Latest news with #14states
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Anthem Dental Insurance Review 2025
Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor We analyzed costs and benefits information for 32 stand-alone dental insurance plans. We looked at price quotes, coverage limits and deductibles, and reimbursement levels. Advertisers do not and cannot influence our ratings. We use data-driven methodologies so all companies are measured equally. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and the methodology for the ratings below. Anthem offers multiple dental insurance plan tiers that vary by cost, coverage, reimbursement level and waiting period. Anthem Dental provides dental coverage in 14 states: Anthem Dental insurance plans have slightly higher-than-average premiums compared to other companies. The two highest-rated plans, Essential Choice PPO Platinum and Essential Choice PPO Gold, have higher premiums than the national average. However, the added costs come with better coverage than that of many competitors. Here's a look at the dental insurance cost differences of top-scoring plans for eight dental insurance companies. Anthem, also known as Elevance Health, is an independent Blue Cross Blue Shield Association licensee. BCBSA has 33 independent licensees that cover members across all 50 states. Elevance, aka Anthem, covers 118 million people with multiple types of insurance plans across 14 states. Anthem's health plans cover an estimated 47 million. In addition to dental insurance, Anthem offers: Anthem has one of the best complaint ratios to state insurance departments. That may signify higher customer satisfaction than competitors. AM Best financial strength rating: A (Excellent) Credit rating agency AM Best gave Anthem an A (Excellent) financial strength rating. AM Best praised Anthem's 'balance sheet strength, highlighting the company's 'strong operating performance, favorable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.' To find the best dental insurance companies, we scored 32 stand-alone dental insurance plans. We got quotes from each company and dug into each dental plan to find out what each one covers, what they reimburse for different types of coverage, and coverage limits and deductibles. Only the top-scoring plans from each company are shown. Benefit details can vary by state, so check the plan brochure for details. Ratings are based on the following criteria. Anthem Dental offers multiple plans that we rated highly, including Essential Choice PPO Platinum. Anthem's comprehensive plans may cost more than those of some competitors, but they also come with higher coverage and the flexibility to get dental care outside the plan's provider network. You can shop for Anthem Dental plans by visiting the company's website and entering your ZIP code in the Find Plans in Your Area tool. Anthem will ask for your name, date of birth and email address and will provide you with quotes for plans in your area. You can also call Anthem at (855) 875-1584. You can cancel your Anthem Dental policy by calling the phone number on your dental insurance card. Anthem may ask that you send a letter requesting cancellation.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Fury as probe exposes how Kroger overcharges customers
Kroger is facing scrutiny after an investigation alleged the grocery giant has been overcharging customers by listing expired sale prices on shelves — only to ring up full prices at checkout. The second largest grocery chain in the US used the tactic in at least 14 stores across 14 states and Washington DC, the report by the Guardian US and Consumer Reports alleges. 'Secret shopper' tests at stores in March, April and May found more than 150 items labeled on shelf edges with outdated discounts that no longer applied at the register. This produced an average 18 percent markup on the items found, according to the report. But some items jumped by as much as 60 percent. On average, the expired discount tags were two weeks out of date, meaning that thousands of Americans could have ended up spending more than they expected on items they thought were discounted. It comes as consumers are feeling the pinch with high grocery prices as well as the prospect of substantial price increases on everyday items as a result of Trump's tariffs. Food prices have rose 24 percent between 2020 and 2024, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The sneaky sales tags often don't clearly state that a discount offer has ended, the investigation found. At other times the expiration dates are only noted in corporate code or in very small print. While some shoppers catch the price increase at the checkout, many busy consumers do not recognize the uplift, union officials and Kroger workers told the researchers. 'It really makes me feel bad because some of them are on fixed incomes and they're older. They're not going to pay attention,' Joy Alexander, a Kroger worker from Denver, told the Guardian and Consumer Reports. 'They think that when they took it off the shelf, it was $2.50. They don't know that they're paying $3.75 for that one item.' Other examples cited by the investigation include personal pizzas, which were posted as on sale for $1 a piece, which rang up for $1.25 each, and an 8oz jar of minced garlic listed at the low price of $2.49, which cost $3.99 at checkout – a 60 percent jump. Kroger's pricing strategy has been the subject of numerous customer complaints both directly to the company and to state attorney generals. In October a Kroger customer wrote to Ohio's attorney general stating that their experience at the grocery chain was 'outrageous.' 'We just spent $121 for two seniors for a week's groceries,' the customer argued, adding that they were overcharged $8.07 on a frozen turkey. 'We shop there regularly and three out of five times we have to correct them on prices.' In a statement provided to a spokesperson for Kroger said the 'allegations boil down to misinformation, reviewing a handful of discrete issues from billions of daily transactions. 'It in no way reflects the seriousness with which we take our transparent and affordable pricing,' they added. This is not the first time Kroger has been investigated over sneaky pricing tactics. Last year US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey investigated the supermarket over concerns its electronic price labels were being used to raise and lower prices in accordance with demand. Kroger's planned takeover of Albertsons was also stopped by a legal challenge from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) because of concerns it would eliminate competition and raise prices for consumers. During a court hearing Kroger admitted to raising the cost of essential items more than was needed to keep pace with inflation. The grocery chain's top pricing executive testified to a judge in August last year that the store raised the prices of milk and eggs more than required. 'On milk and eggs, retail inflation has been significantly higher than cost inflation,' executive Andy Groff wrote in an email to his bosses in March that was used as evidence in court. The company also made headlines in March when former CEO Rodney McMullen unexpectedly resigned over 'personal conduct.' Bosses refused to give details beyond saying that it was 'unrelated to the business' and 'inconsistent with Kroger's policy on business ethics.' Lead director Ronald Sargeant (pictured) was appointed interim CEO in the wake of McMullen's departure.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Fury as probe exposes how America's second biggest grocer overcharges customers by listing false sales prices
Kroger is facing scrutiny after an investigation alleged the grocery giant has been overcharging customers by listing expired sale prices on shelves — only to ring up full prices at checkout. The second largest grocery chain in the US used the tactic in at least 14 stores across 14 states and Washington DC, the report by the Guardian US and Consumer Reports alleges. 'Secret shopper' tests at stores in March, April and May found more than 150 items labeled on shelf edges with outdated discounts that no longer applied at the register. This produced an average 18 percent markup on the items found, according to the report. But some items jumped by as much as 60 percent. On average, the expired discount tags were two weeks out of date, meaning that thousands of Americans could have ended up spending more than they expected on items they thought were discounted. It comes as consumers are feeling the pinch with high grocery prices as well as the prospect of substantial price increases on everyday items as a result of Trump's tariffs. Food prices have rose 24 percent between 2020 and 2024, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The sneaky sales tags often don't clearly state that a discount offer has ended, the investigation found. At other times the expiration dates are only noted in corporate code or in very small print. While some shoppers catch the price increase at the checkout, many busy consumers do not recognize the uplift, union officials and Kroger workers told the researchers. 'It really makes me feel bad because some of them are on fixed incomes and they're older. They're not going to pay attention,' Joy Alexander, a Kroger worker from Denver, told the Guardian and Consumer Reports. 'They think that when they took it off the shelf, it was $2.50. They don't know that they're paying $3.75 for that one item.' Other examples cited by the investigation include personal pizzas which were posted as on sale for $1 a piece which rang up for $1.25 each, and an 8oz jar of minced garlic listed at the low price of $2.49 which cost $3.99 at checkout – a 60 percent jump. both directly to the company and to state attorney generals. An investigation from Consumer Reports found hundreds of mispriced items at Kroger stores Consumers are already stretched after years of inflation and now tariff-related price hikes Kroger's acting CEO Ronald Sargent took over at the grocery store last month 'We just spent $121 for two seniors for a week's groceries,' the customer argued, adding that they were overcharged $8.07 on a frozen turkey. 'We shop there regularly and three out of five times we have to correct them on prices.' In a statement provided to a spokesperson for Kroger said the 'allegations boil down to misinformation, reviewing a handful of discrete issues from billions of daily transactions. 'It in no way reflects the seriousness with which we take our transparent and affordable pricing,' they added. This is not the first time Kroger has been investigated over sneaky pricing tactics. Last year US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey investigated the supermarket over concerns its electronic price labels were being used to raise and lower prices in accordance with demand. Kroger's planned takeover of Albertsons was also stopped by a legal challenge from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) because of concerns it would eliminate competition and raise prices for consumers. During a court hearing Kroger admitted to raising the cost of essential items more than was needed to keep pace with inflation. The grocery chain's top pricing executive testified to a judge in August last year that the store raised the prices of milk and eggs more than required. 'On milk and eggs, retail inflation has been significantly higher than cost inflation,' executive Andy Groff wrote in an email to his bosses in March that was used as evidence in court. The company also made headlines in March when former CEO Rodney McMullen unexpectedly resigned over 'personal conduct.' Bosses refused to give details beyond saying that it was 'unrelated to the business' and 'inconsistent with Kroger's policy on business ethics.'
