In Brief: Anthem Sued on Mail Order Drug Plan; CHCF\'s Smith to Step Down; Naked Family Touts Medi-Cal Expansion

Anthem Sued On Mail-Order Drug Plan

The Santa Monica-based advocacy group Consumer Watchdog has filed a lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross of California, claiming its plan to fill the specialty drug prescriptions of enrollees who are HIV-positive or suffer AIDS via mail order places their lives in danger.

The class-action suit, filed on Jan. 11 in San Diego Superior Court, claims the policy cuts local pharmacists out of the care of Anthem HIV-positive enrollees and therefore puts them at danger of suffering adverse drug reactions. It also claims that the mail delivery of drugs to their homes or businesses would constitute a breach of privacy.

“Blue Cross should not be allowed to compromise the health and privacy of HIV/AIDS patients,” said Consumer Watchdog staff attorney Jerry Flanagan. “This poorly conceived plan to sever the relationship between patient and medical professional should be prohibited.”

Anthem countered that the policy, which is intended to control rising pharmaceutical costs, is not discriminatory because it covers many specialty pharmaceuticals beyond those that treat HIV or AIDS.

“Anthem's policies do not discriminate on the basis of disease states, and they are reasonable and compliant with applicable laws,” the insurer said in a prepared statement.

The suit seeks an injunction against Anthem Blue Cross from implementing the mail order plan, as well as unspecified damages.

CHCF’s Smith To Step Down 

Mark D. Smith, M.D., who has headed the California HealthCare Foundation since its founding in 1996, will step down from the non-profit at the end of the year.

The CHCF is one of the state's most visible healthcare policy organizations in California. It has made grants totaling more than $500 million over the past 17 years.

Smith will continue his faculty duties at the University of California, San Francisco, as well as his medical practice.

Alameda County Features Naked Family To Tout Medi-Cal Expansion

The Alameda County Social Services Agency is going au naturel to push Medi-Cal expansion.

The Oakland-based agency has launched an advertising campaign which includes a family whose nakedness is covered only by the signs they are carrying. The signs spell out the campaign's motto: “Cover Your Family,” and includes a phone number to obtain more information about enrolling in the Medi-Cal program, which is planning a major expansion as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

“Our message is that you wouldn't let your family go without clothes – why let them go

ithout health coverage?” said Lori A. Cox, the agency's director. Cox estimates that about 15,000 children living in the county are eligible for Medi-Cal coverage but are not enrolled. 

The ads will be featured in English and Spanish on billboards, buses and transit shelters countywide through this April.