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Anthem Blue Cross' healthcare 'fixes' may not benefit uninsured
Cynics might wonder how dedicated the company is to a wholesale transformation of the system when it's doing so well under the current regime.
This is Cover the Uninsured Week, which is a good time to remind ourselves of the shameful statistic that 47 million Americans -- 16% of the population -- lack health insurance.
It's also a good chance to take a closer look at recent print, radio and billboard ads from our friends at Blue Cross, California's largest for-profit health insurer, touting the company's new name: Anthem Blue Cross.
One ad includes a manifesto of sorts signed by Leslie Margolin, Anthem Blue Cross' new president, and Angela Braly, chief executive of parent company WellPoint Inc., which runs Blue Cross programs in 14 states. Anthem Inc. acquired WellPoint for $16.4 billion in 2004 and adopted the Wellpoint name.
The ad pledges that Anthem Blue Cross, with 8.4 million members, will "fix what's broken without breaking what already works."
It says the company is "committed to helping improve the health of our members throughout the state and the quality and affordability of the care delivered to them."
It also says Anthem Blue Cross is "committed to insuring the uninsured and providing access to healthcare services for California's most vulnerable families and children."
In case the scope of this was lost on anyone, the company goes on to declare that its goal is nothing less than "to transform America's healthcare system" and to "earn and deserve your trust."
That's a pretty impressive agenda for an insurer that this month was accused of widespread fraud in a $1-billion lawsuit filed by Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, who alleged that Anthem Blue Cross routinely reneged on coverage for people diagnosed with serious (and costly) ailments.
The company denies the allegations.
So how does Anthem Blue Cross plan to achieve its lofty goals? That's something the ads don't make clear.
Kate Quinn, WellPoint's vice president of market and brand strategy, told me that Anthem Blue Cross has a variety of programs to make healthcare more affordable and to insure the uninsured. But she was unable to provide much in the way of specifics.
"It's not a one-size-fits-all answer," Quinn said.
She did say, though, that health insurers aren't part of the problem -- they're part of the solution, just as consumers know that they share responsibility for improving healthcare in this country.
"Consumers recognize that there are many problems with the healthcare system," she said. "They want to be part of the solution as much as we want to be part of the solution."
She wasn't specific about what consumers could do but said people need to make better healthcare decisions. Maybe that means you should deal with those chest pains yourself, rather than taking up the time of some high-paid physician.
My sense is that consumers think our healthcare system is spinning out of control, and that they're powerless to do anything about it while entrenched interests -- like the insurance and pharmaceutical industries -- fight to preserve the status quo.
A Field Poll released this week found that 59% of California voters say they're very concerned about being able to pay for all the costs associated with a major illness or injury, up from 48% in 2006.
A similar number of poll respondents say they worry that their insurance provider will cancel or severely limit their coverage if they need it because of a health problem.
Cynics -- not me, of course -- might wonder how dedicated a company like Anthem Blue Cross is to a wholesale transformation of the healthcare system when it's doing so well under the current regime.
Indianapolis-based WellPoint pocketed $3.3 billion in profit last year, up 8% from a year before.
It's also a good chance to take a closer look at recent print, radio and billboard ads from our friends at Blue Cross, California's largest for-profit health insurer, touting the company's new name: Anthem Blue Cross.
The ad pledges that Anthem Blue Cross, with 8.4 million members, will "fix what's broken without breaking what already works."
It says the company is "committed to helping improve the health of our members throughout the state and the quality and affordability of the care delivered to them."
It also says Anthem Blue Cross is "committed to insuring the uninsured and providing access to healthcare services for California's most vulnerable families and children."
In case the scope of this was lost on anyone, the company goes on to declare that its goal is nothing less than "to transform America's healthcare system" and to "earn and deserve your trust."
That's a pretty impressive agenda for an insurer that this month was accused of widespread fraud in a $1-billion lawsuit filed by Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, who alleged that Anthem Blue Cross routinely reneged on coverage for people diagnosed with serious (and costly) ailments.
The company denies the allegations.
So how does Anthem Blue Cross plan to achieve its lofty goals? That's something the ads don't make clear.
Kate Quinn, WellPoint's vice president of market and brand strategy, told me that Anthem Blue Cross has a variety of programs to make healthcare more affordable and to insure the uninsured. But she was unable to provide much in the way of specifics.
"It's not a one-size-fits-all answer," Quinn said.
She did say, though, that health insurers aren't part of the problem -- they're part of the solution, just as consumers know that they share responsibility for improving healthcare in this country.
"Consumers recognize that there are many problems with the healthcare system," she said. "They want to be part of the solution as much as we want to be part of the solution."
She wasn't specific about what consumers could do but said people need to make better healthcare decisions. Maybe that means you should deal with those chest pains yourself, rather than taking up the time of some high-paid physician.
My sense is that consumers think our healthcare system is spinning out of control, and that they're powerless to do anything about it while entrenched interests -- like the insurance and pharmaceutical industries -- fight to preserve the status quo.
A Field Poll released this week found that 59% of California voters say they're very concerned about being able to pay for all the costs associated with a major illness or injury, up from 48% in 2006.
A similar number of poll respondents say they worry that their insurance provider will cancel or severely limit their coverage if they need it because of a health problem.
Cynics -- not me, of course -- might wonder how dedicated a company like Anthem Blue Cross is to a wholesale transformation of the healthcare system when it's doing so well under the current regime.
Indianapolis-based WellPoint pocketed $3.3 billion in profit last year, up 8% from a year before.
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