Insurance

Insurer Plan to Weaken Health Reform Would Increase Deficit $1 Billion

November 9, 2012  ·  Carmen Balber

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2524" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/images_healthdollars.png" style="width: 175px; height: 94px; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px; float: right;" width="375" height="201" />Lost in the ongoing election postmortem was this <a href="https://consumerwatchdog.org/resources/cbohr1206.pdf">report yesterday from the Congressional Budget Office</a> that a bill being pushed by the insurance industry and its salespeople to eliminate one of the strongest consumer protections in the health reform law would increase the deficit by more than $1 billion and raise health insurance costs for consumers.</p>

Will the billionaires learn the rules of ballot measures?

November 8, 2012  ·  Jamie Court

<p><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2521" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/victorysign.jpg" style="width: 100px; height: 116px; float: right;" width="86" height="100" />Insurance companies learned a lesson election night in California:  Don’t try to fool the voters or you’ll be the one looking foolish.<br /> <br /> <b>Thanks to your help voters saw through one insurance billionaire’s deceptive campaign and rejected Prop 33 with 55% opposed</b>.<br /> <br />

Prop. 33 Fight Over Auto Insurance Pricing Ends In Defeat

November 7, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO — A Los Angeles insurance executive's drive to boost his company's fortunes by seeking authority to offer a new auto coverage discount got trounced by voters.</p> <p>Proposition 33, bankrolled by Mercury General Corp. Chairman George Joseph, lost with 45.4% of the vote to opposition of 54.6% with all California precincts reporting.</p> <p>The measure would have allowed insurers such as Mercury to give low-risk drivers a new discount when they switch companies.</p>

Voters Reject Bid To Change Insurance Rate-Setting

November 7, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span class="SS_L3"><span class="verdana">LOS ANGELES, CA -- </span></span><span class="SS_L3"><span class="verdana">For the second time in three years, voters have rejected a ballot initiative that would have let auto insurers charge drivers based on their history of maintaining coverage.</span></span></p> <p class="loose"><span class="SS_L3"><span class="verdana"><span class="hit"><span>Proposition 33</span></span> failed Tuesday with about 55 percent voting against.</span></span></p>

Proposition 33 Opponents Ready To Take On Health Insurers

November 7, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO -- The consumer activists that defeated the Proposition 33 auto insurance initiative, despite their small budget, are crowing over their victory and spoiling for a new fight.</p> <p>This tiime, it's with the health insurance industry.</p> <p>Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica is winding up its own initiative on the 2014 ballot to regulate health insurance rates in much the same way the state oversees auto insurance premiums under California's landmark Proposition 103 law of 1988.</p>

Californians Lump Props. 32 and 33; a Referendum on the ‘B’ Word

November 7, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The “B” word may have been the most lethal weapon against an automobile insurance portable persistency initiative put to Californians, the second such initiative in the last two years to be defeated.</p> <p>California’s Proposition 33, <a href="http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2012/01/20/231971.htm" target="_blank" title="Auto Insurance Discount Act Qualifies For California Ballot" rel="noopener">the 2012 Automobile Insurance Discount Act</a>, was defeated with 54.6 percent voting against it, while it got 45.4 “yes” votes.</p>

Prop 33: Car Insurance Changes Defeated

November 7, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>SACRAMENTO</strong> -- Voters rejected <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/propositions/">Proposition</a> 33, a measure that would have allowed car insurers to offer discounts to drivers who maintain continuous coverage and raise rates on those who do not have a consistent history of coverage.</p>

Please Vote No On Prop 33 Today

November 6, 2012  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2515" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/stopprop33.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px; float: right; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px;" width="550" height="550" />For the last 25 years, I've worked day and night to keep insurance rates low here in California. That's why I'm <strong>OPPOSED to PROP 33</strong>, the Mercury Insurance Company Initiative…and I need your help to get the word out.<br /> <br />

Proposition 33 Auto Insurance Changes: George Joseph’s Record Under Fire

November 5, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The guy behind Proposition 33, insurance magnate George Joseph, has spent nearly $17 million to fight for the right to extend discounts to drivers who've had five years of uninterrupted coverage, even if that coverage has come from more than one company.</p> <p>Joseph has said that he's pushing the measure because he believes it would lead to more competition -- which would be good for consumers. But critics say the self-made billionaire has profit on his mind, and that such "discounts" are a sneaky way to ensure rates will rise for young, and poor, drivers.</p>

Prop. 33 Likely To Produce More, Not Fewer, Uninsured Drivers

November 5, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The campaign in favor of Proposition 33 has been so consistently misleading, it's almost pointless to keep criticizing the measure's supporters for warping the facts. Nevertheless, an advertisement Monday in favor of the measure makes a point that bears rebutting before voters head to the polls.</p>

Mercury General Chairman Gives Nearly 17M To Prop. 33

November 5, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>It might not get the attention of some of the other propositions, but Proposition 33 is attracting some big money, at least on one side and from one person. <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Prop-33-restarts-auto-insurance-debate-3852190.php" target="_top" rel="noopener">The measure would allow</a> car insurers to give discounts to drivers who have maintained continuous coverage and to charge more to drivers without such an insurance history.</p>

A Letter to the President Can Matter: Ours Changed Hyundai’s MPG Claims And Evened the Playing Field For US Carmakers

November 3, 2012  ·  Jamie Court

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2466" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/jamiepic-new1.jpg" style="width: 150px; height: 226px; float: right;" width="133" height="200" />If you doubt that writing the White House can make a difference, just look at <strong><a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/ltrwhitehousempg011212_0.pdf">the letter</a></strong> my Consumer Watchdog colleague Judy Dugan and I wrote to the President in January calling for an audit of the inflated MPG claims for the Hyundai Elantra.