|
L.A. Times - Business
|
Headlines from Los Angeles Times
|
|
-
Cities with the worst pain at the pump
Gas prices in Texas are among the cheapest nationwide, but that doesn't mean commuting by car there is light on the wallet.
-
Finding health coverage for young adults
Americans aged 19 to 29 who are about to be dropped from their parents' insurance policies needn't go without.
Elaine Farrell deals with insurance forms and rules every day at the dental office where she works. But she recently found out that she's as much a novice as anyone else when it comes to general health insurance. ¶ Her oldest daughter, Kristen, turned 23 last week and was booted off her parents' medical plan. The insurance company had mailed a notice about the impending change in status only a month earlier, sending Mom into panic mode. ¶ "I never had to do anything like this before," Farrell said. "There were so many things to think about." ¶ Farrell's daughter, a full-time Cal State Long Beach student who had a severe case of asthma as a child, uses inhalers and takes medication. ¶ That would be enough for many companies to deny coverage altogether, especially in California, where state law won't allow insurers to issue policies that exclude most preexisting conditions. The Long Beach residents got their share of rejection letters until they finally found a bare-bones policy -- no dental, no vision, high co-payments, three doctor visits annually -- for $126 a month.
-
On benefits, gay couples already covered
Still, employers may have to change some policies to comply with court ruling.
The California Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage raises workplace issues that companies need to consider, even though last week's ruling will have little direct effect on employee benefits, legal experts say.
-
All hail the almighty peso!
-
Billing issue leaves patients feeling ill
Policyholders are being pressured by hospitals and doctors when insurers refuse to pay them enough.
Celina Fuentes, 80, had a heart attack a year ago and was taken by ambulance to La Palma Hospital in Orange County. She pulled through, paid the $250 deductible for the four-day hospitalization, and thought her payment issues, at least, were over.
-
Keep on truckin'? Long haulers yield to diesel prices
Their massive vehicles' low mpg weighs down the bottom line, spurring cultural and technological shifts.
If you think gas is expensive, be thankful you're not a trucker. Filling up their 18-wheel, 80,000-pound leviathans can cost more than $1,300 these days.
-
Safeway tries downsizing to better fit local needs
The grocer is testing a small-store concept that offers convenience. Wal-Mart has plans to do the same.
Some of the world's retail titans are headed for a battle over smaller grocery stores.
-
Shock effect of bad news wears off
Americans feel lousy about things -- the worst they've felt since Jimmy Carter was president, a new consumer confidence survey shows.
-
Big Oil stocks (finally) feel the love from record crude prices
-
GE may pull plug on appliance unit
The conglomerate confirms that it is considering the sale of its signature division.
General Electric Co. was long known for the brutal management style called "rank-and-yank": Everybody got an annual performance rating, and the bottom 10% were fired.
|
|
