Headline News Archive

2010

February

09

• Healthcare coverage in name only. The L'Esperances are your typical American family. They work hard. They try to get ahead. They don't ask anyone for help. And they pray they

08

• Obama plans bipartisan summit on health care. President Obama said Sunday that he would convene a half-day bipartisan health care session at the White House to be televised live this month, a

06

• Fighting insurance claims requires perseverance. Maria Carr, a 43-year-old school administrator from Tulare, Calif., could not believe it when her insurer, UnitedHealth, denied coverage for arthroscopic surgery she underwent last

• Reliability ratings not always reliable. Toyota's recall of millions of cars in order to fix sticky gas pedals and loose floor mats has inconvenienced customers around the world and damaged

• Questions to ask before buying disability insurance. Given how confusing disability insurance is, my column on the odds of needing it didn’t have room to list all of the questions you

04

• State Farm cancels thousands in Florida. The largest homeowners insurer in Florida is canceling the policies of 125,000 of its most vulnerable customers beginning Aug. 1, halfway through the 2010 hurricane season. The company,

January

31

• Chiropractic visits lead to higher premium. As the prospects for meaningful healthcare reform grow murkier by the day, it's helpful to remember why we started this discussion in the first place.

30

• The unloved annuity gets a hug from Obama. Annuities: The official retirement vehicle of the Obama administration. As slogans go, it’s hardly “Keep Hope Alive,” or even “Change We Can Believe In.”

25

• States go after texting drivers. The fight against distracted driving may be at a tipping point as 23 states debate legislation to ban texting while driving, a practice 19 states already prohibit.

24

• Spend less, save more, money guru advises. The first time I read Jane Bryant Quinn's book "Making the Most of Your Money," it struck me as the personal finance equivalent of "The

10

• How to hire a tax preparer. Do you pay someone to prepare your annual tax return? If so, you've got plenty of company. As the U.S. tax code has become

07

• Funding fuzzy for health-care interest groups. Many of the Washington interest groups that are seeking to shape final health-care legislation in the coming weeks operate with opaque financing, often receiving hidden

05

• Another COBRA health insurance extension. Thanks to some last-minute maneuvering by Congress, thousands of jobless workers will continue to receive affordable health insurance in 2010. A defense spending bill signed into

04

• Desempleados sufren con seguro médico COBRA. Stan Rosen, vecino de Miramar, perdió su trabajo, su esposa tenía seis meses de embarazo y él tenía que operarse, pero pensaba que

03

• Money resolutions to make in 2010. With the economy still in the dumper and many of us feeling poorer, it's no surprise that many Americans have resolved to clean up their

02

• Bills to curb distracted driving gain momentum. When its legislature convenes this year, Kansas will consider banning motorists from sending text messages. South Carolina will, too, and debate whether to prohibit drivers

• Constitutionality of individual mandate debated. Opponents of the health-care reform bill are not giving up the fight, and some think their last, best hope to halt the legislation lies not

01

• Happy New Year!. The staff and board of Consumer Action wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.

2009

December

27

• A year of progress on consumer issues. This year was a total drag for consumers. Many of us lost our jobs, homes were foreclosed upon, medical bills piled up, recession-weary families scraped

25

• Happy holidays from Consumer Action. The staff and board of Consumer Action hope that you and your family have a Happy Holidays and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

• Senate passes healthcare bill, must reconcile it with House. Senate Democrats approved landmark legislation just after sunrise Christmas Eve that would transform the nation's health-care system by requiring people without insurance to obtain coverage

• Many will not feel effects of healthcare changes. Now that the Senate has caught up with the House by passing a sweeping health care bill, lawmakers are on the verge of extending coverage

24

• Senate passes health care overhaul bill. The Senate voted Thursday to reinvent the nation’s health care system, passing a bill to guarantee access to health insurance for tens of millions

• Health-care reform: How the bills stack up. The Senate passed its health-care bill Dec. 24 but key differences need to be resolved with the House before a final measure is ready for President

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