Central City News

The Louisiana State Medical Society has announced its opposition to the proposed sale of Blue Cross to a for-profit, out-of-state company. In a letter to Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon, Dr. Richard J. Paddock, president of the society, wrote as follows: “On behalf of Louisiana physicians and the patients we care for, I would […]

 Attorney Henry “Tut” Kinney, who has practiced law more than 50 years, predicts the proposed sale of Blue Cross will be rejected. “Honestly, the legal barriers are just too great for this sale to go through,” he said. Kinney said, “Under Louisiana law, specifically La.R.S. 22:232.1, Blue Cross has to show the benefits and risks […]

The Central Community School System was honored last week with a visit by State Supt. of Education Cade Brumley. Brumley has been visiting classrooms throughout the state and had a particular interest, he said, in Central’s math programs. The state education leader was hosted by Central schools Supt. Jason Fountain who introduced him to central […]

Attorney General Jeff Landry, Republican-endorsed candidate for governor in the Oct. 14 primary, issued the following statement for the Central City News Election Guide: “For far too long, Louisiana has been at the bottom of every good list and the top of every bad list. This election is our opportunity to change our State and […]

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has filed a lawsuit to block the Governor from short-circuiting the rules and procedures of the Board of Pardons. In his court filings, the Attorney General noted that eligibility and notice rules were ignored, timeliness requirements were unlawfully waived, necessary steps in the process were skipped, and proceedings outside of […]

By Woody Jenkins, Editor, Central City News – Baton Rouge   The proposed $2.5 billion sale of non-profit Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Elevance, an out-of-state, for-profit insurance giant, has been delayed by opposition from policyholders and legislators. The proposed transaction had smooth sailing until a letter announcing the sale was received by policyholders on August […]

Four members of the Board of Directors of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Louisiana have resigned their positions to serve as initial Board members for a new foundation called Accelerate Louisiana Initiative.  The new foundation would receive $2.5 billion from the sale of Blue Cross to insurance company Elevance and $770 million from the reserves of […]

By Woody Jenkins, Editor, Central City News – Baton Rouge   Insurance executive Derek Babcock testified last week before the Joint Legislative Committee on Insurance on the proposed sale of Blue Cross to a for-profit corporation.  Babcock did not state a position on the sale but said policyholders should be asking questions like these: •Why is […]

An investigative report in the Central City News in July revealed that thousands of patient files and other personally identifiable medical records were abandoned at Delta Women’s Clinic on Colonial Drive in Baton Rouge. Now as a result of the reports, the Louisiana Attorney General’s office has begun a criminal investigation and seized documents and […]

Hause Actuarial Solutions provided the following analysis of the proposed sale of Blue Cross to Elevance and the transfer of Blue Cross funds to a new foundation. Executive Summary •The $2.5 billion valuation of the company as derived in the Cain Brothers opinion appears to be within a reasonable range of values. •The proposed plan […]