BCBS plays it wrong

You'd think a company with a PR machine as powerful as Blue Cross and Blue Shield's would get this.

When the evil insurance giant fights the itty bitty chirren with autism, it comes up the loser. Even when it raises concerns worth considering.

Because no matter howmany warm and fuzzy Blue Cross TV commercials we see (and policyholders pay for), BCBS is losing the war of perception.

The last six months have been kinda rough on BCBS.

First, there were the ill-timed and angrily received postcards sent to Blue Cross members, asking them to urge U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan to vote against health care reform.

There was a $95,000 fine for making robocalls, again critical of reform.

And there were revelations that BCBS had slipped a health care provision affecting prisoners into the statebudget.

Most recently, yet a new round of Blue Cross rate increases brought a new round ofgriping.

The company says it's trying to keep pace with costs. Even though, as a nonprofit, it cleared a profit - albeit a smaller one than in years past - in the worst economy in recent memory.

Chalk that up to good management, if you like. BCBS certainly does.

Last week, in one day, we had two stories about Blue Cross on the front of this section.

One featured Genie Komives, senior medical director at BCBS, testifying before a legislative committee considering whether insurers should have to pay for certain therapies for children with autism. Komives argued that a particular kind of behavioral therapy may be helpful but should not be considered a medical expense.

The committee is also considering whether to remove caps on services that Blue Cross (unlike many of its competitors) does cover, such as speech therapy.

"It's a matter of fairness," said Bob D'Amelio of Charlotte, whose son Christopher has autism. "Early intervention for these kids really works."

Meanwhile, on the same day the company was portrayed quibbling over autism therapies - always watching expenses! - the salaries of top BCBS executives generated their annual "Gasp!"

Robert J. Greczyn Jr., who retired as CEO on Feb. 1, received total compensation of $4.08 million in 2009, according to a filing with the N.C. Department of Insurance. His successor, Brad Wilson, made $1.82 million.

Lew Borman, a BCBS spokesman, warned against drawing unfair comparisons.

"In the midst of this discussion, it's hard to put in perspective the fact that we process 47 million claims annually," he said. "When you focus on just one area of the business, or one case, you forget that we're serving the needs of 3.7 million people. Anyone who's had a major illness knows they can count on us."

Don't feel too bad for Blue Cross, though. It has lots of lobbyists. And then there's that massive PR machine.

But the Autism Society has the children. For PR, they're hard to beat.