In February, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin began an investigation of Durham, N.C.-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and the systematic problems it has had since early this year. Now Mr. Goodwin is planning on financially penalizing the insurer, according to The Charlotte Observer.
"We're going to hold this company accountable," Mr. Goodwin said, according to the report. "Blue Cross has the resources to hire as many people as they need to rectify this matter."
Mr. Goodwin and his staff are currently working to collect all customer complaints so they can calculate a financial penalty against BCBS of NC.
Since Jan. 1, the North Carolina Department of Insurance has received more than 8,700 phone calls and 1,900 formal complaints from customers against BCBS of NC. BCBS of NC could be fined "up to $1,000 a day per violation under one state law," according to the report.
"I am looking for every finable violation that I can find," Mr. Goodwin said, according to the report. "I am looking at the entire arsenal of solutions that I can deploy."
The department's investigation is set to take a few months.