Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Michigan is Part of Elevance Health Profiteering Empire Whose Business Model Relies on Denying Members Care
Michigan United participated in the Care Over Cost Day of Action today and rallied at private health insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) to demand the corporation stop denying care to its members and put people over profit. BCBSM is part of the Elevance Health, formerly Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, profiteering empire whose business model relies on denying members care. Last year, Elevance reported $8.5 billion in profits. The action comes a day before Elevance Health’s Shareholder Meeting.
“We are here today to ask Blue Cross Blue Shield to stop denying claims, to stop being power hungry, and to stop making money off of sick people by denying them the healthcare that they need,” Michigan United’s Healthcare Organizer Audrey Gerard said in Marquette.
“We’re here to speak up for people like Karl Schneider, a graduate student in the Upper Peninsula who is experiencing gynecomastia. The condition is a rare side effect of an antidepressant. Karl was unable to get coverage for routine blood work as recommended by an endocrinologist and could not get coverage for surgery to mitigate the effects from his insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan,” Gerard added.
“My mother's last words from her daughter were her begging my mother not to take her to the hospital because she couldn't afford it. That’s why I've become an advocate for programs like Medicare for All, because of that and the other stories I've heard about people not having healthcare, having claims denied, and going into debt,” Michigan United member Joe Fletcher said in Grand Rapids. “A major reason why we don't have a better system that would save more lives and keep people out of financial ruin is because for-profit companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield lobby the government to stop us from having full coverage for everyone. It's sick, and it's wrong. They shouldn't be able to make money off our misery and death.”
Michigan United is a member of People’s Action Care Over Cost campaign that organizes people across the country to appeal and overturn insurance claim denials from private health insurers and to get people the care they need. Last November, Elevance Health refused to acknowledge the 70 Elevance members who visited their headquarters.
