ProCare Blog

Will Californians be able to get the Governator and regulators to investigate whether WellPoint, parent company of Blue Cross California, has broken it’s promise not to pass the buck of merger related expenses onto patients?

In a press release yesterday,The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a consumer watchdog group, insisted that the “huge profit increase” reported yesterday by WellPoint illustrates the immediate need for California officials to begin regulating health insurance premiums in much the same manner that auto insurance is regulated in the state, which “has saved California drivers $23 billion since 1988.”

The organization’s campaign is complete with a must see flash animation, depicting the excessive costs of healthcare after the merger of WellPoint/Blue Cross with Anthem Inc.

Who would have ever thought to ask state regulators to protect premium holders by regulating the spending habits of powerful health insurers and holding them to their obligations?