AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER) -- A national health insurance reform group is slamming Maine's biggest health insurance company, saying Anthem Blue Cross Clue Shield is making exorbitant profits at the expense of Maine people.
It's part of an effort to force politicians in Washington to dramatically change the country's health insurance system. The group calls itself Health Care for America Now, and they were marching on the Augusta office of Anthem Blue Cross to publicize their claim that private, for-profit insurance companies are the real problem.
The group slammed Anthem Blue Cross-Blue Shield, accusing the company of making too much profit off its Maine customers, citing numbers from a report on insurance company profits nationwide.
Ali Vander Zanden, a member, said, "The report shows that in Maine between 2004 and 2007, Anthem's profits increased by almost 90 percent while its membership increased just 2.4 percent."
Anthem spokesman Mark Ishkanian admits the company did have a good year last year, but has also had poor years. He says they normally average 3 to 4 percent profit.
Ishkanian said, "Reality is that 85 percent of every dollar a person pays us in premiums goes to pay for health care of those members. The rest pays for administrative expenses of operating a plan like ours and a small part goes to profit."
Health Care for America Now is a coalition of activist groups, labor unions and others that want to create some kind of nationwide, tax-supported health insurance program.
The group says it is not coordinating its work with any particular political party, but that it hopes to influence who Mainers elect to House of Representatives and the Senate in November.
Health Care for America says this is the first of several steps in the Maine campaign. They say the group has similar efforts in 40 states.
NEWS CENTER
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