Is NC's BCBS CEO Opposed To The Federal Government's Role In Health Care Reform?

Charlotte Observer----

From Bob Greczyn, CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina:

There's been talk recently that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is trying to stop health care reform. The talk started when some draft video concepts were taken without authorization and made their way to the Washington Post. The fact is, those draft video concepts weren't about opposition to health care reform; they were about our concerns related to government-run health insurance. We make no excuses about our concerns.

Let's be clear: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina supports Health Care Reform and covering everyone. We are convinced a continuation of current trends would be bad for our nation, our customers, and yes, our business. Rising health care costs already threaten our customers' ability to buy health insurance.

We see three main strategies for effective reform: improving the quality and effectiveness of care, promoting preventive care and lifestyle changes and updating the reimbursement system to reward better care, not just more care.

We do not believe that government-run health insurance is necessary to achieve these goals. We are concerned that a government plan would attack costs largely by paying doctors and hospitals low fees that shift costs to private payers, as is already the case with Medicare and Medicaid. In fact, a large N.C. hospital system reports $227 million in uncompensated care based largely on low payment by Medicare and Medicaid.

Government needs to play an important role – to assist Americans who cannot afford private health insurance. We also believe the government should support and encourage the kind of private sector innovations for which Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is already recognized as a national leader.

This country is at the beginning of a serious discussion about health care that will determine how Americans receive care. The stakes are high. Working together, we can achieve President Obama's goals for health care reform.


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Sources: Charlotte Observer, Washington Post, Think Progress, Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia, Google Maps