News

2009

December

22

• COBRA coverage, subsidies expanded. Thousands of unemployed workers won't have to worry about starting the new year without health insurance. President Obama has signed legislation that will allow laid-off workers to receive subsidized COBRA premiums for up to 15 months.

• Health-care bill passes another hurdle. The Senate cleared the second of three key procedural hurdles on President Obama's health-care legislation early Tuesday with another party-line vote, continuing the effort to pass the bill before Christmas. All 60 members of the Democratic

21

• Health care bill moves closer to passage. Despite fierce Republican opposition and the lingering effects of a major Northeast snowstorm, Senate Democrats cleared a critical vote on a 10-year, $871 billion health care bill early this morning, steering the proposal toward approval on

20

• Minimize your taxes for 2009. The days of 2009 may be dwindling to a precious few, but there is still time for taxpayers to check over this year's finances and possibly save themselves some money when they file their tax returns

19

• Show us the e-mail. We end this extraordinary financial year with news that the Treasury is in discussions with American International Group about selling the taxpayers’ 80 percent ownership stake in that company. The government recently permitted several banks to

17

• Senate Republicans vow to delay health-care vote. Senate Republicans vowed Wednesday to use every available tactic to delay voting on the health-care bill as Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) scrambled to unify Democrats in support of the legislation. Democratic leaders continued

15

• Medicare buy-in now unlikely. Senate Democratic leaders appeared poised Monday night to abandon efforts to create a government-run insurance safety net in their push for health-care reform, as they attempted to close ranks around a bill they hoped would

14

• States push e-filing taxes to save money, paper. A growing number of states are cutting back on distributing printed income tax forms in an effort to save money and encourage electronic filing. Verenda Smith with the Federation of Tax Administrators in Washington, D

13

• 8 popular myths about your credit score. By now, you're probably aware of the wide use of credit scores, and how this three-digit number can determine whether you get credit and under what terms. But there is a lot of misinformation about

10

• States junk car safety inspections. While budget-strapped governments are hunting down any expendable "fat" in their budgets, some car-safety experts worry that one local government's cutback could trigger a trend that leaves cars with faulty brakes and worn-out wipers on

• If 'public option' is no longer an option, then what?. While confusion reigned on Capitol Hill on Wednesday over the prospects and details of a Senate deal to replace a government-run insurance plan with other measures, it is not too soon to ask what the

• Mortgage agency's growth fuels risky lenders. The trouble signs surrounding Lend America had been building for years. A top executive was convicted of mortgage fraud but still helped run the company. Home loans made by its headquarters were defaulting at an

06

• An attempt to open banks' doors to all. Millions of Americans -- 60 million, in fact -- conduct their day-to-day financial business outside the banking system, leaving many to be preyed upon by payday-loan companies, rent-to-own establishments and other non-bank institutions. Banks have largely

03

• A subsidy for those most in need. Here's a government gift that should keep on giving. Unless Congress and the president act soon, many unemployed workers and their dependents may lose their health insurance if a federal subsidy to help them pay

02

• Damaged When Delivered: Inexperienced car haulers threaten safety (Teamsters report presents scary picture of cut-rate car hauling). Auto giants Chrysler and GM are changing their practices so that new cars will be delivered by inexperienced drivers using inappropriate equipment and methods that endanger the vehicles they are delivering to unsuspecting drivers. Consumers

01

• Jobless face expiration of health benefit. An auto parts employee laid off from his job last year has been able to hang onto his health insurance because the federal government has picked up most of the tab. That subsidy ends Tuesday

• Senate health bill gets a boost. As the Senate opened debate Monday on a landmark plan to overhaul the nation's health-care system, congressional budget analysts said the measure would leave premiums unchanged or slightly lower for the vast majority of Americans,

November

26

• Consumer Action wishes you a great Thanksgiving. No news headlines will be posted today and Friday, Nov. 27. The staff and board of Consumer Action hope you enjoy your holiday.

24

• Chinese drywall linked to corrosion in homes. Federal investigators reported on Monday that a “strong association” exists between chemicals in Chinese drywall installed in thousands of homes during the housing boom and electrical problems in those homes. In addition, investigators said that

23

• Public option at center of debate. Democrats had little time to savor their weekend Senate health-care victory, as two of the lawmakers who voted to move the debate forward Saturday night indicated Sunday that they will not vote to pass the