Anthem Blue Cross used "bait and switch" tactics to raise deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for some customers in the middle of their contract period.

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Anthem Blue Cross Sued Over Higher Medical Insurance Deductibles

For the second time this year California health insurer Anthem Blue Cross is being sued by the group Consumer Watchdog.  Jerry Flanagan, staff attorney for Consumer Watchdog says. "Consumers are left with no certainty about what they will have to pay and what coverage they'll receive." 

Some of those customers have seen their annual deductibles rise in the middle of the year to $550 from $500, according to the consumer lawsuit.  Other deductibles have gone to $1,750 from $1,500 and to $2,950 from $2,500.

The Consumer Watchdog lawsuit seeks class-action status, and mirrors a civil complaint filed in March by an Anthem customer from Westlake Village.

The initial lawsuit, which also seeks class-action status, accused Anthem of raising deductibles midyear for medical care and perscription drugs, in addition to increasing the maximum out-of-pocket expenses. It is pending in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to court records.