Dept. of Insurance

Civil Rights Groups Call For Public Hearing Into Auto Insurance Price Discrimination

Submitted by Carmen Balber on Wed, 05/24/2017 - 17:42

It took a voter revolt 29 years ago to force the insurance industry to start pricing auto insurance in California based on how well and how much you drive, instead of who you are or where you live. Before that, drivers in inner cities and other “undesirable” zip codes (read: low-income, minority) had to pay a fortune for auto insurance, if they could buy it at all. Prop 103’s insurance reforms changed that. Or at least they were supposed to.

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Court Rejects Insurance Industry Sleight-of-Hand

Submitted by Carmen Balber on Sun, 02/12/2017 - 17:51
“Hocus pocus.”  “Smoke and mirrors.”
 
These words appeared late Friday afternoon in a published decision of the California Court of Appeal in Sacramento describing the insurance industry’s latest failed attack on the consumer protections of insurance reform Proposition 103.
 
The Court upheld Prop 103 rules that prevent insurance companies from earning excessive profits and prohibit them from passing on excessive costs – like sports sponsorships – to consumers.
 

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Surprise! Insurance Industry Hands Revealed Behind Prop 103 Attack

Submitted by Carmen Balber on Wed, 01/18/2017 - 11:22

California consumers and small business owners saved $246 million dollars on their insurance in 2016 thanks to public rate challenges brought by Consumer Watchdog under insurance reform initiative Proposition 103.

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Anthem-Cigna, Aetna-Humana Mergers, Split Regulators

Submitted by Carmen Balber on Sun, 06/26/2016 - 13:09

Last week, the California Department of Managed Health Care approved the merger of Aetna and Humana. The move seemed unlikely after a hearing at which DMHC Director Shelley Rouillard expressed skepticism about how the deal could benefit consumers, noting especially Aetna’s history of serial unreasonable rate hikes ($39 million in excessive rates in just 8 months).

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Is Aetna Lazy, or just Greedy?

Submitted by Carmen Balber on Wed, 04/27/2016 - 12:19

The Department of Insurance held a hearing this morning into the proposed $37 billion merger of health insurance giants Aetna and Humana. Aetna is seeking to expand its market share the lazy way by buying up competitors instead of gaining customers the old-fashioned way: by having the best product. 

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CA Senator Kills Health Insurance Regulation, Now Look - Unreasonable Rates

Submitted by Eddie Barrera on Thu, 01/28/2016 - 09:49
Only a politician would promise to protect consumers from a problem he caused.  
 

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