Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
In his continuing search for high-profile cases - never mind whether they really fall under his purview - our intrepid city attorney is accusing Anthem Blue Cross of canceling policies and mishandling processing claims. He held a press conference (natch) where he proclaimed that "Countless Californians who believe they have insurance actually have policies that aren’t worth the paper they are printed on." Countless Californians? But wait a minute - isn't Delgadillo the city attorney for L.A.? Isn't the state Department of Managed Health Care already looking into these allegations? Isn't Anthem’s parent, WellPoint Inc., based in Indianapolis? Aren't there all kinds of federal regulatory bodies that should be handling this? Aren’t there L.A.-centric abuses that his office could be working on? Well, maybe. But Rocky has never been known to stand on ceremony when it comes to getting a little free press (his Delgadillo’s office filed similar civil charges against Woodland Hills-based Health Net). When does his term run out? (LABJ, AP)
*Update: Call me crazy, but State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner might not have been too thrilled with Rocky's civil enforcement action. He just issued a statement that lays out all the things his department has been doing - most notably an administrative action against Blue Shield that seeks more than $10 million in fines from Blue Shield for alleged violations.
“The Department of Insurance will examine the current allegations against Anthem and determine if additional review is warranted. If these charges prove to be legitimate, they represent serious misconduct and the Department of Insurance will take appropriate action. I will continue to be vigilant in protecting the consumers of California from companies who do not pay legitimate claims expeditiously.”
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.