News tagged with 'Bad Faith Claims'

The FDA has sent a warning letter to Coca-Cola about its Diet Coke Plus. Coke says the product is a "good source of several essential vitamins and minerals," namely B3, B12, zinc and magnesium.  But the FDA isn't buying it. 

Airborne Health Inc. did not admit any wrongdoing, but they have agreed to pay $7 million to settle investigations by 32 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia over past marketing and labeling of its dietary supplement products.

What consumers need to watch out for is contained in this, the fourth in a series of reports on the "Tricks of the Trade" behind the multi-trillion dollar insurance industry. The sick and vulnerable are often the victims of denied or cancelled policies.

Eight states including Florida are suing drugmaker Merck & Co alleging deceptive marketing of the recalled painkiller Vioxx. The state wants to recover $80 million it reimbursed consumers under federal health plans. Olympians Dorothy Hamill and Bruce Jenner once fronted ads for Merck, though there is no indication they knew about the downside of the drug.

For years Parkinson's patients taking the drug Mirapex have noticed they developed compulsive behaviors such as gambling, eating, shopping, porn. Hundreds of lawsuits are on tap in Minnesota District Court, and the first one has been decided in favor of the plaintiff - $8.2 million.

26 Californians who were dropped by their health insurers, got back their policies after the state intervened on their behalf. Thousands more could also get their health coverage back under a state policy that more liberally interprets preexisting condition.  One woman sued and won $9 million.  

Airborne Health has lost a class action lawsuit filed because the company put claims on its box that it cures colds. Lawyers say the company couldn't verify that claim even though the ingredients are known to support health and fight disease. 

Blue Cross of California had been trolling for patients it could drop from its rolls by sending out letters to doctors asking for their help.  The practice has been going on for years with the company sending

The cholesterol lowering drug Vytorin has been in the news lately and it's not all good news. Last week questions arose whether the drug did any good at all to lower cholesterol. Now the FDA

A Los Angeles consumer has filed a lawsuit she is hoping to take to class-action status, against Dannon for its Activia probiotic line of yogurt claiming false advertising. 

Florida insurance regulators would love to their their hands on secret internal documents that show how Allstate Insurance makes rates and settles claims.

Consumers are paying too much and getting too little from their property insurance at a time the industry is enjoying major profits according to consumer groups.  

One doctor speaks up, " For the first time, I feel truly helpless at the hands of an insurance company.  My fears have come true: we physicians are quickly becoming pawns in the game of healthcare, with an ever decreasing capability to dictate appropriate care for our patients.”

An arbitration hearing in California opened to the public is shining light on the inner workings of the health insurance industry, specifically Health Net Inc. which has dropped about 1,600 policies between 2000 and 2006. Patsy Bates is suing for $6 million.

According to a report published by financial analysis firm Weiss Ratings Inc., first quarter profits at the nation's health maintenance organizations (HMOs) increased 61 percent in the first quarter of 2003. HMOs recorded a $2.3 billion profit for January, February and March of 2003, a striking increase from the $1.