Blue cross lies? I don't think anyone here is surprised.

[The Straight Story]

Class Accuses Blue Cross Of Bait And Switch
By MATT REYNOLDS
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LOS ANGELES (CN) - A Superior Court class action claims that Blue Cross of California uses "bait and switch tactics" to impose midyear hikes on its customers. The three lead plaintiffs all say that Blue Cross jacked up their deductible in February, "just two months into the deductible year."

Named plaintiffs Janet Kassouf, Alison Heath and David Jacobson say they bought policies with the expectation that annual deductibles and out-of-pocket costs would be fixed for the calendar year, but saw abrupt changes to the terms and conditions of their plans.

In February, "just two months into the deductible year," Heath learned that her $2,500 deductible would go up to $2,950; Kassouf's jumped from $1,500 to $1,750, and Jacobson's increased from $500 to $550, the complaint states.

...
Blue Cross, doing business as Anthem Blue Cross, "claimed that the mid-year changes to 'annual' and 'yearly' out of pocket costs were necessary to protect consumers from premium increases, yet Blue Cross:

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/11/16/41491.htm

From the article is notes the following as to why there was no need to raise it:

"a. Simultaneously increased premiums by 20 percent or more.
"b. Had five times the required reserves (tangible net equity <'TNE'>) - $1.2 billion in excess of state-mandated TNE - as of June 30, 2011 while the company paid $525 million in dividends to shareholders in 2010.
"c. Postponed similar mid-year changes to its nearly identical policies regulated by the California Department of Insurance ('CDI')," according to the complaint. (Parentheses, brackets and italics in complaint.)