Insurance

Assembly OKs cable franchises from state;

June 1, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>Also passed is a bill limiting Valley homes in floodplains.</h3><p class="source">Sacramento Bee</p> <p>Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, criticized the Assembly's passage of such major legislation at a late hour -- nearly 9 p.m. -- with very little debate. Debate over AB 2987 has been raging behind the scenes for weeks, but lawmakers took less than 20 minutes Wednesday to debate the bill. "The public doesn't really have anyone asking the tough questions," Court said.</p>

Legal delays may be a plus for state’s stem-cell effort;

June 1, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">The San Jose Mercury News</p> <p>California's stem-cell agency needs to do all it can to ensure there are no scandals like the one that emerged last January in South Korea, when announced major stem-cell breakthroughs were discovered to be fraudulent. </p>

Outside forces shape Umberg v. Correa fight

June 1, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>Tom Umberg has raised and spent more money than Lou Correa to win the Democratic nomination in the 34th Senate District, but no less than seven independent committees have pitched in to fight for Correa.</h3><p class="source">The Orange County Register</p> <p>"It looks like the Senate leader is looking to pick the Santa Ana senator, rather than the people of Santa Ana," said Doug Heller, executive director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.</p>

Garamendi blasts insurers, alleges ‘excessive profits’

May 26, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">The Sacramento Bee</p> <p>Garamendi said a financial analysis of the state's 20 largest auto, property and casualty insurers found that companies have paid less than normal for claims in the past two years. "The insurance companies are literally giving less and less money to the policyholders and more and more money to Wall Street, to fat executive salaries and overhead expenses," Garamendi said during a Capitol news conference Thursday. "It's time for the rates to be brought in."</p>

Oil companies deny manipulating oil prices, though newly-released consumer report claims otherwise

May 25, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">CBS-TV National Morning News</p> <p>Oil companies continue to blame the cost of ethanol and other additives for the price increases. But the study found that during this spring's price surge, Washington state's gasoline, which does not include ethanol, increased just as much as California's, which is an ethanol blend.</p>

Price-gouging on insurance alleged;

May 25, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>State chief will hold hearings this summer</h3><p class="source">The San Diego Union-Tribune</p> <p>In 2005, the top five insurers took in roughly $3.5 billion in premiums and estimated that they would pay out $1.5 billion in claims, with an average estimated payout of 46 cents per dollar. Half of the top 20 homeowners insurers last year paid out 45 cents or less per dollar of premium. "It used to be that insurers would pay out close to a dollar in claims for every dollar they take in premiums, since they make most of their money through investments anyway," said Harvey Rosenfield, a longtime critic of the insurance industry who heads the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica.</p>

Bustamante sowing conflict-of-interest seeds

May 19, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">San Gabriel Valley Tribune (California)</p> <p>Consumer advocate Doug Heller, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, insists that "There are no exceptions, there are no excuses, because contributions and gifts come with expectations."</p>

Florida Orders Mercury General Units To Return More Than $2 Million To Policyholders

May 17, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Two Mercury General Corp. subsidiaries have been ordered to pay more than $2 million in refunds to policyholders for engaging in improper claims settlements and charging rates not approved by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, the OIR said. </p>

Races to Put a New Face on Capitol;

May 15, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>With term limits, the Assembly will see an influx of newcomers, while a band of moderates seeks Senate seats held by liberals.</h3><p class="source">The Los Angeles Times</p> <p>"Historically the consumer groups and environmental groups have looked at the Senate as the house that will stand in the way of aggressively anti-consumer and anti-environmental bills even if the Assembly moved them through," said Doug Heller, Executive Director of FTCR in Santa Monica. "I think it's possible the new Senate won't be quite the goalie that the Senate in recent years has been," he said, "in terms of fending off these big business shots."</p>

Health bill caught in lobbying game

May 14, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)</p> <p>For starters, Blue Cross's decision to sit this round out helped clear the path for Thursday's Senate vote; in previous years, the bill never made it out of committee, let alone to a full Senate vote. "Their (past) opposition to it has kept the bill from ever moving in the Senate," said Jerry Flanagan, of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a California-based consumer advocacy organization.</p>

Junk health insurance bill would put big burden on families

May 11, 2006  ·  Judy Dugan

<p class="source">The Baltimore Sun</p> <p>May 11, 2006 A measure that is nearing a final vote in Congress would greatly expand the reach of insurers offering bare-bones plans that saddle policyholders with no cap on their payments once their paltry coverage limits are reached. Maryland, like New York and a few other states with strong consumer insurance protections, has so far been spared the misery inflicted by such junk insurance.</p>

INSURERS’ CONSOLIDATION FUELS DEBATE OVER RISING U.S. HEALTH COSTS

May 11, 2006  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">BestWire</p> <p>Despite health plans' historically high profit margins, premiums for patients keep rising without an expansion of benefits, Rohack said in his statement. The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a California-based group, contends that health insurers spend 20% of premiums on "overhead," including profit and administration.</p>