Consumer Watchdog's Recent Victories
Here's a selection of some of our recent victories:
- Saved motorists and homeowners more than $1 billion in recent years using Proposition 103’s intervener system to rollback insurance companies’ proposed premium increases.
- Led the campaign in California and nation to stop “use it and lose it” health insurance coverage, resulting in new regulations to prevent health insurers from canceling patients’ health coverage unless they prove a patient has intentionally misrepresented their condition.
- Prevented an Intel-led corporate coalition from qualifying a ballot measure to destroy the class action system by waging a corporate campaign that caused Intel to withdraw the measure.
- Implemented the final provision of insurance reform Proposition 103. In 2008 auto insurance companies will charge motorists based on their driving record, not their ZIP-code.
- Created public and political will for proposals requiring health insurers to sell policies to every one regardless of health condition and to price policies more fairly.
- Blocked insurer-backed legislation to double charge policyholders paying for premiums on an installment basis; to allow agents to overcharge policyholders; and to require all Californians to purchase unregulated health insurance with no controls on premiums or defined benefits.
- Legal victories during the past year included getting Automobile Club of Southern California to refund $22.5 million to motorists, slashing Allstate’s auto insurance rates by $250 million, and forcing Farmers Insurance to return $1.4 million in illegal surcharges and pay a $2 million fine.
- Created the most comprehensive online watchdog of the oil industry, Oilwatchdog.org and led campaigns exposing the oil industry’s $2 billion per year consumer rip-off known as “hot fuel” and fighting for cheaper and cleaner energy.
- Forced the California stem cell oversight agency to give taxpayers a return on their investment and live up to stricter conflict of interest standards.
