North Carolina Blue Cross Health Insurance

North Carolina Blue Cross Health Insurance is the state's largest health insurer with around 2.9 million customers. Consequently, it is also a major employer and powerful interest group. Despite the weight it carries in North Carolina , the company was not able to carry out its effort to change from a non-profit to a for-profit company.

Resistance against Blue Cross in North Carolina

Blue Cross North Carolina legislated for several years to convert from a non-profit organization to a for-profit company. The drive to convert the company was very public and heavily promoted by Blue Cross Health Insurance. Nonetheless, consumer advocates slowed and stopped the process. They vocalized their concerns over the conversion of charitable foundation funds and the possibility of changed healthcare access and increased premiums.

There were debates back and forth over the legitimacy of the company's financial plans for the conversion, and confusion over how the conversion would work. Other concerns were how the conversion would affect the state's economy and decrease consumer access to Blue Cross benefits, as well as increase premiums.

The North Carolina Health Action Coalition vocalized concern that the conversion would mishandle billions of dollars in charitable assets and take it away from consumers and hand it over to company executives. This group made the following statements about Blue Cross North Carolina: “ NC Blue Cross has heavily censored an independent consultant report for the NC Department of Insurance regarding the effects of any for-profit conversion.” These statements reflect the type of public concern that arose regarding the conversion.

Blue Cross withdrew from the conversion process in 2003. After the uproar over the insurer's plan to convert to a for-profit company, Blue Cross North Carolina made some changes in 2003 that were more acceptable to its customers. Late that year, the company introduced its consumer-driven health plan, The Freedom AccountSM. Blue Cross North Carolina reduced its health insurance premiums for customers in 2003 and 2004.

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