The Ohio Blue Cross conversion: building an opposition

With good reason, there has been loud public opposition to the proposed sale of Blue Cross of Ohio to Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation. If approved, the deal would allow the hospital giant also to control insurance coverage for one and a half million subscribers. Many aspects of the deal are alarming, but foremost is that assets belonging to the public would be sold to a private corporation. As States of Health goes to print, the Department of Insurance decision whether to approve the sale has not been released, though news stories indicate the answer is no. Regardless of the decision, consumers won: without their intervention, regulators were expected to give the deal pro forma approval. Instead, the public was quickly educated, and the deal received the scrutiny it deserves.