Insurance

Consumer-Advocacy Group Sues Anthem Blue Cross For Allegedly Misleading Consumers On 2017 Health Plans

November 1, 2016 · Mark Reback

A Santa Monica-based consumer-advocacy group sued<a href="https://www.anthem.com/"> Anthem Blue Cross </a>Tuesday, accusing the insurer of misleading customers by sending them policy renewal notices without adequately warning them the plans no longer provide coverage for out-of-network physicians.

Anthem is Cutting Out-Of-Network Health Coverage In A ‘Bait And Switch,’ Lawsuit Says

November 1, 2016 · Mark Reback

On the first day of <a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/healthcare/healthcare-policies-laws/affordable-care-act-%28obamacare%29-EVGAP00039-topic.html" id="EVGAP00039" title="Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)">Obamacare</a> open enrollment, a consumer group sued Anthem Blue Cross for attempting to automatically renew policies that no longer cover out-of-network costs for hundreds of thousands of Californians.

Big Premium Hikes Fuel Obamacare Debate

October 31, 2016 · Mark Reback

WASHINGTON -- Urging people to sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama said last week that while premiums might be rising, most consumers need not worry. "Premiums going up," he said, "don't necessarily translate into higher premiums for people who are getting tax credits."

Tesla Again Scrambles The Self-Driving Debate

October 27, 2016 · Mark Reback

Washington — Tesla Motors Inc.’s entrance into the race to build a fully self-driving car has the potential to scramble an already contentious debate about whether autonomous vehicles should be allowed to operate alongside traditional autos on U.S. roads.

How To Guard A Car From Hackers: Feds Weigh In

October 24, 2016 · Mark Reback

As automakers race toward a future of Web-connected and self-driving vehicles, federal regulators on Monday <a href="http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nvs/pdf/812333_CybersecurityForModernVehicles.pdf">issued proposed guidelines</a> for guarding cars from hackers. Coming just days after <a href="http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/How-your-baby-monitors-are-being-used-to-attack-10152723.php">a massive Internet attack</a> knocked several popular websites offline, the proposal reflects increasing concern among government regulators and auto industry executives alike.

State Farm To Sharply Reduce California Renters’ Insurance Rates In 2017

October 21, 2016 · Mark Reback

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced on Oct. 19 that State Farm General Insurance Co. has agreed to reduce its Rental Dwelling Program policyholders’ rates statewide by an average of 40 percent, effective Feb. 1, 2017. <a href="http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2016/release118-16.cfm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Jones</a>, rental property owners and small-business clients will see an estimated $101.1 million savings, with an average savings to individual policyholders of about $359 annually.

Federal Self-Driving Car Policy on Right Road, But Real Safety Standards Still Needed

October 13, 2016 · Mark Reback

Written by John M. Simpson, director of <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project</a>. This is one in a series of periodic guest columns by industry thought leaders. <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_5573" style="width: 168px"><img alt="John M. Simpson headshot " class="wp-image-5573" height="205" src="https://www.trucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/220px-john_m_simpson_360.jpg" width="158" /> John M. Simpson (Photo: Consumer Watchdog)

How Self-Driving Cars Could Become Weapons Of Terror

October 10, 2016 · Mark Reback

Self-driving cars could be lifesavers, preventing many, if not most, of the traffic accidents that claim more than 30,000 American lives each year. <div class="sync-inline-overlay"> They could also make devastating weapons. Picture hackers employed by a hostile nation finding a way to command large numbers of cars on U.S. roads. Picture those hackers ordering the vehicles to suddenly accelerate and turn hard to the right, flipping them over, killing many passengers and clogging freeways with junked cars.

Trump, Clinton Prioritize Cybersecurity, Tech Issues

October 4, 2016 · Mark Reback

At last week’s presidential debate, Donald Trump famously expressed concern about “somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds” hacking into computers. In a speech Monday in Virginia, he sought to clarify his views on cybersecurity, saying it would be an “immediate and top priority,” and that a Trump administration would call on the Department of Justice to create a task force “to crush this still-developing area of crime.”

Attention Former Time Warner Customers: Get Ready For Your Cable Bill To Go Up

October 4, 2016 · Mark Reback

Meet the new cable company. Same as the old cable company. That was Culver City resident Jack Cohen's feeling the other day when he received his first bill from Spectrum, the newly christened brand from Charter Communications, which has gobbled up Time Warner Cable. He told me he'd been paying Time Warner about $140 a month for TV, phone and internet service. But now that Spectrum had reared its head, his bill had shot up to $162.

California Regulators Loosen Restrictions On Fully Autonomous Vehicles

October 3, 2016 · Mark Reback

California lawmakers passed a law to allowing pilot tests of vehicles without drivers. The next day, they also released revised draft regulations to allow for broader testing of fully autonomous cars on public streets In the last two days of September, California transportation authorities made some noteworthy changes to their self-driving vehicle policy.

Drug Companies Against Prop 61 Repeat Rent-A-Vet Strategy

September 27, 2016 · Jamie Court

Prop 103 California Insurance Reform

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

Homeowners Dropped by Insurers