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Holding Health Insurers Accountable
News Story
5/13/2013
Posted by Mark Reback
The 9th Council District, among the poorest in the city, has become a hot spot for campaign contributions, with special interests spending big in the race to replace termed-out Councilwoman Jan Perry.
L.A.'s 9th City Council District is among the poorest in the city, taking in a stretch of South Los Angeles where the median household income is...
News Story
5/10/2013
Posted by Mark Reback
Database: Average charges for procedures by California hospitals
Data released this week by the federal government that show a wide variation of what hospitals charge Medicare for everything from pacemakers to hip replacement to obstructive pulmonary disease may bolster a discussion on fair pricing but does little to help the average consumer...
News Story
5/9/2013
Posted by Mark Reback
In Oakland, Alameda County Medical Center charged an average of $19,855 for a patient with seizures in 2011, while Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - less than 4 miles away in the same city - billed $48,923 to treat the same condition.
Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae charged $110,394 for patients with drug poisoning, while at Peninsula...
News Story
4/4/2013
Posted by Mark Reback
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has irritated the insurance industry and surprised public-policy analysts by hiring Consumer Watchdog, a vocal insurance industry critic, to assist in reviewing health insurance rate increases, the Los Angeles Times reports.
In a one-year contract worth up to $88,000, Consumer Watchdog will supplement...
News Release
4/4/2013
Posted by Carmen Balber
Santa Monica, CA – The former CEO of Wellpoint, Angela Braly, was paid $20 million after resigning under pressure last year, news that broke the day after the insurer’s California subsidiary, Anthem Blue Cross, was taken to task for raising rates unreasonably for thousands of California small businesses.
The development...
News Story
4/4/2013
Posted by Mark Reback
The California insurance department has called on Consumer Watchdog to help review health insurance rates increases following Commissioner Dave Jones' censure of Anthem Blue Cross L&H Insurance Co.'s small-group rate increases, the Los Angeles Times reported April 3.
The insurance department and Consumer Watchdog inked a one-year...
News Story
4/3/2013
Posted by Mark Reback
The commissioner's enlistment of Consumer Watchdog to help review health rates raises eyebrows.
Callifornia Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones lashed out Tuesday at another double-digit rate hike for thousands of small businesses getting their health insurance from industry giant Anthem Blue Cross.
But this time Jones got some help from a...
News Release
4/2/2013
Posted by Doug Heller
Santa Monica, CA –Anthem Blue Cross is again imposing an unreasonable rate increase on its small business customers, and California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced today that the company will not budge on this excessive rate hike.
Working with an independent actuary, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Consumer Watchdog analyzed the data...
News Story
4/1/2013
Posted by Mark Reback
Anthem Blue Cross sued for requiring HIV clients to order meds through the mail.
A class action lawsuit in San Diego maintains that it’s illegal for Anthem Blue Cross to force people to buy medications through the mail instead of at a pharmacy. Days before the mandatory mail policy was slated to kick in March 1, Anthem announced that due...
News Story
3/27/2013
Posted by Mark Reback
While most of us face uncertainty with the rollout of healthcare reform, some insurance companies in California have been feeling their oats lately. Here's how they're responding to Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones' warnings that their latest rate increases are unreasonable: Stuff it, Dave.
That essentially was the response of Blue...
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