Of all the personal information that you might want to keep private, your medical records are the most important. That’s why federal and state laws carry stiff penalties, up to and including jail time, for healthcare providers who let such data loose into the wild. Read More ›

In a sign the 2012 insurance wars have begun, a consumer group that routinely seeks to block rate increases has accused auto insurance giant Mercury General of illegally passing onto consumers the cost of its 2010 ballot measure campaign. Read More ›

Natural gas companies that use hydraulic fracturing disclose the risks, such as leaks, spills and explosions, to shareholders, but property owners aren’t privy, according to a report by the Environmental Working Group. Read More ›

From 2003 to 2010, the combined average amount that California families and their employers paid for health coverage shot up 52 percent, reaching $13,819 annually, according to a recently released study by the Commonwealth Fund. Read More ›

California and Nevada, which suffer the highest foreclosure rates in the country, will team up to investigate mortgage abuses by the nation’s largest banks. Read More ›

Data breaches at U.S. health-care providers are increasing as hospitals adopt electronic medical records and mobile technology without spending enough on security to ensure patient privacy, a research group said. Read More ›

State Sen. Leland Yee…said…that his first action when the Legislature reconvenes…will be to introduce a bill to repeal a law barring the public release of most records at the commission without a vote of its five appointed members.
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The latest salvo came last week from the retailers, who have alleged that bankers are continuing to gouge them – despite the new limits – by exploiting a provision that allows them to add the costs of updating equipment to the fees they charge merchants. Read More ›

The big question is, why would a private insurance company spend millions of dollars to save driver’s money? Out of the goodness of their hearts? No. It’s a great example of horrible government. Because they have money, Mercury is able to buy politicians, lawyers, and deceptive ads that make their mislabeled laws appear to benefit consumers. Read More ›

Californians concerned about dangerous pipelines running underneath their neighborhoods are barred from obtaining government records about them by a 60-year-old state law backed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and other utilities, a Chronicle investigation shows. Read More ›

Facing growing concerns over the health risks of flame retardants in household products, the chemical industry spent at least $23.2 million over the past five years to lobby California officials and donate to campaigns in a successful effort to defeat legislation. Read More ›

Sutter Health is being sued for negligence and other allegations in the mid-October theft of a computer from Sutter Medical Foundation headquarters that held information on more than 4 million of its patients.
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Lobbyists have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. The powerful interests that employ lobbyists spent nearly quarter of a billion dollars – $217 million from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30 – to persuade government to meet their clients’ needs. The amount is a record. Read More ›