Eyewitness Newsmakers looks at health insurance mergers, LA homeless plans

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two guests who oversee billions of your consumer and tax dollars are this week's guests in Eyewitness Newsmakers.

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones sets the record straight on State Farm Insurance, affecting 1.7 billion policy holders. An administrative law judge recommended that State Farm refund $85 million for overcharges and decrease rates 7 percent.

Jones makes the final decision and he has not made it, yet.

He also discusses his opposition to the proposed insurance mega-mergers involving Anthem and Cigna, Aetna and Humana, worth $54 billion and $37 billion, respectively. Jones says the mergers would limit competition, reduce benefits and lower the quality of healthcare.

Also appearing on Newsmakers is Los Angeles City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana. The city's tight-fisted top bureaucrat is in solid support of a billion-dollar property tax increase to build homeless housing.

Voters will need to approve Measure H by two-thirds in November for it to pass. Santana said even if taxpayers don't want to house the homeless, this plan will save tax money already being paid in jail and hospital costs.

Newsmakers airs 11 a.m. Sunday on ABC7.