Consumer Watchdog

Watchdog To 'Stop Discrimination In Its Tracks'

Reuters | Posted 04.19.2012

Read More: Richard Cordray, Gender Discrimination, Discriminatory Lending, Consumer Watchdog, Reuters, Cfpb, Discrimination, Richard Cordray Cfpb, Cfpb Discriminatory Lending, Racial Discrimination, Money News

By Dave Clarke WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - The new U.S. consumer financial watchdog said on Wednesday it will aggressively pursue...

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The 10 Most Fraudulent States

24/7 Wall St. | Michael B. Sauter | Posted 04.12.2012

Read More: Fraud, Sentinel Network Data Book, Foreclosure Crisis, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 24/7 Wall St., Ftc, Identity Theft, Consumer Watchdog, Credit Karma, Division of Planning and Labor, Mortgage Debt, Federal Trade Commission, Business News

From 24/7 Wall St.: When times are hard, fraud often gets worse. Americans are under great financial pressure, and there is no shortage of criminals w...

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Taking the Initiative in a Struggle Against Excessive Rate Increases

Wendell Potter | Posted 04.21.2012

Read More: California-Healthcare-Foundation, Unitedhealth, Dave Jones, California, Obamacare, Consumer Watchdog, Dianne Feinstein, Affordable Care Act, Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Wellpoint, Health Insurance Rate Increases, Rate Increases Health Insurance, California Health Insurance Rate Increases, Politics News
Wendell Potter

When insurers behave this way, they are demonstrating that they care more about their bottom lines than their policyholders. Which makes it all the more imperative for California voters to sign those petitions and vote for the ballot initiative this fall.

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Will Patients Beat Blue Shield Again... This Time With the First Online Ballot Petition for Rate Regulation?

Jamie Court | Posted 04.09.2012

Read More: Insurance Rate Hikes, Health Insurance, Blue Shield, Ballot Initiative, Consumer Watchdog, Health Insurance Reform, Video, California Justify Rates, Politics News
Jamie Court

Shouldn't the CEOs of health insurance companies like Blue Shield have to sign under penalty of perjury that their rate hikes are justified? Californians will vote on that proposition in November, and are almost sure to approve.

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A Determined Dog Goes After Insurers Again to Save Consumers Billions

Wendell Potter | Posted 01.14.2012

Read More: California, Obamacare, Consumer Federation of America, Jamie-Court, Consumer Watchdog, Health Insurers, Health Care Reform, Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance, 2014 Health Care, Obama Health Care, Health Care Consumer Watchdog, Health Care Costs, Politics News
Wendell Potter

If there is one organization that insurers despise and fear more than any other, it surely must be Consumer Watchdog.

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Jerry Brown Sends Birthday Present to the 99% on 100th Anniversary of Ballot Initiative Process

Jamie Court | Posted 12.10.2011

Read More: Mercury Insurance, Ballot Initiative, Consumer Watchdog, Jerry Brown, Politics News
Jamie Court

With a simple signature, Brown has struck a blow for populism in the ballot initiative process by signing a new law to clarify that all ballot initiatives be voted on in November, when twice the number of voters show up, rather than in primary elections.

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Friday Talking Points -- Long Live Steve Jobs

Chris Weigant | Posted 12.07.2011

Read More: Floppy, President Obama, Consumer Watchdog, Medical Marijuana, Occupy Wall Street, Obama, Democratic, Neill Franklin, Parc, Eric Holder, Macintosh, California, Republican, Apple, Values, Midotw, Xerox, Macintosh Division, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, American Jobs Act, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Steve Jobs, Mac, House, Computers, Democrat, Thomas Edison, Congress, Democrats, Bill Panzer, Barack Obama, Leap, 99 Percent, Gui, Wall Street, Mddotw, Chris Weigant, Harry Reid, Friday Talking Points, Millionaires Tax, Chuck Schumer, Senate, Politics News
Chris Weigant

[Note: Today's column is seriously disjointed. If you're already sick of hearing what a wonderful guy Steve Jobs was, then I strongly advise you to j...

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Andrea Stone

Kids, Veterans, Police Charities Get Failing Grades In Watchdog Ranking

HuffingtonPost.com | Andrea Stone | Posted 09.26.2011

Read More: Philanthropy, Charity, Consumer Watchdog, Donating to Charity, American Institute of Philanthropy, Charitable Giving, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Feed the Children, Feed the Children Scandal, Charities, Veterans, Impact News

WASHINGTON -- A new charity rating guide by the watchdog American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP), has handed out 'F' grades to dozens of poorly run o...

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Facebook May Face Antitrust Probe

The Huffington Post | Amy Lee | Posted 08.29.2011

Read More: Consumer Watchdog, Facebook Consumer Watchdog, Ftc, Ftc Facebook, FACEBOOK CREDITS, Facebook Credits Ftc, Facebook, Facebook Antitrust, Facebook Ftc, Technology News

Facebook Credits let you buy as many bushels of virtual zucchini as you'd like. They may also violate antitrust law. Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit...

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Facebook Money? Will the Feds Stop Facebook's Power Play For Online Currency?

Jamie Court | Posted 08.29.2011

Read More: Antitrust, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook, Consumer Watchdog, Technology News
Jamie Court

When a company with a half billion customers moves from being the social network into gaining a financial grip over consumers and web developers, Pandora's box is open. Let's hope the Federal Trade Commission shuts the lid very soon.

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Schwarzenegger Achieves "Post Partisanship" in New Opinion Poll

Jamie Court | Posted 08.20.2011

Read More: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Consumer Watchdog, Politics News
Jamie Court

When Schwarzenegger left office in 2010, before the news of his love child scandal, his approval rating was only 27%, tied with Governor Gray Davis at the moment of his recall. What ruined Arnold wasn't his infidelity to his family, but to his state.

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Do-Not-Track-Online Goes On National Map With Rockefeller Bill

Jamie Court | Posted 07.09.2011

Read More: Online Privacy, Jay Rockefeller, Do Not Track, Consumer Watchdog, Politics News
Jamie Court

The Do Not Track Me movement is so important because it sets the principle and precedent of the first real governmental limits on the Wild West of Internet data mining.

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Our Revolution

Jamie Court | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Health Insurance, Egypt, Corporate Greed, Egypt Revolution, Do Not Track, Revolution, Consumer Watchdog, Politics News
Jamie Court

If there is a nonpartisan street revolt brewing in America today it is against the staggering health insurance premium increases that insurance companies are foisting on Americans.

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Next Sunday: Protest at Right-Wing Billionaires' Secret Summit near Palm Springs

Peter Dreier | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: California Civil Rights Coalition, David Koch, Tea Party, Koch Brothers, Poder Popular, Erwin Chemerinsky, Health Access, Health Care for America Now (HCAN), California Partnership, Calpirg, Van Jones, Code Pink, Afscme, California Labor Federation, Rock the Vote, Energy Action Coalition, U.S. Action, Alliance for Justice, Protest, Rancho Las Palmas Resort, Common Cause, Lee Fang, Moveon, Courage Campaign, California Student Sustainability Coalition, Sierra Club, California Nurses Association, DeeAnn McEwen, Cato Institute, Robert Reich, Rancho Mirage, Greenpeace, Women?S International League for Peace and Freedom, National Council of Jewish Women, California Council of Churches, Planned Parenthood of California, United Domestic Workers, Charles Koch, Consumer Watchdog, Credo, Aclu, Politics News
Peter Dreier

A broad coalition of consumer, community, labor, environmental, student, civil liberties, and faith-based groups are sponsoring a rally in Rancho Mira...

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Anti-Google Group Makes Cartoon Video Of CEO Schmidt Preying On Children

businessinsider.com | Nick Saint | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Video, Inide Google, Google Privacy Ad, Anti Google Ad, Consumer Watchdog, Consumer Watchdog Google, Google Privacy, Anti Google, Anti Google Video, Technology News

Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit advocacy group with a special fondness for attacking Google, has posted a cartoon on YouTube that depicts Eric Schmidt ...

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Cancer Widow Challenges Insurer Over $450K Medical Bill

The Huffington Post | Jamie Court | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Jamie Court, Consumer Watchdog, Dick Durbin, Dana Christensen, The Progressive's Guide to Raising Hell, Cancer, Health Insurance, Slidepollajax, Health Care, Ted Kennedy, Doug Christensen, Health Insurance Reform, Video, Politics News

The following is excerpted from The Progressive's Guide to Raising Hell by Jamie Court, published by Chelsea Green in September 2010. Never underesti...

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Mercury: Kind and Generous

Jennifer Evans Gardner | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: California State Department of Insurance, Mercury, Mercury Insurance, Proposition 17, Consumer Watchdog, Insurance Claims, Prop 17, Los Angeles News
Jennifer Evans Gardner

It's not just Prop 17... Mercury Insurance doesn't appear to like paying legitimate claims either. I would know. I'm a Mercury insured.

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Meet UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley: Rich, Powerful, Not Yet Famous

Peter Dreier | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Stephen Hemsley, Hcan, Cory Alexander, St. Matthrew's Lutheran Church, Andrew Cuomo, Tom Strickland, Judah Sommer, Consumer Watchdog, Public Campaign, Jerry Brown, Rev. Grant Stevenson, Tom Daschle, Brave New Films, Wellpoint, American Medical Association, Health Cre for American Now, Minneapolis, Ingenix, Wayzata, Politics News
Peter Dreier

Business as usual for Hemsley and UnitedHealth is a chronic pattern of abuse and neglect of its policy-holders, along with a powerful political influence-peddling operation that involves costly campaign contributions.

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The Six W's Of Charitable Giving This Season

Lorraine Roe | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Charity, Consumer Watchdog, Thanksgiving, Nonprofits, Watchdog, Donations, Giving, Helping the Homeless, The Giving Life, Healthy Living News
Lorraine Roe

Ok, ok, I'm thankful, your thankful. But that doesn't have to translate into mindless giving. Let's go over some helpful ground rules for making donations that I developed after working as a reporter.

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The Billboard That Mercury Insurance Won't Let You See

Jamie Court | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: George Joseph, Mercury Insurance, Los Angeles, Consumer Watchdog, California State Government, Politics News
Jamie Court

CBS folded and removed the billboard criticizing Mercury Insurance without even a word of warning to its client, my consumer group, Consumer Watchdog.

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Will Schwarzenegger and Obama Require Insurers to Pay for Autism Care?

Jamie Court | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Health Care Reform, Autism, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Consumer Watchdog, Barack Obama, Politics News
Jamie Court

Independent panels of doctors had been ruling in every autistic child's case that the treatment was medically necessary, so insurers, with the help of the Schwarzenegger administration, changed the rules of the game.

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