Blue Cross Calls, Mailers Get NC Lawmakers' Notice

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Blue Cross calls, mailers get NC lawmakers' notice

By GARY D. ROBERTSON (AP) – 7 hours ago

RALEIGH, N.C. — State lawmakers and attorneys are scrutinizing Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for its attempt to influence the national health care debate through direct mail and possibly illegal automated phone calls.

The state Attorney General's office confirmed Tuesday it was investigating North Carolina's largest health insurer for prerecorded calls that started late last month. Based on a preliminary review, some calls linked to the company appear to have violated the law, according to a letter from a state attorney.

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The disclosure came as 20 state lawmakers asked Cooper and Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin to examine the calls and mailers urging citizens to contact U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan and ask her to oppose a new government-run health insurance plan. Blue Cross, with 3.7 million customers in North Carolina, is a unique not-for-profit private corporation that pays taxes but benefited from a tax-preferred status for decades until the 1980s.

- snip -

Cooper's Consumer Protection Division began investigating the so-called "robocalls" after a written complaint from Tryon resident Alfred Haskell, who wrote that the voice on the call "wanted us to influence Sen. Kay Hagan in a way that violates our beliefs." The Attorney General's Office said for a robocall to be legal, it must clearly identify the caller, state the nature of the call and provide contact information. "Our initial assessment is that certain calls purported to be made on behalf of (Blue Cross) do not appear to meet the third requirement," Assistant Attorney General David Kirkman told the company in a Nov. 9 letter.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h-Oc4l98RHOW4eIwr_PtIGPA82UwD9C66K6G0

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The Daily Kos thread I posted a few weeks back, after DUer Lex posted her original thread on the Blue Cross BS postcards to Hagan, explains a lot of the background if you missed it: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/10/26/797142/-Subvert-Your-Blue-Cross-NC-Anti-HC-Reform-Postcard-To-Sen.-HaganI-Crossed-Out...

[Left Coast2020]

1. Cool. Nail their ass to the wall.

And investigate the other scam artists from the insurance lobby too.

[waiting for hope]

2. I have BCBS of NC - through my husband's job ...

I see a rate hike here real soon. :-(

[Tunkamerica]

3. They just blackmailed our company into dropping united healthcare

or suffering a 35% rate increase.

[waiting for hope]

7. That sucks - so where is the "reform" portion of the bill?

:mad:

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Excellent !!!!!!

DU member Mira had sent the original info. to NC Dem headquarters also , and I am heartened to see that
"20 state lawmakers " were responsive to this very questionable practice.
Thanks for the update, Hissyspit.
:hi:

[Divine Discontent]

5. Aetna told their employees in New Albany, OH (I heard from someone there) that they just cut some

jobs, because of the upcoming changes to health care caused by the gov't.....

I told the person, who was scared about what the health care changes are gonna do to their jobs, that the current plan is going to do very little to effect their jobs, and frankly, to fire people now, when nothing has been done SHOULD be an obvious fact to these people that Aetna is full of shit...

[Joe Bacon]

6. I'm tired of seeing sick people nailed to Blue Crosses!

What will it take to force the Wimp Democrats to pass Single Payer so we can purge these worthless parasites out of our system?