Insurance

Blue Cross Sued Over ‘Bait And Switch’ Deductible Hikes

November 15, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Law360, New York  -- Anthem Blue Cross was hit with a class action Monday by policyholders accusing the California health insurer of using “bait and switch” strategies to unilaterally change plan contract terms by increasing annual deductibles and premiums in the middle of the deductible year.<br /> <br />

Anthem Blue Cross Sued Over Higher Medical Insurance Deductibles

November 15, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Consumer Watchdog says California's largest for-profit health insurance company used 'bait and switch' tactics to raise deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for some customers May 1.</b></p>

Do Layaway Plans Have Consumer Interest at Heart?

November 14, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Retailers are rolling out layaway plans in preparation for another holiday season adrift in a serious recession, but Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court tells KGO's Scott Lettieri that "Depending on the price and the policy, you could be playing a lot more than if you'd put the purchase on a credit card."</p> <p> <a href="http://www.kgoam810.com/FlashPlayer/default.asp?SPID=0&ID=2334143">Click here to listen to the audio segment</a> of this radio broadcast.</p>

California Consumer Group Pushing Ballot Initiative Requiring Regulatory Approval for Price Hikes

November 14, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b>ANALYSIS: Keeping an eye on insurance rates in the Golden State </b></p> <p> If there is one organization that insurers despise and fear more than any other, it surely must be Consumer Watchdog.</p>

Consumer Group: 3 Reasons Why Health Reform Won’t Put Brokers Out of Business

November 14, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> A consumer advocate group wants to be part of an insurance-industry discussion on whether to exempt broker and agent compensation from a health reform law that aims to cut wasteful insurer spending.</p> <p> The group, Consumer Watchdog, is rallying members to demand that state insurance commissioners reject a resolution that removes producer compensation from medical loss ratio (MLR) calculation.</p> <p> The MLR rule, enacted under the Affordable Care Act, requires insurers to spend 80 to 85 percent of revenue on health care and quality improvement efforts.</p>

Ballot Initiative Would Target Health Care Premiums

November 11, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Debate over the controversial issue of health care rate regulation came roaring back midweek.</p> <p> That’s when Consumer Watchdog, the Los Angeles advocacy group that makes health plans bristle, announced it has filed a proposed ballot initiative with the California Attorney General that would regulate health care premiums.</p> <p> The initiative goes further than Assembly Bill 52, a hotly contested rate regulation bill withdrawn by its author in the final days of the last legislative session.</p>

Initiative to Expand California Prop 103 Ignites Insurance Battle

November 11, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> A ballot initiative to expand the scope of California’s Proposition 103 to include health insurance could also impact the auto insurance industry by challenging a long-sought-after initiative on auto insurance discounts for persistency, industry watchers say.</p>

Mitt Romney’s Medicare Plan: The Most Expensive Way to Fix Nothing

November 11, 2011  ·  Judy Dugan

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Calif. Health Insurance Initiative Drive Started

November 10, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> A consumer group started an effort this week to get an initiative on the ballot that would give the state insurance commissioner the power to accept or reject excessive health insurance rates.</p> <p> <span id="articlebody">By early January, Consumer Watchdog expects to be able to start collecting the more than 500,000 signatures it needs to get the proposed measure on the November 2012 ballot.</span></p>

Advocacy Group Pushes for More Robust Health Insurance Oversight

November 10, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Consumer Watchdog, a not-for-profit consumer advocacy organization, <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/blog/big-news-were-going-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is pushing for a November 2012 ballot measure</a> that would grant authority to the state insurance commissioner to regulate health insurance rates, the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/10/BAL31LSV32.DTL" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><i>San Francisco Chronicle</i></a> reports (Colliver, <i>San Francisco Chronicle</i>, 11/10).</p> <p class="subheading"> Details of the Measure</p>

Health Insurance Rate Regulation May Be On November Ballot

November 10, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> The contentious issue of regulating California's health care insurance industry is back.</p> <p> After AB 52 by Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) was shelved at the end of the last legislative session, that looked like the final word on the prospect of regulating health insurance rates.</p> <p> Yesterday, Consumer Watchdog filed paperwork to take health insurance rate regulation to the voters.</p> <p> There are some differences between the proposed ballot measure and AB 52, according to Jamie Court of Consumer Watchdog.</p>

Big News – We’re Going To The Ballot!

November 9, 2011  ·  Jamie Court

<p> <img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2250" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/images_jamiepic-new1.jpg" style="width: 100px; height: 150px; float: right;" width="133" height="200" />We just filed our ballot initiative to make health insurance companies open their books and publicly justify, under penalty of perjury, proposed rate changes before they take effect.</p> <p> If we collect 504,760 signatures to qualify the measure, California voters will have the opportunity to vote on <i>The Insurance Rate Public Justification And Accountability Act</i> on November 6, 2012.</p>