No competition

In recent days, many N&O readers have sent letters to the editor announcing that Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.C. has raised their health insurance premium rates drastically as a result of the implementation of Obamacare.

Currently, only two health insurance companies offer coverage via North Carolina’s federally run exchange: Blue Cross Blue Shield, which offers coverage in all 100 N.C. counties, and Coventry Health Care of the Carolinas, which offers plans in only 39 counties.

So, is Obamacare solely to blame for the rate increases? Or could it be that BCBS is raising its rates simply because it operates as a monopoly in 61 of N.C.’s counties, with no meaningful competition to keep skyrocketing premiums in check?

James Murphy

Wilmington