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In His Mother's Footsteps: California Man Jailed for Five Days After Sit-In at Blue Cross Office in Los Angeles
On Thursday, Sam Pullen was arrested at the Los Angeles offices of the insurance giant Blue Cross. He refused to give his information to police and vowed to remain in prison until Blue Cross agreed to hear demands that it stop denying doctor-recommended medical treatment to seriously ill patients. Despite his resistance, Pullen was finally ordered released from jail on Monday, against his will. In protesting Blue Shield, Sam Pullen was following in the footsteps of his late mother, who was diagnosed with cancer when he was a teenager. Leanna Bell staged a one-person sit-in in front of Blue Cross after the company denied her coverage for a bone marrow transplant. Blue Cross gave in, and the transplant helped extend her life for several years. Ref. Source 8
Breaking with Former Employer, Actor and Self-Described Insurance Industry "Spokesjerk" Andy Cobb Calls for Public Healthcare
As House Democrats prepare to vote on their version of a healthcare reform bill this weekend, a man who used to be the face of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida decided he's had enough with the way the health insurance industry is impeding reform. Actor and comedian Andy Cobb used to promote Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. But now he's broken with his former employer and is speaking out against the entire private health insurance industry that has strongly opposed any government-run health plan. Ref. Source 3
Health Insurance Prices Takeoff: Worker Pay Stagnant:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans - market leaders in many states - are seeking rate increases that average 23 percent in Illinois, 25 percent in North Carolina, 31 percent in Oklahoma, 36 percent in Tennessee and 54 percent in Minnesota. Ref. ICH