Jones Calls Anthem Rate Hike for Small Business Plans ‘Excessive’
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Insurance
Insurance news, investigations, and reform — auto, home, and health insurance rates, claims denials, and industry accountability.
Amid Ballot Fight, State Insurance Commissioner Rips Anthem Rate Hike
<p>In the final days of a battle over Proposition 45, California's insurance commissioner criticized Anthem Blue Cross for an "excessive" rate hike affecting 120,000 people with small-business health coverage.</p>
<p>Dave Jones, the state's elected insurance commissioner, said Anthem had failed to justify its 10% average rate increase and used an "unwarranted accounting maneuver" to mask its high profits.</p>
<p>But Jones has no power to stop Anthem's increase, a fact he's been campaigning hard to change with Proposition 45.</p>
On Eve Of Election, Insurance Commissioner Blasts Anthem Blue Cross Over Some Of Its Rates
<p>With Election Day less than two weeks away, Insurance Commissioner <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/search/results?q=Dave%20Jones">Dave Jones</a> blasted <a class="ct saveLink" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/thousand_oaks/anthem_blue_cross/3352047">Anthem Blue Cross</a> for what he deemed an "unreasonable" rate increase for a small sub-set of its business.</p>
Insurance Commissioner Slams Anthem Rate Increases As ‘Excessive’
<p>California Insurance Commissioner <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=bayarea&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22Dave+Jones%22">Dave Jones</a> on Wednesday accused Anthem <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=bayarea&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22Blue+Cross%22">Blue Cross</a> of imposing “excessive” rate hikes on 120,000 customers covered by the company’s small-business policies.</p>
AM Alert: Millions for California Proposition Campaigns Create Uneven Fights
<p>California ballot measure campaigns have raised more than $83 million since Aug. 1, and each of the six proposition races now features a deeply lopsided financial fight heading into the final weeks before Election Day.</p>
Staggering Campaign Contributions In Many California Races And Proposals
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— California may not have the hotly contested, high-profile races for U.S. Senator or governor that some other states do this year, but it’s still attracting some of the biggest campaign spending in the country.</p>
<p>To many voters, this is kind of a sleepy campaign season, but there’s still close to $200 million being spent on the five most expensive California races.</p>
Calif. Insurers Spend $12M in Five Days on Campaign Against Prop. 45
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Health Insurers Boost No On 45 Funding
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<p>California insurers have pumped more than $12 million over the last five days into a campaign to defeat Proposition 45, an initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot that would regulate health insurance rates.</p>
<p>Blue Shield gave $2.66 million, WellPoint $6 million, Kaiser Permanente $3.73 million and Health Net $350,000, according to late filings at the secretary of state's office.</p>
<p>The latest contributions boost the No on 45's campaign kitty to $55.4 million, while proponents report having raised only about $2.5 million.</p>
Propositions 45, 48: Two Obvious ‘Yes’ Votes
<p>It's almost a foregone conclusion that the Proposition 1 water bond on next month's ballot will pass easily: Every poll shows it with almost a 2-1 lead heading into the vote and the opposition has virtually no money for television commercials.</p>
<p>But two other propositions are almost equally deserving of yes votes, Propositions 45 and 48.</p>
New Anti-Prop. 45 TV Ad Misleads Viewers
<p class="loose"><span class="verdana"><span class="hit">Proposition</span> <span class="hit">45</span> would allow California's elected insurance commissioner to regulate health plan rates for 6 million Californians with individual policies or who get their insurance as employees of small businesses.</span></p>
<p class="loose"><span class="verdana">The No on 45 campaign recently released a 30-second television ad, now running in major media markets.</span></p>
Editorial: Yes On Prop. 45, A Missing Link Health Insurance
<p class="loose"><span class="verdana"><span class="hit">Proposition</span> <span class="hit">45</span> on the Nov. 4 ballot would let California’s elected insurance commissioner reject excessive health insurance rates. </span></p>
Roundtable Looks At Props 45 & 46, SDPD Body Cameras, Minimum Wage Reboot
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/th9PG4TQ5yE" width="560"></iframe><b>Props 45, 46 Facing Tough Road</b></p>
<p>Groups opposing California <a data-ajax="false" data-transition="none" href="http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/oct/14/prop-45-seeks-limit-health-insurance-price-hikes/" rel="external">Proposition 45</a>, which provides a mechanism to regulate rate hikes for health insurance, and Prop 46, which seeks to raise the cap on medical malpractice awards established in 1975, have raised millions and are using it on ads.</p>