Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

The Maine Issue:   Health Insurance/Care, Pt.3 – ‘Anthem Castle’ repels grenades.

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Anthem’s profit in 2007 alone was $75.7 million. This data comes from public data that are filed with the state’s Bureau of Insurance. Mr. Chin’s great frustration is from Anthem’s refusal to respond to the groups’ demand in August for financial information. These are questions concerning: Corporate salaries and the amount of money paid to Wellpoint, Anthem’s corporate parent. Mr. Chin regards all this behavior as “emblematic of the [health] industry’s priorities.” He charges that Anthem Health Insurance is flagrantly being unaccountable to the state’s residents, who are funding this health insurance giant. He further charges that the corporate giant is simply “lining its bottomless pockets”.

From the opposite corner, Anthem has responded. Mark Ishkanian, a corporate health insurance spokesperson for Anthem, states that Anthem is not “interested in ‘playing games’ with the two organizations.” While Mr. Ishkanian does not dispute the August Report’s information, which was used by Mr. Chin in his claims, he asserts that Anthem’s average profits for the State of Maine were only 3.9%, covering the last 8 years. Mr. Ishkanian states that no outside groups should "focus on the for-profit status of insurance companies”. This is wrong in several ways, he argues. In defense, Mr. Ishkanian explains that the largest causes for the hike of health insurance premiums is from skyrocketing health care costs. These are entities like doctors, hospitals and other health care providers. Another major cause is the increasing rate of claims filed by health care consumers.

As this ‘grass-roots-fire’ continues to spread, Anthem’s stance is that, “Yes”, Anthem is willing to be part of discussions, both at state and national levels. But, only for the improvement of health insurance/care access. But internal profits and decisions are ‘off-limits’ to groups like the Maine’s People Alliance and Health Care for America Now. And the ‘grenades’ aren’t appreciated, either.