Can health insurance companies get any more brazen? Unfortunately, yes. Check out this outrageous story, from the Los Angeles Times:

Joan Swope, 62, moved recently from Cathedral City, just down the road from Palm Springs, to nearby Palm Desert.
She informed her insurer, Anthem Blue Cross, of the change of address. A few weeks later, Anthem responded with a notice stating that, because of the move, Swope’s monthly premium on her individual policy will increase to $524 from $418.

This kind of arbitrary rate increase is legal, according to the Times, because insurance companies have divided the state into rate zones based on the average cost of local doctors and hospitals. Move into another rate zone, and your premiums can go up. This just looks like another way to gouge citizens in their time of need, and stuff corporate pockets with more of people’s hard-earned money. It has absolutely nothing to do with providing good health care. If California could implement a universal, publicly-financed health system, you would never have to worry about how your premiums will be affected if you relocated. Because your premiums would be $0.

Sylvia@californiaonecare.org