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Video
5/23/2013
Auto Club of Southern California customers will receive an average 4.1 percent rate reduction on policies starting July 1, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced Wednesday.
The company agreed to lower its rates by $70 million, or an average of $35 per policyholder, following discussions with the California Department of Insurance and the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog.
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News Release
5/23/2013
Jamie Court
Santa Monica, CA -- Consumer Watchdog responded today to the news that the state’s three largest health insurance companies -- Blue Cross, Blue Shield and Kaiser -- would continue to dominate the health insurance market in the California health exchange with concerns that patients will continue to pay excessive premiums because of decreased competition. The group applauded the fact...
News Release
5/23/2013
Jerry Flanagan, Consumer Watchdog & Edith Kallas, Whatley Kallas, LLC
Santa Monica, CA – Anthem Blue Cross patients with HIV/AIDS may “opt-out” of a program that would have required them to obtain their medications by mail order under a settlement announced today by Consumer Watchdog and Whatley Kallas LLC.
The lawsuit, filed in January in San Diego Superior Court, alleged that Blue Cross’s mandatory mail order program announced late...
Blog Post
5/21/2013
By John M. Simpson
There's growing evidence that privacy is not a partisan issue. Representative Joe Barton, a conservative Republican from Texas, has signed on to be a co-sponsor of Rep. Hank Johnson's bill to increase consumer privacy protection on mobile devices.
Barton is the co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus, eight members of which sent a letter last week asking Google tough...
Blog Post
5/16/2013
By John M. Simpson
Eight members of Congress have sent a letter to Google CEO Larry Page asking tough and necessary questions about the Internet giant's new wearable computing device, Google Glass.
The letter from members of the Bipartisan Privacy Caucus, whose Co-chairman is conservative Joe Barton, (R-TX), says, "As members of the Congressional Bipartisan Privacy Caucus, we are curious whether this new...
Blog Post
5/3/2013
Kathy Olsen, Special to Consumer Watchdog
Since 1975 the value of everything has gone up, except the value of my son’s life under California law.
Yesterday my son, Steven and I went to Sacramento to say “38 years is too late.” We announced a ballot initiative to create stronger patient safety laws and adjust this nearly 38 year-old law. You can join our efforts by reading our story and others of patients like us...
News Release
5/23/2013
Jerry Flanagan, Consumer Watchdog & Edith Kallas, Whatley Kallas, LLC
Santa Monica, CA – Anthem Blue Cross patients with HIV/AIDS may “opt-out” of a program that would have required them to obtain their medications by mail order under a settlement announced today by Consumer Watchdog and Whatley Kallas LLC.
The lawsuit, filed in January in San Diego Superior Court, alleged that Blue Cross’s mandatory mail order program announced late...
News Release
5/23/2013
Jamie Court
Santa Monica, CA -- Consumer Watchdog responded today to the news that the state’s three largest health insurance companies -- Blue Cross, Blue Shield and Kaiser -- would continue to dominate the health insurance market in the California health exchange with concerns that patients will continue to pay excessive premiums because of decreased competition. The group applauded the fact...
News Release
5/22/2013
Doug Heller
Santa Monica, CA – California drivers insured by Auto Club of Southern California will receive an average rate decrease of 4.1% after the company agreed to lower premiums following discussions with the California Department of Insurance and Consumer Watchdog. The nonprofit Consumer Watchdog challenged a 2012 Auto Club filing with the Department of Insurance that would not have...
Legal Update
3/25/2013
By Pam Pressley
Our Legal Team had a busy week last week, with two big auto insurance rate victories and significant steps forward in our legal cases against insurance company abuses. Here are some highlights of our accomplishments just this past week:
1) Slashed Farmers' requested auto rate increase in half from 6.9% to 3.5%
2) Lowered So Cal Auto Club auto insurance rates by -4.1%
3)...
Legal Update
2/20/2013
By Laura Antonini
Last Thursday, February 14, Federal District Court Judge George H. Wu held an initial hearing on class action lawsuits filed against Hyundai and Kia across the country for falsifying gas mileage estimates. The lawsuits were sent to Judge Wu’s court in response to a petition filed by the Consumer Watchdog legal team, whose year long investigation of consumer complaints first exposed the...
Legal Update
2/13/2013
By Laura Antonini
Federal District Court Judge George H. Wu will hold his first hearing Thursday in the litigation over the MPG fraud by Hyundai and Kia. You can read the details of our latest lawsuit -- airing the complaints consumers across America who were victims on the fraud.
Last week, Consumer Watchdog’s request to centralize all cases against Hyundai and Kia for misrepresenting vehicle...
Video
5/23/2013
Auto Club of Southern California customers will receive an average 4.1 percent rate reduction on policies starting July 1, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced Wednesday.
The company agreed to lower its rates by $70 million, or an average of $35 per policyholder, following discussions with the California Department of Insurance and the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog.
Video
5/22/2013
Patients usually are able to put their trust in medical professionals, but in the Bay Area some bad doctors are showing up with perfect records because the medical board that oversees them isn't doing its job.
Video
5/21/2013
Danville resident Bob Pack is on a mission to make random drug and alcohol testing of doctors mandatory, as pilots, bus drivers and even Wal-Mart employees already have to do.
Bob lost his seven and ten year old children to a drug addict who fell asleep at the wheel because doctors and the state’s largest HMO, Kaiser, gave her thousands of drugs without keeping track of her. He's...
Success Stories
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Consumer Watchdog's founder led the 1988 voter revolt against insurers that passed Proposition 103 and saved Californians billions.
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We drove Congress to place a ban on HMOs discharging newborns and their mothers from the hospital 8 hours after birth.
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We beat a deceptive campaign funded by one of America's wealthiest men, ending insurers’ redlining of poor neighborhoods.
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