Insurance

Consumer Watchdog Group Claims DWP Dragging Feet On Refunds

September 13, 2016 · Mark Reback

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, claims ratepayers who overpaid the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power may not get refunds until mid-2017.

Your Call: Covered California 2017 Rate Hikes

September 6, 2016 · Mark Reback

<a href="http://kalw.org/post/your-call-covered-california-2017-rate-hikes#stream/0">Click here to listen to the audio segment of this radio broadcast</a>. On the September 6th edition of Your Call, we’ll discuss the rising cost of healthcare and health insurance in California. Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange, has announced that in 2017, premiums will rise by an average of 13 percent.

Prop. 61 Seeks To Lower Drug Prices, Boost Transparency

September 6, 2016 · Mark Reback

Counting on the growing public outrage over the soaring costs of prescription drugs - and bolstered by the recent fury generated by huge price hikes for lifesaving EpiPens - Proposition 61 proponents are gearing up for one of the most highly anticipated ballot measure showdowns this election season.

Stem Cell Company Paid $443,500 To Former Head Of State Agency That Funds Research

September 1, 2016 · Mark Reback

The former president of the $3 billion California stem cell agency received $443,500 in total compensation from the Bay Area stem cell company that appointed him to its board of directors only seven days after he left his state post. The stock and cash were provided over a two-year period to Alan Trounson by Newark-based StemCells Inc., a firm that was awarded more than $40 million in funding while Trounson headed the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, as the state stem cell agency is formally known.

The Big Corporate Money Behind Jerry Brown

August 26, 2016 · Mark Reback

<div class="post_content" itemprop="articleBody"> This November 4 will be the second anniversary of the passage of Proposition 1, Governor Jerry Brown’s controversial water bond, a measure that fishing groups, California Indian Tribes, grassroots conservation groups and environmental justice advocates opposed because they considered it to be a water grab for corporate agribusiness and Big Money interests.

Covered California Premiums Projected To Rise 15.8 Percent In County

August 25, 2016 · Mark Reback

In an increase that a watchdog contends could push people to drop health insurance, next year's premiums in the Covered California marketplace are expected to rise an average of 15.8 percent in Ventura County. The weighted rate increase, which also affects Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, rises above the projected average hike of 13.2 percent across the statewide exchange. It ranks as the third largest increase among 19 Covered California pricing regions.

State Farm Agrees To Cut Rates

August 24, 2016 · Mark Reback

State Farm has agreed to reduce the average overall rates it charges California’s wholesale, retail, and service businesses by 4.0% after it was challenged by Consumer Watchdog for proposing rate increases on businesses' liability and property insurance. The insurer also agreed not to raise the rates paid by professional offices.

California Small Businesses May See Some Insurance Savings

August 23, 2016 · Mark Reback

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has approved rate reductions for a number of State Farm commercial policies that he says will bring millions of dollars in premium savings for tens of thousands of small businesses, farm owners, apartment owners, and condo associations across the state.

No Legislative Or Voter Action Prompted By Announced Covered California Rate Increase

August 19, 2016 · Mark Reback

<div class="teaser"> SANTA MONICA – A more than 13 percent increase in health insurance premiums for 2017 announced by <a href="http://www.coveredca.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Covered California</a> hasn't prompted any action from California lawmakers or voters, an industry spokeswoman said during a recent interview.

More Ethics Questions Plague Brown Administration

The Mystery of California’s High Gas Prices

August 11, 2016 · Mark Reback

Californians pride themselves on being number one. Highest population. Biggest economy. Top public university system. Most In-N-Out locations per capita. Let us count the ways in which the Golden State comes first in the nation. But in the competitive category of money spent on gasoline, Californians hold a more dubious distinction: Across the contiguous United States, nobody pays more to fill ’er up.

Another Tesla Autopilot Accident Reported in Beijing

August 10, 2016 · Mark Reback

With two federal safety investigations already underway in the U.S., Tesla Motors could face scrutiny in China, as well, in the wake of an incident involving a Model S sedan operating in Autopilot mode.

Prop 103 California Insurance Reform

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

Homeowners Dropped by Insurers