies, energy utilities, politicians and other entities that the Santa Monica-based consumer group considers corrupt fat cats. </p> ...

First, Self-Control. Then, Debt Control.

March 29, 2008  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> If you have gotten in over your head in credit card debt, you are in good company. The Federal Reserve says Americans have accumulated nearly $1 trillion, a record amount, in what it calls ''revolving credit.''<br/> <br/> But while...</p>

Hillary’s Premium Cap Trap

March 28, 2008  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> Sen. Hillary Clinton fell into the "premium cap" trap in a New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/us/politics/28clinton.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin">interview </a>published today, saying that, in her mandatory insurance proposal, she would cap premiums at up to 10 percent of total family income. It's a meaningless guarantee when insurance companies can cut premiums by requiring thousands of dollars in deductibles, charging high--even unlimited-- out of pocket costs and cutting coverage. The Times, sadly, didn't see the trap, either. </p>