Adam Searing

Harrison wants BCBS investigation

bniolet — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:29:19 -0500

Rep. Pricey Harrison has asked for an investigation into Blue Cross and Blue Shield's campaign against the public option health care proposal.

Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat, has asked the Attorney General and N.C. Department of Insurance to look into whether the insurer violated the state's do-not-call registry with a robocall and whether it is proper for the insurer to use premiums to pay for mailers, reports Mark Binker of the Greensboro News & Record.

"We are a fully taxed medical services and hospital corporation," Borman said, adding that the company paid $162 million in federal, state and local taxes last year.
However, the fact the company paid taxes does not make it a for-profit company, said Adam Searing, a health policy expert with liberal-leaning advocacy group The North Carolina Justice Center.
"They are a nonprofit organization," Searing said. "They are organized under a special part of the nonprofit corporation law in North Carolina. They have a nonprofit board."

Reaction to speech: Adam Searing

bkrueger — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:48:08 -0400

Reaction by Adam Searing of the N.C. Health Access Coalition to President Barack Obama's health care speech:

"It reminded me of Dean Smith's old 'Four Corners' offense: Tough to beat, but easy to understand.

"The president was very clear: You keep your insurance if you like it. You have affordable options if you don't. We will control costs. I think he made the most convincing case of the night when he explained why we cannot fail to act. That was the critical part of the speech. He said there are too many Americans counting on reform. As I've traveled around North Carolina, I've met many people who can't afford coverage and who desperately need change."

Tip: know what you are forwarding

bniolet — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:44:07 -0400

E-mail Lesson #27: If you are going to forward a YouTube video, watch it first.

An administrative aide to state Rep. Laura Wiley learned the hard way, after she sent out a video critical of President Barack Obama featuring pictures of German SS officers at Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp, Joe Neff reports.

The email, sent from a General Assembly e-mail account, eventually landed in the inbox of Adam Searing, the director of the Health Access Coalition at the N.C. Justice Policy Center.

Searing, an advocate for affordable and universal health care, said he was offended for professional and personal reasons.

"My great uncle on my mom's side — Everett Peterson — died on Omaha Beach on June 6th 1944 in Normandy fighting those guys in the photos," Searing said. "He didn't die so that 65 years later somebody could equate the evil he fought and defeated with a policy proposal to expand health coverage."

More after the jump.

NC group in on health debate

bniolet — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:34:39 -0400

It's not just the big national groups, like the Democratic National Committee and Americans for Prosperity, who are weighing in on the national health care debate.

Another group making it’s presence felt in the health care debate is the North Carolina Health Access Coalition, Rob Christensen reports.

The non profit advocacy group has been holding meetings and round table discussions across the state trying to build public support for proposals in Congress to make health care more accessible.

With Congress expected to vote soon on President Barack Obama’s proposals, the group has held three dinner roundtables on national health reform for small business owners and workers in Durham, Pittsboro and Greensboro with seven to 18 owners at each in the last two months, according to Adam Searing, who heads the group.

It has also held several public forums discussing health reform including one planned next Thursday, July 23rd in Greenville.

Searing said his group has held meetings in Boone, Garner, Greensboro, Henderson, Morganton, and Wilmington, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Durham, and Raleigh.

Blue Cross: Audit already underway

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:52:52 -0500

Officials with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and the State Health Plan say there's no need to call for an audit of a contract between the two for administrative services.

They note that the State Auditor is in the midst of a performance audit of the plan, which would likely include a contract review, Dan Kane reports.

"A Performance Audit of the State Health Plan by the State Auditor is currently underway," plan spokeswoman Linda McCrudden said. "Once completed and released, the audit report will be available to the public."

Adam Searing of the N.C. Justice Center's Health Access Coalition, one of two groups that called for the audit, said he is aware there is a state audit under way, but the groups are calling for something different.

"We want something done pretty quickly — I don't know where the state auditor is — and we want something that focuses directly on this contract process (by) someone who really understands in depth the whole contracting process among health plans and employers," Searing said.

Moare after the jump.

SEANC, Justice Center call for audit

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:20:04 -0500

The State Employees Association of North Carolina and the N.C. Justice Center's Health Access Coalition today called for an independent audit of the State Health Plan's contract to administer claims.

Both groups also want the state to submit the contract to open bidding. Legislation passed in 2005 allowed the health plan to bypass the open bid laws to select a company to administer a new Preferred Provider Organization option, Dan Kane reports.

The plan then awarded the contract to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Another law so far has been interpreted to keep many of the contract's details under wraps.

On Saturday, The News & Observer reported that Blue Cross received $97.5 million in the 2007-2008 fiscal year for administering the PPO plan and a second plan that is being phased out at the end of this year. Blue Cross processed 9.4 million claims, which means the company received more than $10 per claim.

Electronic Data Systems, the company handling claims for Medicaid, is receiving 57 cents per claim from the state.

More after the jump.

Quick Hits

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:58:22 -0500

* Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Jordan Schrader notes that new sex ed bill leaves out some of the provisions that upset Christian conservatives in 2007.

* Conservative blogger Celtic wonders if the state's curriculum on the 1898 Wilmington riots will include the angle that riots were led by Democrats to overthrow Republicans.

* N&O launches e-mail newsletter on health care written by lobbyist with McGuire Woods; health care advocate and blogger Adam Searing objects to partnership.

* State Employees Association of N.C. to hold lobbying day at the legislature on Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the Bicentennial Mall.

Quick Hits

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:37:30 -0500

* Washington political predictor Stuart Rothenberg ranks U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's 2010 re-election race as "narrow advantage for incumbent party."

* Health care consultant Adam Searing suggests one way legislators could cut costs at the State Health Plan: Remove themselves from it's coverage.

* President Obama says he wants to modify "Buy American" provisions in the stimulus bill, presumably including one by freshman Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell.

* State Sen. Neal Hunt takes another run at the windmill with a bill that would call for at-large elections of several seats on the Wake County school board.

Quick Hits: Jim Long

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:34:25 -0500

* Adam Searing recalls former Insurance Commissioner Jim Long's sense of humor, willingness to fight on behalf of consumers.

* State Rep. Mickey Michaux suspects Long "saved North Carolina a whole bunch of money" during his years fighting insurance rate increases.

* N&O resident historian Rob Christensen notes that he was not as populist as his predecessor and helped clean up problems at the office.

* Insurance Journal notes that he received the first President's Award from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in December.

* Charlotte Observer editor Jack Betts says he was part of a long line of rural politicos, including Jim Graham, Thad Eure and his own family.

* Democratic pollster Tom Jensen says he seriously thought about polling Long against former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole last year because he was so popular.

* Bob Geary of Independent Weeky recalls a "progressive thinker and battler" and "a regular guy — not a bit of self-importance from what I saw."

Orr: Reduce insurance mandates

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:36:30 -0500

Bob Orr wants to cut back on health insurance mandates.

On his Web site, the Republican gubernatorial candidate says North Carolina needs to reduce "excessive coverage mandates" to allow the market to work:

North Carolina has 46 coverage mandates (government dictated policy benefits) resulting in 41% higher premiums and preventing you from choosing a basic plan. We must reduce coverage mandates so that you can choose a basic plan that meets your health needs and does not include benefits that you do not need, like for example, coverage for a chiropractor.

As noted previously, North Carolina has 25 benefit mandates.

The state also requires coverage of 17 types of providers, including chiropractors, pastoral counselors and social workers; and six groups, including adopted children, handicapped dependents and newborns.

Orr later had a back-and-forth with health care advocate Adam Searing on The Progressive Pulse blog.

He recently noted on his campaign blog, More from Orr, that the discussion made him "go back and research the issue further."