Insurance

California Obamacare Rates To Rise 13% In 2017, More Than Three Time The Increase Of Last Two Years

July 19, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>remiums for Californians’ Obamacare health coverage will rise by an average of 13.2% next year — more than three times the increase of the last two years and a jump that is bound to raise debate in an election year.</p> <p>The big hikes come after two years in which California officials had boasted that the program helped insure hundreds of thousands people in the state while keeping costs moderately in check.</p>

Covered California Health Care Premiums To Jump 13.2 Percent In 2017

July 19, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>For the first time since launching three years ago, Covered California – the state’s health insurance marketplace– announced double-digit rate increases, averaging 13.2 percent for 2017.</p> <p>Tuesday’s announcement came as California consumers were encouraged to “shop around” for cheaper coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act and lawmakers were urged to do more to rein in medical costs.</p>

Covered California Predicting 13 Percent Premium Increase

July 19, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Sacramento, CA -- Monthly premiums in California's health insurance exchange will increase by more than 13 percent on average next year, after two major insurers requested large rate increases, officials said Tuesday.<br /> The increases are significantly higher than the 4 percent hikes in each of the last two years. They come as many other states report big premium spikes in the fourth year of President Barack Obama's health overhaul.</p>

Consumer Groups Ask That Autonomous Technology Slow Down

July 18, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Consumer Watchdog, along with three auto safety advocates, has written a letter to President Obama urging his administration to stop attempts allowing autonomous vehicle technology on the roads in the wake of reports of a fatal crash involving Tesla’s autonomous system. One day later, Consumer Reports called on Tesla to disable and update the autonomous function.</p>

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 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>

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>

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>