Barbara Szombatfalvy: More punishable issues at BCBS

Regarding the March 10 news article “N.C. Insurance Commissioner says Blue Cross could face hefty fine”: I appreciate the efforts of N.C. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin to fine Blue Cross and Blue Shield for its failure to fix technological glitches that left many North Carolinians uninsured or with the incorrect policy.

While he’s at it, how about the fact that BCBS raised its rates so exorbitantly on healthy middle-income people that many of us had to cancel our policies? Or that BCBS whines about the cost of providing policies through the Affordable Care Act to the extent of not paying commissions to its brokers who sell them? Or that despite all of this, makes a profit and pays large bonuses to all of its executives, including a 34 percent pay raise for the CEO?

Are there fines for that? Or maybe it’s just criminal.

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Barbara Szombatfalvy: More punishable issues at BCBS."