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Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri notified 125 workers Thursday their jobs are being eliminated at its Cape Girardeau operations center.
This amounts to nearly 40 percent of its 316-person work force employed at its 471 Siemers Drive location, which opened in 1996.
Positions eliminated are 92 jobs handling calls from doctors and other health care providers and 33 jobs processing medical claims, said Deborah Wiethop, public relations director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri.
The claims workers were given 30 days' notice, while the other employees received 60 days' notice.
"We have had a membership drop the past year, as many health plans have, as a result of other companies that have laid off people," Wiethop said. "We've lost about 3.9 percent of membership nationwide over the past year."
Some of the claims processing jobs will be relocated to Anthem's Indianapolis operations center. Calls from health care providers will now be outsourced to APAC Customer Services Inc. of Bannockburn, Ill. According to its website, APAC operates call centers in the United States and the Philippines.
"We are always looking at administrative costs and efficiencies as well as our staffing levels," Wiethop said.
"Anytime there is a loss of jobs it's a bad deal for the area and for each individual," said John Mehner, CEO of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. "We will work with them to see if there are other businesses in the area that are hiring to see if they can be placed. With the economy it's difficult right now. "
In addition to the employees laid off in Cape Girardeau, 11 employees at Anthem's Springfield, Mo., operation also were given notice Thursday their positions are being eliminated and 139 jobs at Anthem's Worthington, Ohio, facility were eliminated.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has 40,000 employees nationwide and serves 34 million customers.
388-3646
Pertinent address:
471 Siemers Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO
Comments
And the hits just keep on comin'...
This is only the beginning folks.
Correct, Hawker. The pain is just begun, but just sit back and give the stimulus plan time to impact the economy like the Vice President keeps telling us it will. Don't worry, be happy....
I wonder why the membership has dropped, the high cost of health insurance that is the reason people just can't afford it any more.
Furthermore, as I read more about this I discover where some of our local jobs will be going to you guessed it "over seas" for a $1.00 per hour.
you can count on lousy service from now on from Anthem.
I do feel for these people.
Since the reason is a drop in membership, they should be hiring again after the Health Care Reform starts kickin and everyone is required to carry insurance. Unless, of course, they out source to the Philippines as rumored.
Let's see, 125 less taxpayers.
A possible 125 more government dependents.
There could be an economic problem here, but who are we to try and figure this out.
Maybe the Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen, Cher, and many other "Stars" will come out and help us figure all of this out. After all they are the experts.
Wait, Martin Sheen actually got to be President on a TV show, so why isn't he as involved with his expertise as he was in the past?
This country needs to put it's trust back in GOD. The next time you vote, vote on the side of morality. Take time to read Romans 1:18-32 and see where our folly is headed.
I am convinced that if this country would turn off the Hollywood Gossip channel and seek after truth and God's will, we would be blessed beyond what we can imagine.
wow mawmaw you must be a tea-party member...
Where is Greywolf???? I told you Obama is a joke!!
As one of those laid off today, I can safely say that we work 40+ hours a week and dont leech off of the government. I for one will do everything in my power to find another job. I dont strive to live off of welfare, just as none of the other women that I work with do.
Rain Cloud, to lump those 125 of us who were laid off today together as deadbeats that dont want to work was cold and callous. I am sure at one point in time or another you or someone that you are close to has lost a job not of their own doing. Were they lumped into this same category by yourself?
Congratulations bulletman. You're the first to blame it on Obama because people CAN'T afford health insurance. You're the joke!.
grandma73 is right. The government is going to need someone to process all those claims and who better qualified to those who have been with Blue Cross for so long. Hang in there folks!
Bet if you do get government jobs you won't have your vacations frozen, won't be mandated to work overtime constantly, and get to take you holidays.
Thanks for your comment grandma! The layoffs at BC/BS are in no way related to President Obama. What's happening is exactly what he was fighting, big insurance with no checks and balances and no one to answer to. Thank you Mr. President and keep up the good work!
My heart goes out to those who were laid off. I hope they find new jobs soon.
One reason why their business is down is because so many companies either eliminated health insurance from their budgets, or because the companies went under entirely.
Guess your name isn't true 'fairandbalancedincape.' Seems to me that was very unfair to say 'you must be a tea-party member' when she used a racists slang term. A totally uncalled for statement on both your parts.
I am so truly sorry you folks lost your jobs. You are joining a long list of others before you and many more to come. Losing a job is not the end of the world, but that is easy for me to say I know. Just don't get sucked in to the government system of dependence. That's what they want all of us to do. Be dependent on the government whether it be working in oppressive groups like Homeland Security or the Youth Corps.
Of course dang sure take the unemployment checks and food stamps you deserve and have earned in the short term and don't feel one bit bad or ashamed about it, but show the Feds that they will not beat you down and make you submit to their tyranny.
Down sizing is not a sin in your personal life. Keeping up with the Jones is exhausting and wasteful anyway. Hollywood and corporate America have told us through propaganda that our worth is what we own or how we look. That is baloney. Our worth is what we have in our hearts and souls. Material possessions are just stuff. I have heard it said there are no pockets in the suits of the dead. This is the time to enjoy the simple things. You will figure out how to survive. Resist the temptation to turn your lives over to a government controller. You are the masters of your destiny.
Luvbball15 maybe these particular layoffs had nothing to do with Obama, but Obama gave the insurance companies a big wet kiss when he signed that atrocious so called health bill. This bill was a bail out for the insurance companies. When oh when will Americans wake up? The government is not there to help us but to control us and take advantage of us.
To be fair to Obama though, Bush the 1st, Clinton, George W. Bush or John McCain or even Sarah Palin would have signed a similar bill. Because both parties work for the same bosses and those bosses are NOT the American people. The bosses are the mega bankers (not your local banker) and the people who control the mega bankers. Wake up friends. This nightmare is only beginning if you don't.
high rates yes i know some one who had anthem the rates for just them are very reasonable but if you have to add a family member or take out the family plan your rate doubles with a higher deductible too.
This office has been shakey for years - I'll bet most of these folks have been worrying about this day for a long time. It kind of goes against conventional wisdom that an insurance company can't afford to keep a processing office open; doesn't add up, does it folks. It might have something to do with government mandates and congressional meddling in the insurance markets.
Of course health insurance rates are unaffordable, people do not take care of themselves but run to the doctor every time they have a runny nose. Why not, they only have to pay a co-pay. Well, someone has to pay for the rest of the $200 doctor's visit. Rates are increasing because the claim costs are increasing.
Let's stop blaming everyone else and start taking responsibility for ourselves.
To the people who lost their jobs at Blue Cross, I am sorry to hear this. Stay strong, this is a blessing in disguise and someday you will realize it.
3kids_mom, let me clarify. I wasn't cold & callous, I was trying to be practical. Look in this weekends paper and see if you see 125 jobs available for all of you to just smoothly transition into. Notice I said "a POSSIBLE 125 more dependents". Obviously there is a lot of talent being let go that will land on your feet. But the layoffs will not stop with BCBS. So the point is that overall as the unemployment rate keeps going up, the government dependency rate keeps going up as well.
I seriously wish you the best. It was easy to get where we are today. To get out of this mess is what will be hard!
"We've lost about 3.9 percent of membership nationwide over the past year."
so you got rid of 40% of your workforce????
Good job Blue Cross. I'm glad to see that you're going to get that Philippines economy stirring.
Where are the tariffs that make it cost prohibitive to outsource?
How secure are our secure medical records when they can be accessed in another country? Seems like HIPPA should be amended to ensure that medical records can not be pulled up in a foreign nation where weaker laws can result in a leak of our confidential medical histories.
"We've lost about 3.9 percent of membership nationwide over the past year."
so you got rid of 40% of your workforce????
___
The workers laid off in the Cape Girardeau office represent approximately 40% of the staff in this particular office only. Over 40,000 associates are spread in offices all over the country, so this is a layoff of less than 1% of the employees of this company.
Thanks Mom4Ever, that is true. People whine about being dependent on the government, when are we going to take care of ourselves and stop being so dependant on health care? I've wrote about this many times before; until our nation gets healthier, we are going no where but down no matter what legislation there is.
Personal responsibilty in health has become a big issue. But, go ahead and whine about 'Oh, don't tell me what to do I can live how I want!' Okay, but when you develop a preventable disease and I have higher insurance costs b/c of it, well, it becomes my problem.
And of course, our medical care is too overpriced anyways. Whenever a standard operation can almost cost as much as getting a car, we've got problems.
I know a lady who had to have rotator cuff surgery. She had an estimate from a local hospital of $55,000. She went to Des Peres hospital in south St. Louis and the total bill was less that $32,ooo. Why the huge difference in the cost? Cape, as told to my friend by a St Louis doctor is the "Gold Coast" of medicine. He said it is unbelievable how many people they get from the Cape area.
A Tea Party leader acknowledged she supports abolishing Social Security in an appearance this week on "Larry King Live."St. Louis Tea Party co-founder Dana Loesch said she would "absolutely" eliminate the program, which has existed since 1935. Talk show host and Libertarian leader, Wayne Allyn Root agreed: "At best I'd do away with it, because I can find a better way to spend and save my own $15,000." This is what true Independents and Libertarians stand for...do away with all of those socialist programs. Let us invest our own money. Don't trust the government with my retirement
There must have been a comment from grandma that got deleted before I got here, because I didn't see any racist slang term...
3kidsmom, I don't think anyone meant to say that any of the employees unfortunate enough to be laid off were unwilling to work, or lazy, or anything of the sort. But as RainCloud clarified, the problem is that there just aren't many jobs out there right now. I'm sorry you took offense to the early comments, because it seems to me everyone has been expressing nothing but compassion.
I wish the best of luck to everyone who was laid off. This is quite a tragedy.
Howdydoody,
It's not just price. You can also get an appointment within the week; Cape it's a month or longer. And you St Louis wait time in waiting room is muuch, much less.
None of my comments have been deleted, MusicMaker.
I would like to add that we've all read many comments from Cosmo_Kramer. Him calling anyone stupid is like the pot calling the kettle black.
(oh, again, not racist)
No, mawmaw HATES to call some place to trouble shoot and you get someone who is outside the US that CANNOT speak English and they call themselves by a name we would use in the U.S.
Now when Drs offices call in...to bc/bs they will be talking to someone that cannot speak decent english.
I am not happy about the "outsourcing" as I have someone near and dear to me that has lost her job and have busted her butt for that company. I also am not happy with any company who feels they need to take business out of the united states! Our economy is in a sad condition right now and things like this do not help matters any. I called in to a company one time and the person on the other end was telling me to "look at the ADDRESS bar" I had NO CLUE what an "AT RISK" bar was!
Interesting. We have a health care industry cutting jobs. BC/BS has been one of the worst at getting things approved and reimbursing once insurance has been filed with them. They also have one of the highest premiums that few individuals can afford. Most companies who insure their employees are trying to figure out if they can survive and provided health insurance. Not an easy thing these days. Now, BC/BS outsourcing will help them. They don't have to pay as much to get things done, but you can bet they won't pass that savings on to those they insure. How much does their CEO make? Six or seven figures? Do you think he could live on less so his company could provide more health care? Bet he doesn't think so.
Bulletman, what's your point? I am well aware that Obama should NEVER have been elected! Why in the world would you think I support him or his policies?! I am NOT a Demopublican like you. I am a Federalist/Libertarian. Hope that clears things up for ya.
I hear the Philippineans are making $5/day for these call center jobs and they get $3/day while being trained.