Insurance

Blue Shield Finally Has To Pay

March 18, 2015 · Jamie Court

Remember, months ago, when we called out nonprofit Blue Shield for spending policyholder money to buy a luxury skybox at San Francisco 49ers games?<img _fcksavedurl="http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6563/images/BlueShieldSept11Protest.png" align="right" alt="" height="214" src="http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6563/images/BlueShieldSept11Protest.png" width="286" />

With Billions In The Bank, Blue Shield of California Loses Its State Tax-Exempt Status

March 18, 2015 · Mark Reback

Authorities have revoked the tax-exempt status of nonprofit Blue Shield of California, potentially putting it on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in state taxes each year. The move by the California Franchise Tax Board comes as the state's third-largest health insurer faces fresh criticism over its rate hikes, executive pay and $4.2 billion in financial reserves. The state quietly stripped the San Francisco insurer of its exemption from California income taxes in August. The company held that since its founding in 1939.

State Revokes Blue Shield of California’s Tax-Exempt Status

March 18, 2015 · Mark Reback

On the Blue Shield of California Web page called “<a href="https://www.blueshieldca.com/employer/knowledge-center/features/perspectives/not-for-profit.sp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What Does Being a Not-for-Profit Mean to Us</a>?” the health insurer provides an answer: <blockquote> Operationally, it means we don’t answer to Wall Street – we don’t need to generate returns to shareholders. Philosophically, being a not-for-profit means we’re guided by our mission to ensure all Californians have access to high-quality health care at an affordable price.

Cleaning Up Exide, After Decades of Pollution and Misconduct

March 16, 2015 · Mark Reback

Listen to the audio of this radio broadcast here: <a href="http://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/which-way-la/cleaning-up-exide-after-decades-of-pollution-and-misconduct">http://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/which-way-la/cleaning-up-exide-after-decades-of-pollution-and-misconduct</a> WHICH WAY LA?

Watchdog: Are You Paying Too Much? Gas Pumps, Grocery Scales, Barcode Scanners Infrequently Inspected For Accuracy In Orange County

March 14, 2015 · Mark Reback

Above a chilled tray of pork chorizo, Seth Birenbaum set another cast iron weight on a grocery scale and scrutinized its digital control panel. The weights equaled precisely 15 pounds but the panel showed nearly an ounce less. “That’s out of tolerance,” Birenbaum said, walking to the nearest store clerk. “This one, it’s weighing light so you’re losing money on it. You need to get it re-calibrated.”

Stockton Is Priciest Area For Auto Policies

March 12, 2015 · Mark Reback

<blockquote>Stockton is among California’s most expensive cities for auto insurance.</blockquote> <blockquote>Motorists living in other San Joaquin County cities will pay on average at least 10 percent less than the average rate in Stockton, according to a recent study by ValuePenguin.com, a financial services comparison site.</blockquote>

Google Roars Onto Auto Insurance Turf

March 11, 2015 · Mark Reback

Google last week launched an auto insurance <a href="https://www.google.com/compare/autoinsurance/form?p=home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rate comparison site</a> in California. <div id="story-body"> Mercury Insurance, MetLife and 21st Century Insurance are among the 14 firms already signed up as partners, and Google promises more will follow. <a href="http://www.boltinc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bolt Solutions</a> last week announced that it too has joined up. "We have a Google Compare agreement with Google," said Bolt spokesperson Chrissy Snyder.

US Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights Doesn’t Go Far Enough, Critics and Supporters Say

March 2, 2015 · Mark Reback

Three years after it first proposed such a move the White House has introduced a draft Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights (CPBR) that would give consumers clearer and more guarantees on how personal data is protected by organisations – regardless of the sector those organisations operate in. The draft bill seems to be taking heat from all sides, and if adopted it would bring US policy on privacy protection in the age of big data more in line with the draft legislation in Europe.

FCC Should Prohibit DIRECTV’s Anti-Consumer Practices By Freezing Rates and Banning Excessive Fees, Or Block $49 Billion AT&T Merger

February 25, 2015 · John M. Simpson

<img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2877" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/images_fcc.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 250px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="300" height="300" />Los Angeles, CA – Consumer Watchdog today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reject AT&T’s proposed purchase of the satellite television company DIRECTV unless the company agrees to eliminate DIRECTV’s anti-consumer policy of charging massive Early Termination Fees, often taken directly from a customer’s bank account or credit card without notice.

A Letter Can Change Things, Including EPA Standards

February 24, 2015 · Cody Rosenfield

<img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2852" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/images_epalogo_0.jpg" style="width: 231px; height: 231px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="231" height="231" />Four years ago, after an avalanche of complaints about Hyundai’s Elantra’s inflated mileage, Consumer Watchdog <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/ltrepaelantra11292011.pdf">wrote the EPA about the problems with trusting automakers to self-test their MPG claims</a>. Yesterday, the EPA toughened its testing procedures for the first time in a decade.

HEALTH NET: Faces Class Suit Over Alleged Inferior Health Plans

February 19, 2015 · Mark Reback

Health Net used bait-and-switch tactics to enroll Californians into its inferior health plans under the federal Affordable Care Act, a class claims in court. Rebecca Lehman, of Los Angeles County, and Heather Womick, of Orange County, filed the complaint on December 19 in Los Angeles Superior Court against Health Net of California Inc., and its subsidiary Health Net Life Insurance Co.

How To Pay for Retiree Health Coverage

January 22, 2015 · Mark Reback

<div class="block__content block--article__content" id="page_0_content_1_BlockContent"> When he took office as California's new treasurer this month, John Chiang (D) issued a warning about rising health care costs for retired state workers: "If we continue to do nothing, we will be sowing the seeds of a future crisis," Chiang said. "The price tag associated with providing health care to retired state workers has quietly grown to rival or even eclipse the funding gap associated with public pensions."

Prop 103 California Insurance Reform

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

Homeowners Dropped by Insurers