Since 2012, health insurance companies have imposed more than $300 million in rate hikes deemed by the California regulators to be excessive and unjustified. In addition to these actual higher premiums, shrinking physician networks, fewer benefits, increasing out-of-network charges and soaring deductibles have become the hidden premium hike for health insurance that an increasing number of consumers simply can't afford.
A few hearings next week might spark some interest. Assembly Health will be taking up Assemblyman David Chiu's timely AB 463, the Pharmaceutical Cost Transparency Act, which would require drug companies to reveal operational costs in order to better understand pricing for ultra-high-priced drugs.
What do Caitlyn Jenner and residents of a small, poisoned development in Riverside County have in common? They have both been disparaged and belittled by a top state toxicologist.
Gov. Jerry Brown must release all his emails connected to the Public Utilities Commission's San Onofre Nuclear power plant scandal. Otherwise, Attorney General Kamala Harris needs to dig deeper to see if he was involved in negotiating a horrendous settlement to the detriment of ratepayers.
Over near Porter Ranch, SoCal Gas’s catastrophic natural gas leak continually belches a noxious black cloud. Besides emitting enough planet warming methane to fill the Empire State Building every day, it’s giving residents headaches, dizziness, nausea, and nosebleeds. They’re breathing methyl mercaptan that, at very high levels, can cause anemia and internal bleeding; benzene, a known carcinogen; and radon, a radioactive gas.
For California, 2015 was the year of the price spike. Could 2016 be the year of courage?
A year ago, Consumer Watchdog warned that the oil industry would use 2015 to raise gas prices for huge profits and to push its political agenda. Predictably, the industry obscenely raised prices, making 2015 a record year for California gas prices compared to the national average. In Los Angeles, consumers are still paying over a dollar more than the rest of the nation.