Georgia Insurance Commissioner Fines Blue Cross and Blue Shield $600,000

By William Murphy

Published on November 03, 2006

According to Oxendine's office, Blue Cross and Blue Shield declined to offer price quotes for group health insurance to certain small companies, including accounting and banking firms. In addition, Blue Cross employed sales agents who were not properly registered with the Georgia Department of Insurance. The investigation of the company spanned nine months.

Although Blue Cross and Blue Shield did not concede culpability for the allegations, the company has agreed to pay the fine. A spokesperson said that Blue Cross has an ongoing commitment to following all the laws and regulations of the insurance industry and that the company looks forward to providing customers in Georgia with continued access to high-quality, affordable health care.

The fine is one of the state's largest for an insurance violation. Oxendine said that he will not tolerate any violations of Georgia's insurance laws and that he refuses to allow large insurance companies to take advantage of consumers and small businesses by limiting the availability of health insurance.

Comment on this article →