Insurance

New Rate Battle

May 30, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>Car insurers' reliance on ZIP codes comes under fire</h3><p class="source">The Daily News of Los Angeles</p> <p>Consumer advocates on Thursday called on the state to enforce a 1988 law meant to change the way automobile insurance rates are calculated, claiming state insurers continue to charge excess fees based on auto owners' ZIP codes.</p>

Cuts to Car Insurance Rates in Poor Areas Urged

May 30, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>City attorneys and consumer groups ask the state for relief. Garamendi vows action.</h3><p class="source">The Los Angeles Times</p> <p>Nearly 15 years after the passage of the insurance reform initiative Proposition 103, the groups said that the measure's intent to base car insurance pricing more on individual drivers' safety records than their ZIP Codes has not been enforced.</p>

Car insurance rates hit;

May 30, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>City attorneys say geography is determining costs</h3><p class="source">The San Francisco Chronicle</p> <p>People in cities generally pay more for auto insurance than those in rural areas; people in poor neighborhoods usually pay more than those in wealthy enclaves.</p>

Activists call for Calif. car insurance based on driving record

May 29, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Sacramento Bee</p> <p>Fifteen years after California voters approved a ballot measure prohibiting auto insurance rates from being based on ZIP codes, a coalition of community groups filed a petition Thursday calling on state officials to finally make the law a reality.</p>

Trade Group Poses Health Plan — Members’ Insurance Could Cost Less-but Skirt States’ Oversight

May 29, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Wall Street Journal</p>

Justices Probing Legality of Edison, PUC Deal;

May 28, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>The state high court will decide whether the settlement broke the open meeting laws and if customers should be repaid $3.6 billion.</h3><p class="source">Los Angeles Times</p> <p>A lawyer for Edison warned the justices of "adverse implications" and uncertainty if the settlement is torn apart. But consumer groups say killing the settlement could translate into refunds of $850 per customer.</p>

Woman caught in ‘use it and lose it’ insurance issue

May 25, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">North County Times (San Diego, CA)</p> <p>"What you've got here is sort of the heart of the big insurance fraud that Americans have been seeing over the past two years," said Doug Heller of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Los Angeles.</p>

State bill would ban credit scoring to set premiums

May 25, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Los Angeles Times</p> <p>California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has cracked down on the use of credit scoring by one insurance company that writes homeowner policies in the state.</p>

West Coast answer is seen as model malpractice system

May 22, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Philadelphia Inquirer</p> <p>Consumer advocates and trial lawyers say MICRA is less effective than insurance changes passed in 1988 under Proposition 103, a ballot initiative that requires insurers to justify premium increases.</p>

Mercury Insurance: “Pay to Win” Politics

May 21, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<!-- excerpt --><p>After losing legal and regulatory battles, Mercury has responded as it best knows how: by throwing money at politicians.</p>

Too many claims may cause insurance cancellation

May 18, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Associated Press</p> <p>Doug Heller, with the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a Santa Monica, California-based advocacy group, said a central insurance database codes inquiries as damage claims.</p>

Storm insurance claims could threaten coverage

May 18, 2003  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)</p> <p>"In this moment, consumers must be protected and must be allowed to use their insurance policy without fear of losing it," said Doug Heller, a senior consumer advocate at the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.</p>