...speaker_bureau_request_form.htmlMy Journals (27)
Forum to address health care issues
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Volunteer for AARP Tax-Aide
We are the nation's largest, free, volunteer-run tax preparation and assistance service. We serve low- and middle-income taxpayers with special attention to those ages 60 and older. As our program continues to grow, we are continually recruiting dedicated individuals to join our team.
Volunteering with the AARP Tax-Aide program promises to be one of the most engaging and challenging activities you will ever undertake. In a recent survey, 96 percent of AARP Tax-Aide volunteers were satisfied with their experience. Many stay with the program year after year - many for more than 15 years.
The program offers a range of meaningful leadership and tax counseling opportunities and training is provided. For more information contact Lynn Boulware, AARP Tax-Aide State Coordinator at 417-533-2111 or email ltbwitch@hotmail.com
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AARP Tax-Aide is administered by the AARP Foundation. For more information visit
www.aarp.org/taxaide or call 888-687-2277
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Lobbyists persuaded members of a Missouri legislative panel to block rules requiring sprinklers and new fire safety standards for nursing homes.
Separately, the legislators then rejected pleas from a consumer group warning that buyers of auto and home insurance are losing key consumer protections.
At the center of this tale are the five senators and five representatives who are members of a powerful but obscure
It's known as JCAR and membership includes six Republicans and four Democrats.
No state rule can go into effect if JCAR objects. The committee can only reject rules, not enact them, and then only for specific reasons.
The idea, legislators say, is to keep bureaucrats from overzealously enforcing laws.
But critics believe industry lobbyists use JCAR to "veto" regulations behind the scenes that they couldn't kill in public.
On Monday, the state Health Department brought JCAR regulations to improve fire safety standards at nursing homes, residential care and assisted living facilities.
State Fire Marshal Randy Cole says the new rules included three major improvements in safety standards not already required: sprinklers, fire alarms in smaller facilities and smoke stop partitions (safety walls between two parts of a building.)
Lobbyists for three influential groups representing nursing homes and assisted living facilities lodged numerous objections.
Kerri Hock, executive director of the Missouri Assisted Living Association, said the state demanded that facilities install commercial-grade smoke detectors and connected sprinklers in both rooms and hallways.
"The cost could be anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000" per facility, she said. Her group represents half of the state's 600 licensed residential care and assisted living facilities.
Legislators on JCAR voted 9-0 to reject the Health Department's fire safety rules.
One member, Rep. Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City, said he supports safety, "But it's got to be cost-effective." He called the proposed rules "so arbitrary and capricious that they created an undue burden."
He said the Health Department will have to quickly come up with new rules; a 2007 state law requires new fire safety rules to be in place by the end of this year.
After rejecting the rules, JCAR then heard from Jay Angoff, a lawyer and former Missouri insurance commissioner. He spoke on behalf of the Consumers Council of Missouri, one of the state's few consumer advocacy groups.
Angoff called for JCAR to reject proposed rules from the state Insurance Department for what are known as "market conduct examinations" of insurance companies. The old rules allow state investigators wide leeway to examine records of auto and home insurance companies to enforce consumer protection standards.
In a May press release, the Insurance Department said the new rules will "codify the success of market conduct reforms during Gov. Matt Blunt's administration," reforms that recovered more money for consumers.
But Angoff warns that the new rules require a company to agree to a state investigation.
The exams are the most important tool insurance investigators have.
State investigators traditionally use the exams to determine if an insurer is violating the law. The new regulations "appear to take the opposite approach" and require evidence of law violations before an investigation can proceed, Angoff says.
Some senior staffers in the market conduct examination division at the Insurance Department agreed. On June 12, they filed written objections warning that the new rules would bar them from investigating even immediate threats to consumers.
They also said insurance companies could use the new rules to endlessly delay investigations.
A lawyer for the Insurance Department said the staffers later withdrew their written request for what she described as "extreme changes" in the new rules.
At this week's JCAR meeting, no legislator suggested rejecting the insurance rules. That means they will go into effect.
Sen. Joan Bray, D-University City, said she would have offered such a motion but it was clear there would be no support for it.
Sen. Luann Ridgeway, R-Smithville, JCAR's chair, wouldn't discuss the meeting.
So the legislators killed the fire safety rules fought by the nursing home industry and gave an OK to rules welcomed by the insurance industry.
"That's correct," Stevenson said. "The industry had a good day."
msorkin@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8347
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"Help! I'm being harassed by (almost) daily phone calls and they won't stop." It was an e-mail to Savvy from Forrest Tosie of south St. Louis County. "The funny part — it's the phone company (AT&T) harassing me!" he wrote. Tosie is sales vice president for a car wax manufacturer, so he knows a thing or two about phone solicitations.
His caller ID logged nine calls from AT&T in 12 days. Tosie considered filing a complaint with police.
"Unbelievable," he said, "considering I requested my name be removed from their call list, and have told them every time not to call me again."
Every call was the same: AT&T is offering DSL service. Each time, Tosie replied that he already has a service he's happy with.
Tosie called AT&T to try to get the calls stopped. He couldn't connect with a live person, "which is ironic considering they're the phone company and they called me. The automated numbers end you up in purgatory, with being disconnected or the recipient of a fast busy signal," he wrote.
I called AT&T spokeswoman Chelsey Ilten, who wrote this response:
"We have not determined yet what happened in this individual's case and apologize for any inconvenience to the individual. We have now removed the number from our call lists."
That takes care of Tosie's problem, but what about the rest of us?
Tosie's is one of 2,725,724 residential phone numbers on the Missouri No Call List, as of Thursday. The law bars telemarketers from calling those households.
Attorney General Jay Nixon's office has won court orders totaling $2,973,000 in penalties for violations since July 2001, when the list began.
But Tosie didn't think the law applied to his problem. That's because the phone companies got themselves exempted from the state's No Call law.
And they're not the only ones. In addition to phone companies, the Legislature exempted banks, insurance, finance, credit card, mortgage and real estate companies.
Also, pollsters, educational institutions, charities, stockbrokers, lawn care companies — and anyone calling from a business in a home or calling based on a referral.
Finally, legislators exempted themselves along with all other politicians.
Each year, the Legislature resists efforts to close loopholes in the law.
So Tosie figured that about the only thing he could do was complain — if he could find a live person to complain to.
But not so fast. It turns out that AT&T had agreed in 2004 to honor the law after all, to settle a suit by Nixon. He sued AT&T, MCI and Southwestern Bell, citing repeated violations of the federal Do Not Call law.
AT&T paid the state $10,000 in penalties and agreed that any future violations would carry a $1,000 penalty.
Nixon spokesman Scott Holste says that, since the settlement, AT&T has diligently purchased the state's No Call List for its telemarketers.
"I would definitely urge this consumer to file a complaint with our office," Holste said, "so we can make sure that these calls don't come back."
As for AT&T, Ilten says customers should call the company's business office to request that their numbers be removed from the call list. In St. Louis, the AT&T number is 1-800-288-2020.
Ilten said to expect a series of automated prompts, followed by a live individual who can remove your phone number. Once a request is made, she added, it may take up to 30 days for the company to get your number to the right people.
As for cell phone users, federal law generally bars telemarketers from calling you.
But don't be so smug.
A telemarketer called my cell this week. He said he was selling subscriptions to a daily newspaper … in Houston.
I told him he was violating federal law and asked him to take my number off of his list.
Let's see if he's smart enough not to call back.
msorkin@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8347
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Consumers have enjoyed lower auto insurance rates for a few years, but now they're heading back up.
Rates in Missouri and Illinois increased 3.8 percent from April through June, according to Insurance.com, an online auto insurance agency.
A Missouri car owner who was paying $1,569 a year now pays $1,629. An Illinois owner who was paying $1,512 now pays $1,570.
Missouri and Illinois were among the 10 states with the largest percentage increase in premiums, the study says.
Nationwide, this was the second consecutive quarter for rate increases, reversing a trend of steady or falling auto rates.
Eric Gerst, a lawyer, insurance industry critic and author of the book "Vulture Culture," expects insurance rates to go up as gas prices continue to rise.
He writes that the companies have fixed costs to pay (just like us). So when some consumers can't afford to renew their policies, insurers keep profits up by:
— Increasing rates to existing customers.
— Decreasing benefits.
— Increasing deductibles.
— Or all of the above.
Let us know what's happening to your rates and coverage. Use the e-mail address at the end of this column.
SMALLER CAR, LOWER INSURANCE COSTS?
Don't think that switching to a smaller car to save money on gas will keep your insurance rates down. Online broker Insure.com says downsizing can actually increase your car insurance bill.
The owner of a new Toyota Camry pays an average annual premium of $1,302. The owner of a Ford F-series pickup pays even less: $1,194.
Step down to the smaller Honda Civic, and rates shoot up to $1,670 per year.
The insurance industry blames small cars — and those who drive them.
Small cars are involved in more crashes and are less safe than large cars, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group funded entirely by insurers.
Insurers also maintain that small cars tend to be driven by younger drivers who are more likely to get into crashes.
Drivers of small, lightweight cars are twice as likely to die in a crash as drivers of big heavy cars.
Institute spokesman Russ Rader points to safety consequences when moving from a bigger vehicle to a smaller one.
"You could put all the safety state-of-the-art equipment that we have today into a small, light car, and it won't be as safe as a bigger, heavier vehicle with the same equipment," Rader says.
Some small cars won't increase your insurance rates.
Insurers say the Mini Cooper, Volkswagen New Beetle and Volkswagen Golf are three of the small cars that stay at "average" or better for insurance losses.
Insure.com says that's not because of the design of these cars "but the fact that they tend to be driven by more experienced drivers."
We asked Jeff Bartlett, deputy editor online for autos at Consumer Reports, about higher insurance costs for small cars. He ran the numbers and says the higher rates make sense.
Even though smaller cars are less expensive, he says, injury risks are greater. And it's more expensive to repair a person than a car.
"I hope, in the end, consumers are not driven away from small cars," Bartlett says.
In shopping for a small car, he advises paying extra attention to the safety features and performance. He suggests a smallish car that could satisfy your growing needs instead of the smallest cars on the road.
"Think Prius/Corolla, rather than Yaris," he says of the Toyota lineup.
Fortunately, he adds, cars tend to be safer with each successive generation. The newest small cars often are fitted with side airbags, electronic safety controls and active headrests.
And then there's the savings from gas prices.
Switching from a Ford F-150 pickup (13 miles per gallon city/17 mpg highway) to a Honda Civic (25/36) can save nearly $2,000 annually at the gas pump.
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For years, the Better Business Bureau has rated companies on how they treat consumers. It's one of the best tools available to shoppers who want to check out a company's complaint record.
But the ratings are limited to "satisfactory" and "unsatisfactory." That pass or fail system doesn't always tell the whole story.
So later this year, BBBs in St. Louis and across the country will launch a new grading system. It will rate businesses on letter grades from "A" to "F."
"According to all of our studies, this is what consumers want," says Michelle Corey, president and CEO of the BBB of eastern Missouri and southern Illinois.
"They want an easy way to make decisions."
Consumers who want more detailed information to back up the letter grades will get that, too, Corey promises.
Here's an example: A company named Kohl Group LLC in the Los Angeles area drew 112 complaints in 36 months. They alleged unauthorized charges, difficulty canceling work or obtaining refunds, dissatisfaction with the product (Kohl calls itself a research and marketing company) or not getting what they paid for.
"We believe the company's advertising is deceptive and misleading," the website of the Better Business Bureau of the Southland in the Los Angeles area says.
Consumers who want the short version can just look at the letter grade.
The BBB gave Kohl Group an "F."
Those who want more information can drill down into the website and read the synopsis of each complaint and the company's response.
Consumers like the new grading system because it's easy to understand, says Gary Almond of the LA area BBB.
And what about businesses?
Almond says there have been some complaints, but most businesses have embraced the letter grades, in part because they like the idea of getting an "A."
"It's better than saying 'satisfactory,'" he says. "'Satisfactory' isn't a real flattering word."
The BBB in southern California is one of five across the country that have been testing the letter grading system for about three years. They have tried five different formulas.
All the formulas include 13 factors such as: type of business, length of time in business, compliance with licensing requirements, complaint volume, complaint history, seriousness of complaints, how the company responds to complaints, and the BBB's experience with the company's industry in general.
During the week of Oct. 6, the 126 BBBs in the United States and Canada will meet in San Francisco to choose one formula.
That decision will be important to the businesses they rate as well as the consumers who will use the ratings.
But the BBBs may not release the final formula, either to businesses or consumers.
"It's a proprietary formula, and we're still wrestling with that question," Steve Cox of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in Arlington, Va., said Thursday.
Cox said the argument against transparency is that the BBBs compete against hundreds of various Internet sites that also review companies.
The BBB's reports are unique. Cox says, and "we want to keep them unique."
We'll keep you advised. Consumers and businesses each have a horse in this race.
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The AARP Foundation announced a call for entries to its 2nd Annual Women’s Scholarship Program. This scholarship will provide funds to women 40+ who are seeking new job skills, training and educational opportunities to support themselves and their families.
To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must:
- Be female age 40 or over (as of August 31, 2008)
- Be able to demonstrate financial need; and
- Be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary school or training program within 6 months of the scholarship award date.
Priority consideration is given to women in three categories: 1) women raising children of another family member (such as grandparents raising grandchildren, or those raising siblings or nieces/nephews); 2) women who have been out of the work force for an extended period of time; and 3) women in dead end jobs (those with no opportunity for advancement, low pay and lacking either health or retirement benefits).
Scholarships may be used for any course of study at a public or private secondary school, including community college, technical schools, and four-year universities. The program does not provide assistance for graduate degree programs. It seeks women who are entering two to three year technical or skills programs, or who are in the final stages of their college experience. Funds are payable to the institution and may be used to pay for tuition, fees and books.
Interested applicants can submit their application online beginning July 1, 2008 at http://www.aarpfoundationwlc.org. The application process closes on August 22, 2008 and scholarships will be awarded in early 2009. The Foundation will award up to 100 scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000, depending on financial need and the cost of the education or training program.
For more information about the AARP Foundation, please log on to http://www.aarp.org/foundation.
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