California is among the worst states in the country for residents without health coverage

The results of a new study are showing that in 2010, California was the state with the most residents – approximately 7 million – who do not have health insurance coverage. According to the California HealthCare Foundation’s data, around 1 million children and 6 million residents under the age of 65 did not have health insurance. Among the nonelderly population of the state, an average of 21 percent were not covered by health insurance over the three years from 2008 through to the end of 2010. On the national list,…

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Consumer group in California petitions lawmakers to grant more control to state insurance regulators

California consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog has submitted a new proposal to the state attorney general’s office regarding health insurance. Last year, the organization was a driving force behind new auto insurance regulations that pout caps on premiums. Now, the group is backing legislation that would require the state’s health insurers to wait for approval from regulators before collecting premiums from higher rates. Consumer Watchdog is awaiting the approval from the state’s attorney general before it begins to collect the 505,000 signatures needed to bring the issue before the state…

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California legislators debate on new health care plan that could expand insurance coverage

California lawmakers are considering a new health insurance system that will help people obtain coverage they could not afford otherwise. Called the Basic Health Program, the initiative is designed with lower-income households in mind. The program is meant to serve a stepping stone between Medicaid and private insurance plans by offering alternatives to expensive coverage plans offered by most insurance companies. Legislators are currently examining the benefits such a program would have for state residents and how those benefits would affect the state’s insurance industry. Many families in California cannot…

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Consumer Watchdog wants ballot measure seeking public option, 20 percent rate rollback, and strict management

Consumer Watchdog, a top consumer rights group from California, is working to divert the attention of the 2012 election away from the Obama administration’s health care overhaul in favor of a state ballot measure that seeks a public option, stricter premium oversight, and a rollback of 20 percent for insurance rates. The initiative by this Santa Monica-based group is aimed at the ballot in California in November 2012. Consumer Watchdog is the same group that brought about the landmark ballot measure in 1988, Proposition 103, which set cost and regulatory…

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Ruling in California could help those with mental illnesses obtain higher levels of insurance coverage

California may see new insurance rules regarding coverage and mental health as judges reach a verdict regarding the issue. Earlier this year, Jeanne Harlick of Northern California was denied coverage for her anorexia treatment. Anorexia, an eating disorder, is designated as a mental illness in accordance with Californian law. The denial led Harlick to file a suit against her insurance company, Blue Shield Blue Cross. A panel of judges from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Harlick, citing her long struggle with anorexia and…

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