Real Truth Behind "No on Prop 46" Commercial

It is a bit long video but it will be worth the time, It will show you how these  "No on Prop 46" ads lie.

“Yes on 45” Street Art Campaign Hitting San Francisco And Sacramento this week!

Consumer advocates and nurses are continuing their  “Yes on 45” street art campaign and bringing it to the streets of  San Francisco and Sacramento this week that exposes the health insurance companies spending millions of Dollars to oppose Proposition 45. Thousands of posters, created by well known Robbie Conal will be displayed in the coming days in other cities across the state. Michael Finney, one of my favorite news casters, with KGO TV-7 ABC in San Francisco has this to say;

Prop 45 empowers you and the State to Control Insurance Companies.

ABC 7 On Your Side: Prop. 45 Gives State Power To Veto Health Insurance Rate Increases

Anthem Blue Cross' Unreasonable Rate Hike Hurting Everyone, Here Is One Story!

If you have ever dealt with insurance companies about claims and denials, you know very well they there to take most and give you the least. That is why they are so much against Prop 45. Here is another story how these insurance companies milk you.

 

Today, small businessman and Anthem Blue Cross customer Evan Borstein and his sister, actress Alex Borstein, known for her long-running role as Lois Griffin on the TV series Family Guy, spoke out against health insurance rate hikes and for Prop 45. Bornstein hung large Yes On 45 banners by street artist Robbie Conal on his Van Nuys office building asking consumers if rate hikes were killing them.

"I have been the victim of rate increases again and again and again that are unregulated and are completely unsustainable and this is why we need to have Prop 45," said Evan Borstein.

Borstein is a hemophiliac who has required blood-clotting treatments from birth. Last March, he purchased an Anthem Blue Cross plan with assurances that his expensive treatments would be covered, but quickly found himself double-crossed. "I was paying $630 per month for my health insurance and am now paying about $10,000 per year in premiums for two separate plans, plus have had about $150,000 in out of pocket expenses over the last year because Anthem has refused to cover my treatments." 

Press Release;

Small Businessman Speaks Out About Anthem Blue Cross' Unreasonable Rate Hike; Only Prop 45 Could Stop Increase, Says Consumer Watchdog Campaign

 SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Insurance today declared Anthem Blue Cross's 9.8% rate increase on small business "unreasonable," but has no power to stop the hikes unless Proposition 45 passes.

Proposition 45, which gives the elected insurance commissioner the power to reject excessive rates, is being opposed by $55 million from the insurance industry, including $18.7 million from Blue Cross. Blue Cross refused the insurance commissioner's request to lower rates for small businesses by $33 million, the "unreasonable" rate hike for 2015 charged 120,000 small business policyholders.

Today, small businessman and Anthem Blue Cross customer Evan Borstein and his sister, actress Alex Borstein, known for her long-running role as Lois Griffin on the TV series Family Guy, spoke out against health insurance rate hikes and for Prop 45. Bornstein hung large Yes On 45 banners by street artist Robbie Conal on his Van Nuys office building asking consumers if rate hikes were killing them.

"I have been the victim of rate increases again and again and again that are unregulated and are completely unsustainable and this is why we need to have Prop 45," said Evan Borstein.

Borstein is a hemophiliac who has required blood-clotting treatments from birth. Last March, he purchased an Anthem Blue Cross plan with assurances that his expensive treatments would be covered, but quickly found himself double-crossed. "I was paying $630 per month for my health insurance and am now paying about $10,000 per year in premiums for two separate plans, plus have had about $150,000 in out of pocket expenses over the last year because Anthem has refused to cover my treatments."

His sister Alex Borstein said, "We have been completely dependent on health insurance all of our lives. Rates keep skyrocketing and the coverage keeps diminishing. It is brutal and unfair. We need the commissioner to give voice to us."

"Anthem Blue Cross is unwilling to lower its rates by $33 million when its rates are deemed excessive, but took more than $18.8 million dollars of policyholders' premium money to pay for a deceptive $55 million industry radio and TV ad campaign against Prop 45," said Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog. "Under Prop 45, insurance companies will not be able to pass on the cost of their lobbying and political spending on ad campaigns like this."

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones had asked Anthem Blue Cross four times in the last two years not to raise rates, but they ignored his requests.

"This pattern and practice of excessive premium increases has a cumulative impact on the bottom line for California small businesses, and yet we are powerless to stop it," he said. "Anthem is not alone in charging excessive rates, so consumers are really trapped, they have no place to go, and small businesses are really trapped and they have no place to go."

Prop 45 would allow the state's elected insurance commissioner to make insurance companies justify their rate hikes under penalty of perjury, and to reject excessive hikes. 35 other states have already enacted such laws, but not California.

For more information on Prop 45 visit: http://www.yeson45.org 

Paid for by Consumer Watchdog Campaign – Yes on 45, a coalition of consumer advocates, nurses, attorneys, and policyholders.  777 S. Figueroa St., Ste. 4050, Los Angeles, CA  90017.  Major Funding by Consumer Watchdog Campaign and California Nurses Association.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Campaign

Policyholders, Prop 45 Advocates And Nurses Deliver A Truck Load Of Manure To Blue Shield

"We're here to give back the B.S. that Blue Shield and the rest of the health insurance industry has been throwing at voters in the anti-Prop 45 advertising that lies about Prop 45's impact and hides the insurance companies' funding. Prop 45 simply extends to California health insurance companies the same rate regulation that exists in 35 other states for health insurance and has saved Californians more than $100 billion on their auto insurance," said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog.
Blue Shield has given $12.3 million of policyholders' money to the $57 million insurance war chest against Prop 45, has been shoveling to Californians in its deceptive advertising against the rate regulation measure. The four largest health insurance companies responsible for most of the money against Prop 45, Blue Shield, Anthem Blue Cross and its parent company Wellpoint, Kaiser and Health Net gave another $13.5 million against Prop 45 in just the last week.

Press Release;

Policyholders, Prop 45 Advocates And Nurses Deliver Manure To Blue Shield To Return Some of the B.S. In Insurance Industry's Ad Campaign Against Prop 45 - Spending Reaches $57 Million, Says Consumer Watchdog Campaign

 SAN DIEGO, Oct. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Health insurance policyholders joined with bedside nurses from the California Nurses Association and consumer advocates supporting Proposition 45, which prohibits excessive rate increases, to deliver a pickup truck containing a ton of steer manure to Blue Shield's San Diego offices.

The Proposition 45 supporters said they were simply returning some of the same material that the insurance company, which has given $12.3 million of policyholders' money to the $57 million insurance war chest against Prop 45, has been shoveling to Californians in its deceptive advertising against the rate regulation measure. The four largest health insurance companies responsible for most of the money against Prop 45, Blue Shield, Anthem Blue Cross and its parent company Wellpoint, Kaiser and Health Net gave another $13.5 million against Prop 45 in just the last week.

"We're here to give back the B.S. that Blue Shield and the rest of the health insurance industry has been throwing at voters in the anti-Prop 45 advertising that lies about Prop 45's impact and hides the insurance companies' funding. Prop 45 simply extends to California health insurance companies the same rate regulation that exists in 35 other states for health insurance and has saved Californians more than $100 billion on their auto insurance," said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog.

Prop 45 requires health insurance companies to get approval from the elected insurance commissioner before raising rates, but the advertising hides this fact and falsely claims that consumers have to choose between Prop 45 and "an independent commission." The ads apparently refer to Covered California, the state health insurance exchange, but that appointed body does not have the power to reject excessive rate increases as they claim.

The No On Prop 45 campaign's advertising has been widely branded as deceptive. Pulitzer prize-winning LA Times columnist Mike Hiltzik wrote about the No On Prop 45 campaign's deceptions in a column titled "The 5 rules on how to kill a consumer-friendly initiative." Read the column here.

Experts with California State University's Project for an Informed Electorate showed how the advertisements were misleading and gave it poor grades on Monday in a KCRA- TV report: 

A widespread insurance industry advertisement against 45 has a purported "small business owner," who claims Prop 45 will hurt his business, but is in fact an actor who played Father Marquez in Modern Family. See the actor: The advertisement does not identify the actor as a paid spokesperson.

Read more about the insurance companies' false advertising claims: Yeson45

Yesterday, the insurance commissioner announced that a proposed rate increase impacting 120,000 employees of small businesses insured by Anthem Blue Cross was unreasonable but would go into effect regardless, because insurance companies currently do not need approval for rate increases. Under Proposition 45, the insurance commissioner could reject rate hikes he found to be excessive.

Blue Shield also recently raised its rates despite rate reviews conducted by Consumers Union, under an Affordable Care Act grant, that found the rates unjustified based on the insurance companies' record-high surpluses, unrealistic claims projections and excessive company perks.

For example, Blue Shield has 1600% more in its $4.4 billion investment reserves than is required by the State of California.  Proposition 45 can stop this "over-reserving" practice of insurance companies by giving the insurance commissioner the power to prevent rate hikes if companies engage in such creative accounting.

Health insurance policyholders spoke out today about the company's practices and deceptive advertising.

Rena Marocco of Vista said: "Our premiums have steadily increased for the past three years but this year was the biggest jump - almost $400/month for my family.  We try to put some money away in savings, but that's all getting eaten up by the cost of our healthcare. Our monthly bill is almost as high as our mortgage.  And besides the premiums, I still have out of pocket expenses to pay for ongoing monitoring and treatment.  As a breast cancer survivor, I am constantly being told by my doctors to avoid stress - but how can I when I have to stress out about how I'm going to pay this huge insurance premium?  I support Prop 45 to stop these egregious premium hikes."  

"Premiums for my wife and I increased close to 300% over the years for higher deductible health insurance plans that effectively offered no real coverage. We thought we were lucky when we got a subsidy with a Covered California plan. But now, even with some of our $1200 monthly premiums to Anthem BlueCross being paid for by the taxpayers, we still aren't getting the coverage we were promised. My wife needed emergency services and Anthem stuck us with a huge bill that should have been covered. I'm still paying hundreds of dollars a month for coverage that isn't worth it," said Phil Rogul, of Carlsbad.

The nonprofit Blue Shield has also come under fire in San Francisco for having a multi-million dollar skybox at the new 49ers stadium while raising rates and cutting doctors' networks.  The company recently refused to accept a petition at its San Francisco offices from 22,000 California taxpayers and policyholders who wanted access to those tickets since their premiums and tax dollars paid for the skybox.  Watch video of that protest 

Paid for by Consumer Watchdog Campaign – Yes on 45, a coalition of consumer advocates, attorneys, policyholders, and nurses. 777 S. Figueroa St., Ste. 4050, Los Angeles, CA  90017.  Major Funding by Consumer Watchdog Campaign and California Nurses Association.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Campaign

The Real Stories Insurance Companies Against Prop 46 Don't Want You To Know

Proposition 46, the Troy and Alana Pack Patient Safety Act, will enact the first law in the nation to require random drug and alcohol tests of physicians in hospitals, modeled after the Federal Aviation Administration testing program that has successfully reduced substance abuse by pilots. Doctors found to be impaired on the job will have their license suspended. If Prop 46 had been in effect, Goldenberg's substance abuse may have been detected, possibly preventing threats to patient safety in the process.

Hall of Shame: Insurance Companies Backing No on 46

Cooperative of American Physicians    $10,161,489.04
The Doctors Company    $10,000,000.00
NorCal Mutual Insurance Company    $10,000,000.00
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan    $5,000,000.00
Medical Insurance Exchange of California    $5,000,000.00
The Dentists Insurance Company    $1,620,000.00
The Mutual Risk Retention Group    $1,000,000.00
All Insurers:     $42,781,489.04
Total:     $58,068,255.82

Insurance companies have spent nearly $43 million dollars to oppose Prop 46 in order to shield dangerous doctors like Dr. Goldenberg (See the press release below for the complete story) from punishment, at the expense of patient safety, in order to protect their already substantial profits. In total, the opposition to Prop 46 has over $58 million dollars in their warchest, outspending consumer and patient safety advocates who support Prop 46 nearly 8:1.

Learn more about Proposition 46 and the campaign for patient safety at: www.yeson46.org

Press Release;

Doctors That Harm: The Real Stories Insurance Companies Against Prop 46 Don't Want You To Know, Part 8 of Consumer Watchdog Campaign Series Today's series covers Dr. Melvin Gurney - Impaired-At-Work Physician Ingested An Average Of 10,000 Pills Per Year

SANTA ROSA, Calif., Oct. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 2008, two of Dr. Gurney's employees reported that he was ordering large quantities of multiple controlled substances, on a regular basis, that were not used for patient care. They also reported that Dr. Gurney was practicing "all the time" while under the influence. The Medical Board reported that one of his employees said that Dr. Gurney was prone to "making mistakes in his care and treatment of patients."

Dr. Gurney's behavior became increasingly erratic and unfocused, and his drug deliveries were increased every three weeks for about 800-900 pills at a time. An employee also reported that Dr. Gurney was regularly ordering 10-20 syringes of a powerful sedative, even though they did not use such medicine in their practice.

When Medical Board investigators finally visited Dr. Gurney, they asked if he would submit to a drug test and he refused, demanding an attorney. Then, saying that "something had come up," Dr. Gurney left California for a month. An employee then told investigators that Dr. Gurney "seemed to be impaired almost every day and that he seemed to get worse in the last few months." She also reported that syringes, filled with Lidocaine, would disappear.

When Dr. Gurney returned to California, he refused to answer the Medical Board's questions, including why he kept all the drugs in a locked safe only he had access to, if he had ever used any controlled drugs in his office, and he refused to tell the Board what prescriptions he was taking or who had prescribed the drugs to him.

Dr. Gurney eventually admitted that he began self-prescribing pain medications in 2003 or 2004. He said that after about a year, he was taking two pills every 4 hours and injecting himself with Versed. By 2006, he was using daily, including 8mg per day of Xanax, 3-4 tablets of Ambien, 16 tablets of opioid analgesics, as well as a sedative. He admitted that the large amounts of controlled substances he had ordered were for personal use. Dr. Gurney also admitted that he felt impaired while practicing medicine.

Over a three year period, Dr. Gurney had used more than 30,000 pills, including Xanax, Vicodin, Ambien, Percocet, Fentanyl, and Morphine. In 2012, he finally surrendered his medical license.

Source: http://www2.mbc.ca.gov/BreezePDL/default.aspx?licenseType=G&licenseNumber=60352

Proposition 46, the Troy and Alana Pack Patient Safety Act, will enact the first law in the nation to require random drug and alcohol tests of physicians in hospitals, modeled after the Federal Aviation Administration testing program that has successfully reduced substance abuse by pilots. Doctors found to be impaired on the job will have their license suspended. If Prop 46 had been in effect, Goldenberg's substance abuse may have been detected, possibly preventing threats to patient safety in the process.

Hall of Shame: Insurance Companies Backing No on 46

Cooperative of American Physicians    $10,161,489.04
The Doctors Company    $10,000,000.00
NorCal Mutual Insurance Company    $10,000,000.00
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan    $5,000,000.00
Medical Insurance Exchange of California    $5,000,000.00
The Dentists Insurance Company    $1,620,000.00
The Mutual Risk Retention Group    $1,000,000.00
All Insurers:     $42,781,489.04
Total:     $58,068,255.82

Insurance companies have spent nearly $43 million dollars to oppose Prop 46 in order to shield dangerous doctors like Dr. Goldenberg from punishment, at the expense of patient safety, in order to protect their already substantial profits. In total, the opposition to Prop 46 has over $58 million dollars in their warchest, outspending consumer and patient safety advocates who support Prop 46 nearly 8:1.

Learn more about Proposition 46 and the campaign for patient safety at: www.yeson46.org

Paid for by Yes on Prop. 46, Your Neighbors for Patient Safety, a Coalition of Consumer Attorneys and Patient Safety Advocates - major funding by Consumer Attorneys of California Issues and Initiative Defense Political Action Committees and Kabateck, Brown, Kellner, LLP.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Campaign

Health Insurance Companies Spend $55 Million To Defeat Prop 45 In California!

"While the health insurance company executives celebrate their riches on the back nine of the Sea Cliff Country Club, average Californians who don't have the protection of rate regulation are having to choose between paying their mortgage and paying for health insurance," said Court. "Prop 45 is there to protect these policyholders who have been paying too much on their health insurance for too long because Californians don't have the same protections against rate hikes as 35 other states do."

For more on Prop 45 visit: http://www.yeson45.org

The Press Release.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, the three big health insurance companies that control California's health insurance market gave another $12 million to their campaign to defeat Proposition 45, which will give California the authority to stop health insurance rate overcharges.

The total insurance industry spending against Consumer Watchdog's Prop 45 now tops $55 million, with just two weeks until Election Day. Total insurance industry spending against Prop 45 and 46 now exceeds $100 million.

"The big health insurance companies are panicked that the public will learn the truth about their opposition to Prop 45 and support its controls against rate hikes so they are doubling down on their deceptive television advertising campaign to confuse voters," said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog and author of Prop 45.  "The industry is worried that with enough light and air around the election the public will learn the truth that insurance companies are opposed to Prop 45 because it gives California the power 35 other states already have to reject excessive rates."

The deceptive insurance industry campaign against Prop 45 conceals the opposition of the big four insurance companies that control 84% of the individual and small business market that Prop 45 will regulate.  The $12 million insurance companies added to their eleventh hour advertising will unleash a barrage of confusing advertising on the public, Consumer Watchdog said.

The Mercury News "Ad Watch" this weekend found the insurance companies' anti-Prop 45 advertising to be "mostly untrue": http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_26754321/new-anti-prop-45-tv-ad-misleads-viewers?source=rss#disqus_thread

This week the trade association for the big four health insurance companies is gathering at a beach side hotel in Huntington Beach at a convention attended by top officials from Covered California, the so-called "independent commission" the health insurance company advertising erroneously claims has the power to reject rates.  Today the companies are hosting a golf tournament at the exclusive Sea Cliff Country Club for attendees.

"While the health insurance company executives celebrate their riches on the back nine of the Sea Cliff Country Club, average Californians who don't have the protection of rate regulation are having to choose between paying their mortgage and paying for health insurance," said Court. "Prop 45 is there to protect these policyholders who have been paying too much on their health insurance for too long because Californians don't have the same protections against rate hikes as 35 other states do."

For more on Prop 45 visit: http://www.yeson45.org

Paid for by Consumer Watchdog Campaign – Yes on 45, a coalition of consumer advocates, nurses, attorneys, and policyholders.  777 S. Figueroa St., Ste. 4050, Los Angeles, CA  90017.  Major Funding by Consumer Watchdog Campaign and California Nurses Association.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Campaign