Health Care & Me
One person's quest for information about the American Health Care System
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A couple of things going on here;
First would be an update on a previous post “Take That Blue Shield”.
I blogged about the uproar and very vocal opposition to the rate hikes (up to 59%) that Blue Shield was trying to impose on their customers. That was back in February; a few days ago Blue Shield announced that they are cancelin
g their proposed rate hike. Yay!! Great news.Now here it gets a bit hard for me to stomach. In the article Blue Shield Rate Hike Canceled in California, chief executive Bruce Bodaken states;
“The San Francisco-based nonprofit said it lost $27 million on individual policies last year and expects more such losses this year.Members will be spared $35 million to $40 million in added premiums because of the cancelled increase, the insurer said.”By agreeing not to raise rates this year, we are helping to make coverage more affordable for our members during tough economic times. It’s a financial risk for us, but a risk that’s worth taking.”
Ahhh isn’t that sweet of this chief executive to risk a loss of 27 million dollars?
So what if Blue Shield is going to lose money, their parent company Wellpoint will profit billions by the end of this year. Which is something that this chief executive knows and is still trying to turn this into a pity party for one of the wealthiest corporations.
Too bad for you Blue Shield, you get no sympathy from me. And it just goes to show you; if you stand up to the bully – the bully backs down!
Thanks for reading!
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I’m on a roll. I’ve created a facebook page and a petition for Wellpoint customers who are against the proposed hikes of premium rates. Let Wellpoint’s CEO know that raising premiums for health care in this financial climate is unacceptable. Please sign the petition at the bottom of the post. There is also a link to “like” the page on facebook. Even if you’re not a customer of Wellpoint please pass this information to your friends and family, there are 34 million Wellpoint customers, let’s reach all of them. Thanks!
Wellpoint Customers Against Premium Hikes
Even if you’re not a Wellpoint customer, please suggest this page to your friends.
Thanks- Website:
- http://healthcareandme.com
- Mission:
- This page was created for Wellpoint customers and fellow Americans to unite against the behemoth corporation and their proposal to raise monthly premiums throughout the United States.
I find it disingenuous that Wellpoint cites rising costs of health care for the proposed increase of monthly premiums. It is not the cost of health care that drives premiums up for hard working Americans, it is Wellpoint’s greed. Wellpoint profited $4.7 billion last year and in the first quarter of 2010 Wellpoint’s profits rose 51%. Wellpoint’s incessant drive for profits is the reason for the unjust rate increases.
In California, Anthem a subsidiary of Wellpoint, has withdrawn their proposed increase of rates, (some up to 39%) and plans to refile new rates at a later date. Anthem withdrew their claim largely to public outcry from consumers, regulators and elected officials including President Obama. This is a welcome yet short reprieve for consumers in California. It is also the first step in standing up to Wellpoint. Keep the pressure on Wellpoint to stop raising monthly premiums. 11 other states face increases in rates as well. http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2010/02/wellpoint.html
Please sign the attached petition to Wellpoint’s CEO, Angela Braley demanding that Wellpoint stop raising premiums. If you are not a customer of Wellpoint, you can still help by suggesting this page to as many people you know. Thanks for getting the word out!
Facebook page -Wellpoint Customers Against Premium Hikes
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