Blue Cross Blue Shield Premiums Could Rise in NM

if you live in new mexico and have blue cross blue shield insurance, you could be looking at a big increase in premiums next year – more than 50 percent on average! ABC-7’s andrew j. polk is live from our new mexico mobile newsroom with the latest. andrew? rick and estela, blue cross blue sheild of new mexico’s parent company health care service corp. is asking for a 51.6 percent average increase for its plans on the new mexico health exchange. and new mexicans aren’t reacting well. :25-:30 :50-:55 “That would be devastating.” ” my goodness. Well that’s going to be devastating.” Blue Cross Blue Shield is the market leader in New Mexico, but according to filings with the New Mexico Office of the Superintendent of Insurance, it’s losing millions. The figures show it’s parent company losing more than $300 million dollars in 2014. First, the state Superintendent of Insurance says it will go through a technical review process to look at how the rate increase is being justified. “If i were a regulator, i would want to be damn sure that they know what they’re doing, and i would take a very very hard skeptical look at the reasoning they have to come with this increase request and it would have to be a very very compelling reason for me to say yes.” Public comment for th plan’s increase is available on now on the state’s website… Which most people we spoke with said was excessive. “It’ll b more expensive for women to deliver, and just overall for everybody to obtain healthcare. So hopefully they’ll see that and not make that big of a jump.” i wasn’t able to reach blue cross blue shield today. the wall street journal quotes an official with its parent company as saying the rates its requesting are based on actuarial science, and that they have no incentive to overprice coverage. if you have a plan affected and want to leave your input, you can find the info on our website, k-v- i-a dot com. reporting live in las cruces with the new mexico mobile newsroom … Andrew j. Polk, abc-7. andrew with news all enw mexicans should know. thank you for that live report. it was a great weekend for all