Rebates

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said he had asked Amgen Inc. to "account for notably high rebates" the company had offered physicians for prescribing Aranesp, an anemia drug. Thousand Oaks-based Amgen paid almost $800 million in rebates to 6,000 facilities, including physician groups, in 2006, Grassley said, citing company data. Doctors collected payments from Medicare and insurers that exceeded the price they paid for the drugs, he said. An Amgen spokeswoman said the company provided rebates, like many of its competitors, to its customers.

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers and employers will receive about $1.3 billion in rebates from insurance companies this year, according to a new study quantifying a key early benefit of the healthcare law that President Obama signed in 2010. That will translate to a few dollars to more than $150 apiece for nearly 16 million consumers nationwide, the report by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found. Obama's healthcare law requires insurers to spend a minimum portion of customers' premiums on medical care.

The federal cash-for-clunkers program is so passe. Now the government is playing rebates-for-refrigerators and money-for-washing-machines. Last summer's federal program fueled vehicle sales and jump-started the sputtering auto industry by enticing customers to trade in their gas guzzlers. Now retailers are hoping for a similar boost from another government program that will offer rebates of up to $200 for energy-efficient appliances. Starting Thursday, which happens to be Earth Day, consumers will be able to vie for rebates on Energy Star-rated appliances: $200 for refrigerators, $100 for clothes washers and $50 for air conditioners.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. consumers and businesses will receive an estimated $1.3 billion in rebates from insurance companies this year, according to a new study quantifying a key early benefit of the healthcare law that President Obama signed in 2010. That will translate into anywhere from a few dollars to more than $150 for some 15 million consumers nationwide, the new report by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation found. Obama's healthcare law requires insurers to spend a minimum portion of customers' premiums on medical care, a provision championed by consumer groups concerned that companies were hiking premiums to pay for executive salaries, shareholder dividends and other expenses unrelated to their customers' care.

Just how much is your insurance agent worth to you? That question is at the heart of a soon-to-be-decided legal battle between big insurance companies and a handful of California insurance agents who want to rebate their commissions openly. If the issue is ultimately decided in favor of the insurers, rebates could be much more difficult to find--eliminated by law or in practice.

New Mexico's film tax program, one of the most successful in the country, may not end up on the cutting-room floor after all. The state Senate voted Wednesday to approve a measure that would preserve the state's 25% film tax subsidy on qualified film and TV expenditures but cap the total amount of funds paid out annually at $50 million a year. The bill marks a compromise and partial victory for film-industry advocates, who reacted angrily to a recent proposal by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez to drastically scale back the tax rebate to 15% from 25%. Critics said that would devastate New Mexico's vibrant film industry, causing producers to take their business elsewhere.

A cash-strapped conservation credit program run by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has stopped paying vendors and customers for installing water-saving toilets and appliances. Though the program has been deemed highly successful, demand for the rebates has increased threefold over the last two years. In May, the water district moved to suspend the program, said Bob Muir, a spokesman for it.

Facing continued public skepticism about the new healthcare law, President Obama traveled to Maryland on Tuesday to tout the distribution of $250 rebate checks for senior citizens who hit the so-called doughnut hole in Medicare's drug coverage, one of the law's first benefits. At the same time, the president announced a new initiative to cut in half the amount of waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare program by the end of 2012 — an ambitious goal that would require the federal government to recover as much as $18 billion.

California consumers counting on a $5,000 state rebate for purchasing an electric car may be in for a shock: The money may not be there when they go to collect. The state Air Resources Board, which is offering the program for eligible electric and other zero-emission vehicles, has $8 million in its coffers. That's enough to pay out incentives to about 1,600 buyers, estimated Jay Friedland, legislative director of Plug In America, an electric-vehicle advocacy group. But it's well below the expected pace of sales for vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, which is just now hitting the market.

Southern California Edison will temporarily remove two items from its rebate program beginning Saturday, due to funding shortfalls. Customers seeking rebates for purchases of energy-efficient central air conditioners and central heat pumps must postmark their applications by Oct. 29. But applications for these rebated items will be available again beginning Jan. 1.

Dear Liz: Should we get a rewards card? We have excellent credit scores. I'm a stay-at-home mom and my husband has a good, steady job. We spend about $6,000 a month with our debit card or automatic drafts from our checking account. I think our family should have a rewards card. My husband disagrees and says that for the amount we spend each month, we wouldn't rack up any points. Is he right? If we should get a card, how do we pick the right one? Answer: If you're positive you'll pay your credit card bill in full every month, you would be great candidates for a rewards card.

General Motors Co. plans to bring a special version of the Chevrolet Volt to the California market that will qualify the plug-in hybrid sedan for a $1,500 state rebate and a coveted carpool lane sticker. The Volt, which the automaker has made the poster child for its environmental credentials, has sold more slowly in California than its all-electric rival, the Nissan Leaf, in part because it previously did not qualify as a vehicle that solo drivers could use in the state's network of time-saving carpool lanes.

General Motors Co. plans to bring a special version of the Chevrolet Volt to the California market that will qualify the plug-in hybrid sedan for a $1,500 state rebate and a coveted carpool lane sticker. The Volt, which the automaker has made the poster child for its environmental credentials, has sold slower in California than its all-electric rival, the Nissan Leaf -- in part because it previously did not qualify as a vehicle solo drivers could use in the state's network of time-saving carpool lanes.

A long-standing artist community and celebrity vacation destination, Santa Fe, N.M., has a new rising star: a sprawling studio complex that could help the state regain its footing as a leading production destination for Hollywood filmmakers. Santa Fe Studios, a nearly $30-million, 65-acre production facility in the southeast part of the more-than-a-mile-high town, will open for business this week. The pueblo-style studio includes two 19,274-square-foot soundstages with plush offices and dressing rooms, access to electric cars and ultra-high-speed broadband technology.

Abundant sunshine has made Southern California one of the brightest markets for residential solar power in the country. Some might say too bright. Encouraged by federal tax credits and a municipal rebate, so many Los Angeles residents sought to add rooftop solar panels at the start of the year that the Department of Water and Power had to suspend its Solar Incentive Program in April because of overwhelming demand and funding concerns. But on Thursday — at 10 a.m., to be precise — the DWP will relaunch the program, albeit with reduced rebates and a new online system to process applications.

It seems like a no-brainer. Your credit card offers you a $1 reward for every $100 you spend. It's not a huge payback, but it's something: a rebate that might as well be free money. Who wouldn't sign up for a card with rebates instead of one without them? And then, who wouldn't swipe the card for everything — groceries, gas and the movies? The fact is, credit card rebates are hurting, not helping, many unsuspecting consumers. These programs raise prices for everyone in ways that most people do not recognize.

In an effort to boost sales of its newest model and increase traffic at its dealerships, Hyundai Motor America said Wednesday that it has doubled the factory rebate on 1992 Elantras to $1,000. The new rebate is effective through April 2. Tom Ryan, Hyundai Motor America vice president, said the company hiked the rebate because it "is doing everything possible to stimulate the economy, giving it the push it so badly needs."

State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi on Thursday accused five life insurance companies of illegally refusing to do business with an agent who rebates part of his commissions to consumers. The action represents Garamendi's first attempt to enforce the law that made such discounting legal in California. Rebating became legal under one of the provisions of Proposition 103, the 1988 insurance rate rollback referendum.

It's going to cost more to buy electric cars in California. The state has run out of the $5,000 rebates it was giving people who purchased all-electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster. That's on top of a price increase for the Nissan Leaf. The automaker said this week that it would raise the price of the base model when the 2012 cars come out this fall by $2,420 to $36,050, including destination charge. The higher-trim-level Leaf SL will go up $3,530 to $38,100, including destination charge.

Los Angeles once again will pick up part of the tab for residents who want to go solar. The Department of Water and Power announced at a public workshop Thursday the relaunch of its Solar Incentive Program, which offers rebates to businesses and homeowners who generate their own electricity. The program, which began in 1999, was suspended in April because a flood of applications caused funding to run out. The DWP originally budgeted $30 million for the initiative, but about $112 million in rebate requests poured in from those keen to install solar panels in order to cut their power bills and help the environment.