Stifling Reform

It should come as no surprise that Anthem Blue Cross, as well as its out-of-state corporate parent, WellPoint Inc. of Indiana are leaders in opposing any meaningful health reform.

What Blue Cross Is Doing to Block Reform

Back in 2007, Blue Cross had committed $2 million for a campaign to stop health care California was close to adopting. The money went toward lobbying against reform in Sacramento and Washington.

Today, the same thing is happening all over again, in Washington in particular. WellPoint and its Blue Cross affiliates have contributed enough money to the insurance industry’s effort against reform to allow the industry to hire enough lobbyists to outnumber Congress by 7 to 1. That’s seven health insurance lobbyists for every elected representative.

A little lopsided, wouldn’t you say?

This comes at a time when WellPoint nearly doubled its profits in 2009 – a period in which WellPoint’s subsidiary, Anthem Blue Cross of California, claimed to have lost money and therefore needed a 39% increase in premiums from their California customers who buy their own insurance.

This, again, comes at a time when WellPoint actually reaped a 91% increase in its profits in 2009.

And, it comes at a time when WellPoint set a new record for annual net income, $4.75 billion.

WellPoint is a leader in the field of selling health insurance. It is the largest for-profit health insurer by membership in America. And in California, its subsidiary, Anthem Blue Cross insures the largest number of people.