A newly formed nonprofit called Alabama Patients First began running ads decrying “Blue Cross BULLS*!T” on Friday.
The ads ran on television and via text message. One ad by Alabama Patients First running on television stated, Blue Cross Blue Shield is “Making a KILLING…Telling you NO.”
Alabama Patients First also sent out a mass text message on Saturday stating, “Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama has the highest rate of denied claims in America. Premiums go up, but claims still get denied. That's Blue Cross BS. Tell Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama to put Alabama Patients First. 1-800-292-8868”
None of the group’s ads, social media or website discloses who is backing the new group, and nonprofits generally aren’t required to disclose their donors.
The ads began after Jackson Hospital filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Blue Cross and Blue Shield over alleged “unfair reimbursement rates.”
Sophie Martin, a spokesperson for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, said in a statement on Saturday that the lawsuit contains “misinformation” and that Blue Cross has been negotiating in “good faith and has repeatedly increased Jackson Hospital’s reimbursement rates in recognition of its financial difficulties.”
Jackson Hospital recently filed for bankruptcy and has been seeking taxpayer funds from Montgomery County, the city of Montgomery, and the state of Alabama.
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