WELLPOINT: REGULATORS EXPECTED TO RULE ON ANTHEM DEAL AFTER; REVIEW
<p class="source">American Health Line</p>
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CRITICS SLAM MERGER PLANS;
<h3>ANTHEM, BLUE CROSS PARENT TO COMBINE?</h3><p class="source">The Daily News of Los Angeles</p>
<p>Critics are concerned that the deal will result in excessive compensation and bonuses to the two companies' executives, and that patients will be paying the cost through their premiums.</p>
Lawmakers engaged in bitter battle for control of California Senate
<p class="source">Sacramento Bee</p>
<p>Most nose-counters rate it as a tossup now, and it's at least theoretically possible that Republican votes for Perata would be decisive if Democrats don't unite behind the one who nails down 13 Democratic senators.</p>
Pat and Dave Parkers’ Second Letter To Schwarzenegger
<h3>Regarding Anthem's Acquisiton Of Wellpoint</h3>
<p>Since December we have been waiting for the phone call from you that your staff promised us when we tried to hand delivered a letter explaining our situation during your $10,000 per-skybox fundraiser at a Laker's game.</p>
Raising Cain
<font face="verdana,sans-serif" size="2">By signing a worker's comp
"reform" law that failed to provide any regulatory controls over the
insurance companies that have been jacking up California businesses'
premiums in recent...</font>
Officials look into Blue Cross tax loophole
<p class="source">Los Angeles Daily News</p>
<p>FTCR, a Santa Monica-based consumer advocacy group, continues to dredge up information about Blue Cross' premium tax exemption.</p>
Garamendi still not satisfied with healthcare merger plans
<p class="source">Ventura County Star</p>
<p>"Simply requiring Anthem to pay $400 million is hush money to get the state to go away," Jerry Flanagan with FTCR said Tuesday. "What the state needs to require is that WellPoint refund its excess reserves to policyholders, and agree to freeze premiums</p>
Corporate reaction cool;
<h3>Kerry's choice likely to play better with consumers</h3><p class="source">The San Francisco Chronicle</p>
<p>"This will clearly bring front and center the populist revolt against big corporations," said Jamie Court, author of the book "Corporateering" and president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica.</p>
Anthem talks disappointing, regulator says
<h3>California insurance commissioner lays out conditions for his OK of WellPoint takeover.</h3><p class="source">Indianapolis Star</p>
<p>Garamendi's news conference "feels to me like he's getting closer to saying no to the deal altogether," said Jerry Flanagan, consumer advocate at Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a nonprofit consumer group that has opposed terms of the mer</p>
California signs a deal with a company that specializes in exporting jobs to cheap overseas labor markets.
<h3>Critics say state-funded jobs could soon be shipped overseas.</h3><p class="source">CNN-TV - LOU DOBBS TONIGHT</p>
<p>The state of California, 35 million people, should not be legitimatizing the use of outsourcers and the exporting of American jobs elsewhere... the only reason we are is because the governor of California is acting a lot more like a CEO of California.</p>
Much ado, but tiny rebates;
<h3>Microsoft suit not a windfall for consumers</h3><p class="source">Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)</p>
<p>Another function of class-action law is to deter future wrongdoing, said Doug Heller, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, Calif.</p>
Anthem, WellPoint resist $400 million payment;
<h3>California is considering making the firms donate to state health program in return for OK on merger.</h3><p class="source">The Indianapolis Star</p>
<p>"$400 million is chump change. We need more," said Jerry Flanagan, the group's consumer advocate. WellPoint's Blue Cross unit has reserves of $1 billion that regulators should aim to keep in the state under a takeover by Anthem, he said.</p>