News & Headlines

• January 20, 2012 Lack of dental coverage sends patients to ER for pain
• January 06, 2012 Collaborating reduces costs of health care
• December 21, 2011 A piecemeal approach to health law in states
• October 28, 2011 Rise in Medicare premium is lower than predicted
• October 21, 2011 Wal-Mart cuts some health care benefits

Publications

CA News & Special Reports

Insurance Issue [Fall 2008] In the Fall 2008 issue, Consumer Action focuses on insurance. The results of an online poll reveal details about consumers and insurance coverage, including the downsides to filing a claim. Other topics include credit car rental car coverage, how to add "riders" to policies, the… ( Wednesday, November 12, 2008 )

On Our Radar

• February 04, 2011 Oldest and poorest Medicare recipients spend more out-of-pocket, report finds A new analysis by the American Association of Retired People's (AARP) Public Policy Institute has revealed that Medicare beneficiaries spent a median of $3,103 a year of their own money on health care in 2006. Ten percent of beneficiaries—more than 4 million people—spent more than $8,300 a year. The oldest and poorest beneficiaries spent about one-quarter of their income on health care.
• September 28, 2010 Health care reform benefits kick in for 18 to 24 year olds California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) has published a guide for young people on how to navigate new health care benefits.
• October 22, 2009 No job, no insurance delivers an economic knock-out to families Families USA has released a report that details the "one-two punch" of families losing both their jobs and their health insurance. The report contends that there are far more people in 2009 lacking health coverage than the 46.3 million cited by 2008 Census Bureau data.
• January 09, 2009 Americans caught between unemployment and health care FamiliesUSA has released a report detailing how, as unemployment numbers rise, Americans are in forced to choose between costly unemployment benefits and health care insurance.
• November 19, 2008 Call to Action: Health Care Reform 2009 Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), chair of the key U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, has issued a detailed "white paper" on insurance-based health care reform. It includes public and private plan options and directives to limit "out of pocket" costs for patients.

Coalition

• August 04, 2010 Data collection provisions in health law ensure equal access and care In a letter to Congress, Consumer Action and other consumer organizations voiced strong support for a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that mandates collection of data on race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, and disability status in order to ensure disparities in health care access and quality for vulnerable populations.
• May 07, 2010 Let consumers compare health insurance rates fairly Consumer Action sent a letter to Senator Feinstein and Representative Schakowsky supporting a bill that would make insurer rates publicly available to consumers.
• January 13, 2010 Health care bill should adopt Medicaid payment parity In a letter to Congressional leaders, Consumer Action asked that legislators working on the health care reform bill to adopt a provision to bring Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care in line with comparable Medicare rates within four years.
• September 29, 2009 Health reform should provide quick and efficient coverage for Medicaid enrollees Consumer Action signed onto a letter asking Senators Reid, Baucus, Harkin, and Dodd to ensure that any improvements to Medicaid in the health reform bill are implemented on the same schedule as other health coverage improvements and that newly eligible Medicaid enrollees receive adequate health coverage.
• June 16, 2009 Health reform legislation must lower costs for working families In a letter to Congress, Consumer Action and its coalition partners ask that any laws enacted on behalf of healthcare reform include strong provisions making insurance coverage affordable.

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