[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Doug Heller
Executive Director
Consumer Watchdog

Mercury Insurance is holding a press conference today with California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to announce rate decreases for drivers, homeowners and renters. As the LA Times reports.

The auto rate reductions were based partially on new state criteria [implementing Proposition 103] that downplay the importance of the ZIP Code where a car is typically parked overnight. The cut took effect in May but had not been announced, the department said.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Sara S. Nichols

Although the job of (statewide elected California) Insurance Commissioner is not often associated with environmental issues, both the current and the immediate past job holders ran green. With the Southern California firestorms highlighting the effect of global climate change on the possibility of disasters and their attendant insurance claims, one wonders, what will/have these insurance commissioners done to move the insurance industry into political/economic reality?

In Europe, the insurance industry has been a crucial partner with environmentalists to pursue sane environmental policies that stem the production of greenhouse gases, thereby slowing global climate change, and protecting their bottom line.

In the U.S., the insurance industry routinely acts in lockstep with the Chamber of Commerce to oppose environmental bills which inconvenience polluters.

Past (Democratic) Insurance Commissioner and current Lt. Governor John Garamendi wants to be governor of California. He calls himself an environmentalist and campaigns on the need to do something about global climate change. Yet, when he was Insurance Commissioner did he use his position to nudge the insurance industry out of its historically anti-environmental stance? I don't recall hearing about such efforts.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Denial of Needed Care Leaving Family Destitute--Unfortunately is Typical

By Frank D. Russo

Greg Parr was injured over three years ago while working as an electrician. He fell and injured his left arm and shoulder. After more than three years, he still can’t get authorization for needed care.

Outside the Workers Compensation Appeals Board in downtown Riverside, he told his story of how an insurance company has been able to get away with leaving him and his family I the lurch by overruling medical care recommended by his doctor that he needs to get back to work. He called for Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and Division of Workers Compensation Director Carrie Nevans to investigate insurance company abuse of "medical care review."

If this was just a single case, it would be a personal tragedy. Unfortunately it is all too common. As an attorney who represented injured workers for over a quarter of a century, I have seen this before, but what is accepted as commonplace today is far worse than it has been in the past.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

For some Californians, no budget may mean no care in a matter of weeks. This Thursday, hospitals, clinics and nursinghomes throughout the state will not receive the $212.6 million inearned medical reimbursements and Medi-Cal was shortchanged $227million last week, the Sacramento Bee reports.

The late budget is also resulting in deferred progress on a new SanQuentin death chamber, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. This shouldbe of concern to our law and order friends on the other side, but Senator George Runner of Lancaster (above) shrugged the concerns off as "ridiculous." If only he held the same sentiment about the death penalty itself.

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that thestate's six largest preferred provider organizations—Aetna, HealthNet,Cigna, Blue Shield, Well Point and United—have agreed to provide dataon patient satisfaction and quality of care for a new consumer report card, according to the Bee. It's a step in the right direction, as long as bad grades are handed out when they are deserved.

There's more...

Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.