News

2009

July

05

• A financial to-do list saves $$. Back in high school, my friends and I used to talk fairly often about the need for a “mental health day.” It’s stressful trying to make good grades and get into college, so staying

02

• Protections for victims of auto bankruptcies. Consumer groups petitioned the Federal Trade Commission today, seeking warnings on approximately 30 million Chrysler vehicles produced prior to May 30, when the "New Chrysler" emerged from bankruptcy court. Under the court-approved Sale Order for

June

30

• New GM to accept some liability. General Motors will assume responsibility for product liability claims filed after the carmaker emerges from bankruptcy protection, a concession that removes a potential obstacle to the Obama administration's plan for the company's quick restructuring. Under

• Blood samples raise privacy questions. Matthew Brzica and his wife hardly noticed when the hospital took a few drops of blood from each of their four newborn children for routine genetic testing. But then they discovered that the state had

29

• Insurance company schemes. Congressional committees heard a lot this month about the devious schemes used by health insurance companies to drop or shortchange sick patients. It was a damning portrait — and one Americans know from painful personal experience —

• GM aceptará reclamos por productos defectuosos. General Motors Corp. aceptó responsabilizarse de reclamos futuros por defectos de producto, eliminando lo que pudo haber sido un obstáculo grande en el camino del fabricante de vehículos hacia una venta acelerada de

28

• Term insurance rates are rising. The window might be quickly closing on consumers' opportunity to refinance at great rates - not their home mortgages, but their term life insurance, experts say. For the first time in a long time, premiums

27

• How to check your life insurer's health. If you want to know why it's important to know the health of your life insurance company, ask Vince Watson. His daughter, Katie, was left severely disabled and in need of 24-hour care because

25

• 'Cash for Clunkers' mostly a clunker. If you think the new "Cash for Clunkers" law is going to help you buy a new car, you're probably wrong. As it's written, the law will benefit few car shoppers and those who might

• Companies rethink 401(k) contributions. Most companies that have suspended contributions to employees' 401(k) plans are expected to reinstate the match when the economy improves, but the match may be significantly different. About a quarter of companies have either suspended

• Senate hears health insurers' wrongs. Health insurers have forced consumers to pay billions of dollars in medical bills that the insurers themselves should have paid, according to a report released yesterday by the staff of the Senate Commerce Committee. The

22

• Health care showdown. America’s political scene has changed immensely since the last time a Democratic president tried to reform health care. So has the health care picture: with costs soaring and insurance dwindling, nobody can now say

• Obama anuncia acuerdo con farmacéuticas. El presidente Barack Obama anuncia formalmente el lunes el acuerdo pactado el fin de semana con las farmacéuticas en Estados Unidos que mejorará el servicio de medicamentos para los beneficiarios del programa Medicare. [...] La

21

• Chronic illness: Protecting your job. It started with an odd sensation in her right hand and a feeling of exhaustion so profound she could hardly get through an hour of work, let alone a full day. After numerous tests and

• Act quickly to retain health plan after job loss. If you've lost your job, you need to act fast to maintain adequate health insurance. You have to decide, within 60 days of your separation, whether you want to stay on your former employer's plan through

• Betting on death: Life settlement markets. Investors love a sure thing, and in this life, it doesn't get more certain than death. So it's no surprise that in recent years the market for investing in life settlements -- buying a stake

18

• Health insurers refuse to limit cutting coverage. Executives of three of the nation's largest health insurers told federal lawmakers in Washington on Tuesday that they would continue canceling medical coverage for some sick policyholders, despite withering criticism from Republican and Democratic members

• Financial reform still in early innings. The Obama administration’s broad plan to overhaul financial regulations offers dozens of new ideas about how to keep the markets safe, maintain a sound banking system and protect consumers and investors. But the 88-page

• Obama defends financial overhaul. President Obama introduced his plan to reform financial regulations yesterday as a key to reviving the economy, setting up an intense battle over the particulars that is likely to rage on Capitol Hill for the

16

• Instant online comments risk instant lawsuits. When Courtney Love fell into a dispute with a clothing designer earlier this year, she aired her beef on MySpace and Twitter. The designer sued Love for libel after the rocker claimed on her blog