BestWire - March 10, 2008 Calif. Court Upholds Rules on Insurers Repaying Advocates The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, which joined Poizner's office in defending the regulations, praised the ruling for keeping insurance companies accountable. "The court upheld the principle that consumers should be encouraged to participate in the rate-setting process to force companies to justify their rates. By upholding the rules, the court ensured that consumer groups can continue to fight for and win lower rates by being compensated when they make a substantial contribution," FTCR Litigation Director Pam Pressley said in a statement....read more City News Service - March 7, 2008 Judge Upholds Insurance Commissioner's Awarding of Fees to Advocacy Groups The regulations were supported by the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, which was founded by Proposition 103 author Harvey Rosenfield and intervened as a defendant with the insurance commissioner to keep the amended rules in place. Proposition 103 was enacted by voters in November 1988 to reduce and control insurance rates. Pamela Pressley, an attorney for the foundation, said the advocacy fees can cover anything from travel expenses for consumer groups to expert witness fees. She said the groups that want to have a say in rate-setting procedures must prove they are acting in behalf of consumers....read more San Jose Mercury News - February 25, 2008 Poizner's businesslike style pays political dividends
STATE INSURANCE CZAR MAY RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN 2010 Insurance Journal - February 4, 2008 Consumer Groups Challenge USAA Rate Filing Doug Heller, executive director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, confirmed that his group has been in discussions with USAA. "We looked at USAA's original rate hike and filed a challenge to it because we thought it was excessive," said Heller. "After talking to us and reviewing our actuaries' analysis, they recognized that their rate hike proposal was too high and made adjustments. They were very responsible and respective of California law, and said they'd lower their request. If their final amended filing comports with what they said they were going to do, we're going to withdraw our challenges."...read more Los Angeles Times - January 26, 2008 Rejection of fire levy plan urged Consumer advocates praised Poizner for providing legal ammunition that could help counter the governor's surcharge. "The governor should not be foisting off an illegal tax on a subset of California homeowners and insurance customers," said Douglas Heller, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica....read more Sacramento Bee (California) - January 15, 2008 Allstate seeks 9.3% hike in home rates From 1997 to 2004, Allstate said it ranked second among home insurers with $82.5 million in investments. That represents almost 30 percent of the amount all homeowner insurers invested in underserved communities during that period. But Pamela Pressley, an attorney for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said the carrier's analysis is flawed. She said Allstate invested only $15 million during the final three years of the survey period. Customers, she said, shouldn't be asked to pay for the company's goodwill. Moreover, Pressley said, "they (Allstate) already are getting some return on investment."...read more Miami Herald (Florida) - January 15, 2008 State lawmakers zero in on insurance ''I absolutely think this is the only way to handle the insurance industry. They are bullies,'' says Harvey Rosenfield, an attorney who led a consumer charge in 1998 to pass a rate rollback on property and auto insurance in California. The law, known as Proposition 103, turned the insurance industry on its ear, requiring rate changes to be approved by regulators and eliminated insurers' exemption from the state's antitrust laws....read more BestWire (A.M. Best) - January 10, 2008 PROPOSED CALIF. LEVY GETS GRUDGING NOD FROM INSURERS A California-based consumer organization that is currently challenging several companies' insurance rates urged legislators to reject what it called "a tax on consumers." Douglas Heller, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said in a statement, "Shared responsibility does not mean making average Californians pay while the governor's insurance company donors just deliver the check to Sacramento."...read more Los Angeles Times - January 9, 2008
The 1.25% fee, added to property insurance bills, would boost firefighting and aid overall budget. Critics call it a tax. Ventura County Star (California) - December 30, 2007 ZIP code changes expected in '08 Decision to affect Thousand Oaks, neighborhoods Consumer advocate Carmen Balber, from the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights, said this illustrates a need for more openness in decision-making that affects the public. "ZIP codes do matter to people, and decisions should be made in the public interest through an open process," she said. Balber pointed out that things such as car insurance, home insurance and property prices are sometimes linked to ZIP codes....read more |
