Post by Logan on Feb 14, 2016 3:14:56 GMT -6
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina have had a rough couple of weeks.
The troubles began with a balky new software system at Blue Cross that scrambled enrollments and issuance of insurance cards for people covered by individual policies. At the peak of the confusion, Blue Cross said it received 147,000 in one day. Meanwhile, state Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin is responding with a rare “deep dive” audit to determine the cause of the insurer’s ongoing technology problems.
Into this frustrated context came news that Blue Cross has lost more that $400 million on its ACA business in the first two years of the health care law and is considering getting out of the individual insurance market altogether. Goodwin added to the concern by sending a letter to Sylvia Burwell, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, saying the “burdens of the ACA” were driving insurers out of North Carolina’s individual insurance market.
Given the converging headlines, it’s understandable that some may think the ACA is causing chaos in the state’s insurance industry. However, the Blue Cross technology glitch and its ACA losses are distinctly separate situations. Blue Cross is fixing the software problem, and Goodwin’s audit will look closely at its causes. It is a passing event.
Read more here: www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article60090296.html
The troubles began with a balky new software system at Blue Cross that scrambled enrollments and issuance of insurance cards for people covered by individual policies. At the peak of the confusion, Blue Cross said it received 147,000 in one day. Meanwhile, state Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin is responding with a rare “deep dive” audit to determine the cause of the insurer’s ongoing technology problems.
Into this frustrated context came news that Blue Cross has lost more that $400 million on its ACA business in the first two years of the health care law and is considering getting out of the individual insurance market altogether. Goodwin added to the concern by sending a letter to Sylvia Burwell, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, saying the “burdens of the ACA” were driving insurers out of North Carolina’s individual insurance market.
Given the converging headlines, it’s understandable that some may think the ACA is causing chaos in the state’s insurance industry. However, the Blue Cross technology glitch and its ACA losses are distinctly separate situations. Blue Cross is fixing the software problem, and Goodwin’s audit will look closely at its causes. It is a passing event.
Read more here: www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article60090296.html