Anthem Blue Cross

The Marie Antoinette of Health Insurance and How to Dethrone Her

Jamie Court | Posted 05.08.2012

Read More: Jamie Court, Medicare, Progressive, Affordable Health Care, Rate Hikes, Insurance Reform, Health Care, Wellpoint, Anthem Blue Cross, Dianne Feinstein, Angela Braly, Medical, California, Politics News

Health insurance rates are like a runaway train and there's no police force or firefighting squad with the power to stop them. Thirty-five states require health insurance companies to get permission before raising rates, but not California.

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Insurers Plotting How to Circumvent Reform So They Can Continue Selling Junk Health Insurance

Wendell Potter | Posted 12.24.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Obamacare, Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Politics News

If the White House caves in to insurance industry demands, millions of low-wage earners will be forced to buy junk coverage on January 1, 2014. If you don't want to be forced to buy junk, send the White House a message. Now.

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Medicare Open Enrollment Time -- Have You Been Dumped?

Linda Bergthold | Posted 12.12.2011

Read More: Vermont Single Payer, Medicare Advantage, Medicare, Medicare Open Enrollment, Coventry, Medicare Premiums, Health Insurance Companies, US Department of Health and Human Services, Congressman Sam Farr, Anthem Blue Cross, Hospital Costs, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, Republican Medicare Voucher Proposal, Optima, Fifty News

Most of us breathe a sigh of relief when we reach Medicare age because we think we will have coverage until we die. And we will. But we may not get all the options we want.

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State Health Exchanges Tilting Toward Insurers

Wendell Potter | Posted 09.13.2011

Read More: Unitedhealth, Kathleen Sebelius, Obamacare, Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, Affordable Care Act, John Hickenlooper, Barack Obama, Colorado, Business News

The insurance industry made it abundantly clear this week that it is in the driver's seat--in both Washington and state capitals -- of one of the most important vehicles created by Congress to reform the U.S. health care system.

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Insurers' Bait and Switch

Wendell Potter | Posted 08.30.2011

Read More: California, Unitedhealth, Ahip, Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, Cigna, Hmos, Kaiser Permanente, Health Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield, John Garamendi, Wellpoint, Business News

The health insurance industry's long-term strategy is to move all Americans into high-deductible plans, and they're well on their way to achieving that goal. Once there, you can bet the rates will be hiked up.

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Health Insurance Claim Denied? Don't Despair. Fight Back.

Linda Bergthold | Posted 08.21.2011

Read More: Medical Necessity, Insurance Denials, Medical Fraud and Abuse, Health Insurance Denies Coverage, Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Health News, Health Insurance, U. S. Government Accountability Office, Coverage Denials, Coverage Denied, The-Affordable-Health-Care-for-America-Act, Health-Affairs-Journal, Politics News

If you thought that insurers just threw a dart at a board to deny a claim, you would be wrong. According to a recent report, fighting back when you have a health insurance claim denied is well worth your time.

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Blue Shield's PR Coup

Wendell Potter | Posted 08.09.2011

Read More: Health Care Reform, Ceo-Bruce-Bodaken, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue-Shield-of-California-Ceo, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Business News

As the head of communications for two of the country's largest health insurers for almost 20 years, I recognize an orchestrated spin campaign when I see one. And boy oh boy did I see an award-winning one this week in San Francisco.

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Insurers' Cynical Calculations on the Cost of Doing Business

Wendell Potter | Posted 05.31.2011

Read More: State-Insurance-Regulators, Health Net, Unitedhealth, Anthem Blue Cross, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Cigna, Health Insurance, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Business News

The next time you hear a politician say that reducing regulations and allowing the sale of health insurance across state lines would go a long way toward controlling health care costs, think of the real, much higher cost of such a solution.

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In the Chemo Room: In It to Win It!

Robert Schwab | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cancer Treatment, Anthem Blue Cross, Health Insurance, Cancer, Denver News

This is the story of a health insurer -- a company that is often described as the big, bad wolf of the industry -- coming through for a patient who went through the motions required of him.

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Anthem Blue Cross Rate Hikes Move Forward, May Increase 20%

Los Angeles Times | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cost, Congress, White House, Rates, Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross, California, Anthem, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Obama, Premiums, Health Care, Politics News

California insurance regulators cleared the way Wednesday for Anthem Blue Cross to implement scaled-back rate hikes......

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Will 'Progressives' Let Middle Class Burn to Prove Their Point?

Jamie Court | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Anthem Blue Cross, Senator Mark Leno, Third World America, California, Middle Class, Obamcare, Politics News

Progressives cannot afford to walk away from the suffering of the middle class to prove a point or make a case. Yet that's the type of talk I am hearing more and more from progressives as the midterm approaches.

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Deja Vu: Anthem Blue Cross Now Plans A 14% Rate Hike In California

AP | TOM MURPHY | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Anthem Blue Cross, Wellpoint Rate Hike, Anthem-Blue-Cross-Rate-Hike, Wellpoint, Los Angeles News

INDIANAPOLIS — Health insurer WellPoint said Wednesday that its California subsidiary will dial down rate hikes that drew national outrage earli...

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Health Insurance Rate Wars - Are We Focused on the Right Fight?

Clayton M. Christensen | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, Health Care Technology, Health Insurance, Kathleen Sebelius, Aetna, Health Care, Health Insurance Reform, Business News

By Darius Tahir and Clayton Christensen On opposite ends of the country, differing results in battles with health insurers lead us to the same conclu...

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Urgent Action Necessary to Stop Health Insurance Corporation Greed

Sen. Dianne Feinstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Anthem Rate Hike, Dianne Feinstein, Anthem Blue Cross, Health Insurance, Aetna, Wellpoint, Los Angeles News

At a time of great hardship for many Americans, it is unconscionable that a few mega-corporations can simply misplace a few decimal points and quickly rack up millions of dollars in unjust profits.

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Anthem Blue Cross Withdraws California Rate Hike

AP | JOHN ROGERS | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Anthem Cancels Rate Hike, Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Anthem Rate Hike, Anthem Withdraws Rate Hike, Los Angeles News

LOS ANGELES — Insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross drew public outrage and criticism by President Barack Obama as a poster child for out-of-control...

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Throw The Bums Out: Day 6

Dr. Mark Weiss | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Anthem Blue Cross, Angela Braly, Throw the Bums Out, California, Wellpoint, Politics News

How dare Anthem Blue Cross and its parent company increase their executives' compensation on the backs of people who will soon be unable to afford health insurance.

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WellPoint/Anthem Shareholders Revolt!

Rob Stone M.D. | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Shareholders, Shareholder Rights, Anthem Blue Cross, Angela Braly, Wellpoint Health Insurance, Wellpoint Rate Hike, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Wellpoint, Business News

The health insurance industry adds huge administrative costs to our system, not to mention the profits they siphon off. WellPoint is a parasitic middleman that adds no value and increases the cost of health care.

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Brownosaurus Rex and California's Ugly Election

Bennet Kelley | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Bp, California Primary, Chris Kelly, Jerry Brown, Anthem Blue Cross, Aig, Betsy Butler, California Budget Crisis, Meg-Whitman-Governor-Race, Los Angeles News

While it is premature to declare any winners in the June 8th California primary races, one loser is already evident -- the citizens of California.

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30 Million WellPoint Shares Voted: Return to Non-Profit!

Rob Stone M.D. | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, Wellpoint, Angela Braly, Shareholder Activist, Proxy Access, Bush Family, Business News

The SEC has proposed a new regulation that would allow shareholders to directly nominate corporate board members called "Proxy Access." If this goes into effect this fall as expected, I intend to run for the WellPoint board.

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Passage of Health Care Reform a Good Thing for California!

Charles Feldman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, President Obama's Health Reform, California Economy, California, California Budget Crisis, Health Care, Hrc, Los Angeles News

Make no mistake about it, Californians stand to gain a lot -- maybe more than many other part of the U.S. -- by passage of the health care reform measure.

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Shareholders Move to Curb Extravagant Pay for WellPoint CEO

Ethan Rome | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Shareholders, CEO Pay, Excessive Pay, William h.t. Bush, Blue Cross, Health Insurance Industry, Angela Braly, Health Insurance Companies, Private Health Insurance, Anthem Blue Cross, Warren Buffett, Health Insurance Premiums, Health Reform, Wellpoint Health Insurance, Wellpoint, Wellpoint Board, Business News

Even by the standards of people who believe that it's okay to do just about anything to make money, WellPoint consistently goes too far. Their turbo-charged greed is out of control, and their lack of any moral compass is shocking.

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WellPoint CEO Angela Braly: "Scrappy" and Looking More Like Sarah Palin Every Day

Rob Stone M.D. | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Business News, Anthem Blue Cross, Angela Braly, Healthcare Reform, Health Insurance Companies, Wellpoint, Business News

WellPoint's Angela Braly is reminding me more and more of Sarah Palin these days -- another "scrappy" woman who just isn't discouraged by relentless bad press, at least at the hands of "the liberal media."

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Rate Regulation Needed to Restrain Big Insurance Greed

Ethan Rome | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Greed, Health Care for America Now, Anthem Blue Cross, Jan Schakowsky, Dianne Feinstein, Senator-Feinstein, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Angela Braly, Kathleen Sebelius, Obama, Wall Street, Wellpoint, Politics News

It seems that WellPoint CEO Angela Braly hasn't been happy with BP grabbing all the headlines lately as the most reckless, buck-passing, greedy corporation. So she unwisely decided to pick a fight with the president.

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Soaring Health Insurance Profits Fuel Push To Limit Rate Hikes

HuffingtonPost.com | Dan Froomkin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Insurer Profits, Anthem Blue Cross, Health Insurance Profits, Health Insurance, Health Care Reform, Health Reform, Wellpoint, Politics News

The nation's five biggest for-profit health insurance companies didn't curb their appetites as Congress closed the deal on health care reform. Far fro...

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Ask the Chamber of Commerce: Why Is Too Much Not Enough?

Bill Moyers | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Health Care Reform, Anthem Blue Cross, Politics, America's Health Insurance Plans, US Chamber of Commerce, Wellpoint, Ahip, Politics News

Living in these United States, there comes a point at which you throw your hands up in exasperation and despair and ask a fundamental question: how much excess profit does corporate America really need?

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