Insurance

Consumer Advocates Wary as Regulators Near ‘Guidance’ on Driverless Cars

July 15, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO—Consumer groups are pressing the Obama administration not to issue guidance on autonomous vehicles operations next week when federal transportation officials address an industry conference in San Francisco.</p>

Consumer Reports Calls For Tesla To Disable And Rename Autopilot

July 14, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The number of consumer-advocacy organizations calling for Tesla to do something about its much-criticized Autopilot system is growing.</p> <p><em>Consumer Reports</em> <a href="http://www.consumerreports.org/tesla/tesla-autopilot-too-much-autonomy-too-soon/?loginMethod=auto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for Tesla to "disable hands-free operation until its system can be made safer" Thursday morning. What's more, it urged the upstart automaker to change the system's name to better reflect its capabilities.</p>

Consumer Reports To Tesla: Disable ‘Autopilot’

July 14, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><i>Washington</i> — Consumer Reports is calling for Tesla to turn off its autopilot system after a series of crashes involving the company’s vehicles that were operating with their automated driving feature activated, including one crash that was fatal.</p> <p>The consumer advocacy organization said Tesla should disable the automatic steering function in its Model S vehicles “until the company updates the function to confirm that the driver’s hands remain on the steering wheel at all times.”</p>

Aetna Meets With Justice Department Over Merger With Humana

July 8, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p id="yui_3_18_1_1_1468259502953_1830">NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aetna Inc (AET.N) executives met with top Justice Department antitrust officials on Friday to convince the government that asset sales it proposed would address potential competitive problems that could threaten its deal to buy rival Humana Inc (HUM.N), according to a source familiar with the matter.</p>

Consumer Groups To DOJ: No Way To Protect Consumers If Anthem-Cigna, Aetna-Humana, Merge

July 8, 2016  ·  Carmen Balber

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2937" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/anthem.jpg" style="width: 170px; height: 170px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="270" height="270" />Consumer Watchdog joined the nation’s leading consumer groups to submit a white paper to the Department of Justice today demonstrating why any potential remedies in the proposed Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana mergers will not work to protect consumers from harm in a more concentrated health insurance market.</p>

Will SCOTUS Apply Its Political Corruption Ruling To Itself?

June 29, 2016  ·  Jamie Court

<p>It takes hubris befitting a king for the US Supreme Court to rule, on the eve of celebrating the Declaration of Independence, our founding screed against political corruption, that a jury cannot convict a governor for taking $177,000 in loans and favors from a donor he used his political office to help.</p>

Self-Driving Cars Could Flip The Auto Insurance Industry On Its Head

June 20, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>As the driverless car gets closer to reality, so too does the dilemma of how to insure the car and its owner.<br /> The auto insurance industry faces upheaval in the next 25 years as the migration to autonomous safety features -- and ultimately a self-driving car -- shifts more of a car's accident risk from the driver to the vehicle, analysts said.</p>

Aetna Humana Merger Gains Approval from State Agency

June 20, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Aetna and Humana are one step closer to merging after approval from the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC).</p> <p>The merger will affect about 1.5 million people currently enrolled in health plans through the two insurers.</p> <p>This is the third health insurance merger the department has approved. In March, the agency approved the proposed merger of Centene and Health Net. In October, they approved the proposed merger of Blue Cross Blue Shield and Care First.</p>

Calif. Regulator Approves Aetna, Humana Merger

June 20, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>California's health plan regulator approved Aetna Inc.'s acquisition of Humana Inc. with conditions that boost scrutiny of proposed premium rate increases and require that the merged plan keep small group rate increases to a minimum.</p> <p>The Department of Managed Health Care negotiated commitments from Aetna to ensure the merged company would comply with state rules for consumer protection and financial solvency, Director Shelley Rouillard said in a June 20 statement.</p>

California Insurance Commissioner Urges Feds To Block $54 Billion Anthem-Cigna Deal

June 16, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="article-body"> <p>California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones <a href="http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2016/upload/LetterUSDOJAnthem-Cigna06-16-16.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged federal officials</a> to block the merger of health insurance giants Anthem Inc. and Cigna Corp., declaring the $54-billion deal anti-competitive and harmful to consumers.</p>

Consumer Groups Want Transparency During Final Review Of Aetna-Humana Deal

June 7, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Missouri was the first state to take regulatory action against the merger of insurance giants Aetna and Humana, but consumer advocates are petitioning the state’s top insurance regulator to go even further.</p> <p>A handful of advocacy groups, both national and local, are calling on John Huff, the director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, to conduct the final step of the review process out in the open.</p>

Advocates Argue DTSC Executive Departures Reflect Dysfunction, Unease

May 12, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Environmentalists and civil rights advocates are charging that recent resignations by a host of top executives and managers at the toxics department reflects continuing dysfunction at the embattled agency and a lack of support for director Barbara Lee.</p>