Insurance

Lax Regulatory Enforcement Leaves Thousands at Risk of Lead Poisoning in California

November 22, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><em><a href="http://truth-out.org/members/donate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This story could not have been published without the support of readers like you. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to Truthout and fund more stories like it!</a></em></p> <p>California's regulatory agencies have repeatedly failed in their testing, enforcement and cleanup of various lead-contaminated sites in the state, an investigation by Truthout has revealed.</p>

LADWP: Customers Will Get Full Refunds For Overbilling

November 20, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials said Thursday their customers would receive full refunds for any over-payments related to inaccurate bills sent out amid the utility’s bungled overhaul of its billing system, under revised settlement terms submitted to a judge this week.</p> <p>DWP and city officials said they support the settlement — which has drawn criticism from consumer advocates — “because it returns 100 cents on the dollar to every customer affected by our billing system problems.”</p>

Consumer Watchdog Calls for DWP Customer Advocate’s Job

November 13, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Consumer Watchdog says the man hired to be customer advocate for the DWP has failed at his job and needs to go.</p> <p>Consumer Watchdog has sent a letter to Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Attorney Mike Feuer urging them to fire DWP ratepayer advocate Fred Pickel.  Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court explains why:</p> <p>“He has been largely missing in action over this entire overbilling scandal.  We have thousands of customers, consumers getting ripped off by tens of millions of dollars.”</p>

Brown’s Weak Response To Oil Scandal

November 11, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Administration claims any member of public would get similar service</b></p>

Will DWP Reimburse Overcharged Customers?

November 3, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A Judge will decide today if to go ahead with a proposed settlement plan to reimburse overcharged DWP customers.  But Consumer Watchdog says it’s a bad deal.</p> <p>“This settlement is a sweetheart deal for DWP and a BAD deal for consumers.”</p> <p>Consumer Watchdog’s Jamie Court says the settlement puts the fox in charge of the hen house.</p>

Anthem Blue Cross To Pay Consumers $8.3 Mln Over Mid-Year Changes

October 29, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Anthem Blue Cross of California has agreed to pay $8.3 million to settle a pair of class action lawsuits challenging mid-year changes it made to customers’ deductibles in 2011, a consumer advocacy group announced Tuesday.</p> <p>The health insurer has also agreed not to make similar changes in the future, unless new laws or regulations specifically allow it to do so, said Consumer Watchdog, which represented the plaintiffs along with Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley.</p>

An Allergan-Pfizer Deal Could Be Biggest Merger This Year

October 29, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Drug giant Pfizer Inc. and Botox maker Allergan confirmed Thursday that they're in early talks to merge in a blockbuster deal that, if completed, would cap a remarkable consolidation wave roiling the U.S. healthcare industry.</p>

Anthem Agrees To Refund $8.3M to About 50,000 Calif. Policyholders

October 28, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

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Anthem Blue Cross TO Pay California Consumers Over $8 Million, Stems Back To Lawsuit

October 27, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SANTA MONICA (KRON) — Anthem Blue Cross will pay more than $8 million to California consumers.</p> <p>It stems back to a lawsuit, challenging mid-year changes that the insurance company made to individual plans in 2011. The lawsuit claimed Anthem illegally increased “annual deductibles” and other out-of-pocket costs.</p> <p>Consumers do not need to file a claim to receive reimbursement.</p> <p>In December, checks will be mailed to those who paid more as a result of the mid-year changes.</p>

Class Action Settlement Forces Big Insurer To Refund $8 Million To California Consumers

October 27, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>Anthem Blue Cross</strong>, one of the state's largest health insurers, has agreed to a class-action lawsuit settlement that requires it to refund $8.3 million to roughly 50,000 policyholders, and refrain from making mid-year changes to consumers' annual deductibles, co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs.</p> <p>The settlement resolves two lawsuits challenging mid-year changes Anthem made in 2011. The consolidated suits, brought by <strong>Consumer Watchdog</strong> and Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP, were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court two years ago.</p>

Anthem Blue Cross Will Refund $8.3 Million To California Consumers

October 27, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/oct/27/anthem-blue-cross-will-refund-83-million-consumers/">Click here to listen the audio segment of this radio broadcast</a>.</p> <p>Health insurance giant <a data-ajax="false" data-transition="none" href="https://www.anthem.com/health-insurance/home/overview">Anthem Blue Cross</a> will refund $8.3 million to California consumers to <a data-ajax="false" data-transition="none" href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-blue-cross-settlement-20151027-story.html">settle</a> two lawsuits.</p>

Anthem Agrees To Forgo Mid-Year Hikes Of Deductibles, Out-Of-Pocket Limits

October 27, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/10/27/55284/anthem-agrees-to-forgo-mid-year-hikes-of-deductibl/">Click here to listen to the audio segment of this radio broadcast</a>.</p> <p>Anthem Blue Cross has settled a class action lawsuit <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/kassouf_taub_-_settlement_agreement.5.29.15_noe.pdf">by agreeing to forgo mid-year changes </a>to the deductible and out-of-pocket limits on its members' annual plans. The company, California's second-largest health insurer, also agreed to refund $8.3 million to tens of thousands of its members.</p>