Labor & Employment Law

Blue Shield Delays Rate Hike After Nurses? Protest

By Mike Hall

How?s this for a demonstration of cause and effect?

Cause?Yesterday, some 200 activists, led by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) rallied outside Blue Shield?s San Francisco corporate headquarters to protest the health insurance giant?s premium hikes of as much as 59 percent for California consumers.

Effect?Blue Shield announced a 60-day delay in the massive increase. Says CNA/NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro:

It?s not hard to connect the dots here between nurses and patients turning up the heat on Blue Shield?s barricaded doorstep the same day it agrees to a brief reprieve in its egregious rate increase.

Kerry Abukhalaf, who brought her son to the rally, says, ?Our insurance is completely not worth the price. We pay almost half what we pay for rent.?

It?s just a big rip-off. We may just throw our chances to the wind and find insurance for our son and pay out of pocket for my husband and myself.

Along with condemning the rate hike, protestors pointed to a recent report that shows major California health insurers reject about a quarter of all health care claims.

Joining the nurses were members of the San Francisco Labor Council (SFLC), Courage Campaign, Healthcare Now and Physicians for a National Health Program as well as seniors and community and health care activists.

For more on the rally, including more photos, click here to read CNA/NNU?s diary on Daily Kos.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on February 02, 2011 (boomark / email).