This will be one story to be followed...as many physicians are also concerned about the new payment structure....BD
When an Indiana company bought Blue Cross of California in November 2003, it promised to maintain and improve the services and benefits of the state's largest health insurer.
Nearly three years later, state regulators say they have been besieged by complaints that patients are paying more and doctors are about to be paid less. Regulators held an unusual public hearing Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles to find out why.Cindy Ehnes, director of the state Department of Managed Health Care, called the hearing to help the agency evaluate how well Blue Cross has served Californians since it was purchased by Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc. nearly three years ago. The department said it had received more than 4,100 calls and complaints regarding Blue Cross since the merger.
The department listed some of its concerns, including a $950-million dividend WellPoint took from Blue Cross of California this year. That was almost twice the amount it took in each of the previous two years, the department said.
Ehnes declined to detail what measures the Department of Managed Health Care could take if it determined Blue Cross was out of line. But her department issues Blue Cross' license to sell coverage in California, and it has the power to levy fines and take other actions.
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