Anthem-Blue Cross

FEINSTEIN BLASTS WELLPOINT CORPORATE GREED, INTRODUCES BILL TO HALT RATE INCREASE ON 800,000 CALIFORNIANS

Insurer also targeted breast cancer patients with computer program to terminate their coverage


April 27, 2010 (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) expressed outrage after Reuters published a story detailing how WellPoint Inc. used a special computer program to target breast cancer patients and terminate their health coverage. (Read the story here.) WellPoint is the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross of California, which plans to hike premium rates by up to 39 percent on 800,000 California policyholders on May 1.

"We have a duty to protect the American people from the corporate greed of these for-profit, publically traded health insurance companies," said Senator Feinstein. "If a CEO thinks it is okay to deprive women of their health coverage when they become seriously ill with breast cancer, we can't trust them to do the right thing, period. Left to their own devices, companies like WellPoint will throw paying customers to the sharks for the sake of profit."


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