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Monday, November 16, 2009
The wasting-money Blues

Reader Doris Digilio, a senior citizen from Flourtown in Montgomery County, said she's not surprised that Independence Blue Cross is trying to cut costs by asking employees to take early retirement -- not with the way they throw money around. She and her husband each subscribe to the same plan Personal Choice 65. They each receive identical and voluminous mailings. It all ends up in a landfill somewhere, she said, which doesn't help her township with its expenses either.

"They could really cut some waste," Digilio said when she called me the other day. "Then maybe they could lower my premiums."

Or, keep more people employed. The Inquirer recently reported that more than 500 Independence Blue Cross employees accepted early retirement packages. Meanwhile, the company said it might not be done trimming its payroll. "All those people forced into early retirement, that's terrible," Digilio said. 

Posted by Jane Von Bergen @ 4:10 AM  Permalink | 1 comment
Comments   
Posted 02:02 PM, 11/17/2009
rstoolman
We share reader Doris Digilio's concern about waste and are always on the lookout for ways to reduce costs and still maintain excellent service for our members. The mailing she mentions, however, is mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) -- the federal government. All health plans are required by CMS to notify each Medicare beneficiary about his or her Medicare Advantage coverage each year. In addition, we are unable to follow Ms. Digilio's suggestion and combine mailings for people in the same household because CMS requires that if two people in the same household are enrolled in the same Medicare plan, we must send each individual his or her own package of information. We continually present ideas to CMS that reduce costs while improving communication. Our recent voluntary early retirement program was just that -- voluntary. We offered associates who were considering retirement an incentive as a reasonable way to reduce costs. In this challenging economy, we are working hard to keep premiums stable as medical costs increase. This voluntary retirement program is one of the many initiatives we are pursuing. Ruth Stoolman Independence Blue Cross
1 comments
About Jane M. Von Bergen
Jane M. Von Bergen covers workplace issues, health insurance and organized labor for the Philadelphia Inquirer. A longtime business writer, she is now covering her second recession. Von Bergen began her reporting career in fourth grade and then married into it, falling in love with a photographer she met working while working for her college newspaper. They have two college-age sons, neither of whom is studying journalism.
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