The largest known settlement in California workers’ compensation insurance has just been secured by attorney Christopher Asvar, totaling $8.9 million for his client who suffered a traumatic brain injury while in the workplace. According to well-known specialist in structured settlements, Steve Chapman, who was involved in the case, “This settlement is the highest anyone is aware of for a California workers’ compensation award”. Asvar is a specialist in the area of brain injury litigation, both civil and workplace, and was substituted into this case three years ago. The client in…
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California insurance commissioner issues report card for PPO
The California Department of Insurance has released the quality of care report card by insurance commissioner Dave Jones, called the “2012 Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)”. According to Jones, this report is a useful resource which provides consumers with a larger amount of practical data about the quality of the care they can expect to receive, so that they are better able to make decisions that will meet their healthcare requirements. He added that “I want to encourage all Californians to take a look at the findings of the PPO report…
Read MoreHealth insurance companies in California to increase rates by 8 to 14 percent
The largest health insurance companies in California will be raising their average rates by approximately 8 to 14 percent for hundreds of thousands of policyholders with individual coverage, leaping ahead of the overall medical care costs. According to government data, within the last year, the national average cost of products and services associated with health care increased by 3.6 percent. However, the insurance premiums have continued to climb at a more rapid rate within the state. The rate increases were defended by the California insurance companies, which said that they…
Read MoreCommissioner Dave Jones reflects on achievements a year after taking office
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has been in office for a full year now and he has taken the occasion of this anniversary to reflect on the accomplishments he has been a part of from 2011. In a statement released by the state’s Department of Insurance, the Commissioner notes that his time in office has been filled with confrontation with the insurance industry. Indeed, many of the actions coming from the Commissioner have been met with opposition from insurers, especially the bid to give state regulators more authority over the…
Read MoreConsumer 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…
Read MoreCalifornia 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…
Read MoreConsumer 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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