Nonprofit health plans have broken our trust.

As nonprofit entities, they have a duty to serve the public good—to make health care more accessible and affordable. With over $500 billion in annual revenue, they could do a lot to improve health care in America. But most ignore their duties as nonprofits and instead act just like for-profit companies.

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The Plan to Take Nonprofit BCBS of Louisiana For-Profit

The directors and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana have cut a deal to sell the nonprofit health plan to Elevance Health, the healthcare conglomerate formerly named Anthem. If approved by regulators, the deal would provide compensation of over $1 million to each of BCBSLA’s directors and give them control over a $3 billion “foundation” created from sale proceeds, with minimal restrictions over the use of that money. For health care consumers, the sale threatens significantly higher health insurance premiums. Read more.

Did BLUE SHIELD OF CAlifornia commit a $111-million tax fraud?

In 2015, Blue Shield’s top lawyer concluded in a written analysis that a competitor’s exclusion of certain revenue from amounts reported to the IRS amounted to tax evasion. The following year, Blue Shield began doing exactly what its competitor had done.

• “Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in California evaded $170 million in taxes, whistleblower says,” STAT, Bob Herman, July 17, 2023

• IRS Whistleblower Complaint, including detailed description of the scheme and supporting documents.