Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina said it has reinstated insurance policies for thousands of customers who experienced a disruption in coverage due to a technology glitch earlier this month. However, the state's largest health insurer is not disclosing how many enrollees are still without proper coverage or refunds, and officials cannot predict when the crisis will be resolved, reports The Charlotte Observer.
As of Jan. 22, BCBS of NC told the state Attorney General's office the insurer has refunded nearly $2 million to 4,637 customers whose bank accounts had been overdrafted. The average overdraft was around $420 per customer.
Most applications have been retroactively enrolled for January, Blue Cross CEO Brad Wilson told employees in a company-wide email. The company is now processing a backlog of February enrollments.
The insurer is still receiving more than 100 calls a day concerning enrollment issues. Customer service representatives have been logging overtime and weekend hours to field customer calls, reports The Charlotte Observer.
Both the North Carolina Department of Insurance and the North Carolina Attorney General plan to review the enrollment debacle to determine if any laws were broken and to ensure Blue Cross has established safety measures to prevent a similar crisis in the future.
"We are making progress," said Blue Cross COO Alan Hughes in an email to employees. "However, a return to 'normal' isn't within the next week, or even the week after. We are on a longer path to recovery."