April 13, 2011 - Chapel Hill, N.C. -Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) issued a challenge Wednesday for all groups in the health care system, including health insurers, to stop looking for scapegoats and start working together to rein in medical costs. The company launched a comprehensive campaign emphasizing that everyone, including BCBSNC, must take responsibility for finding solutions to achieve affordable health care.
"The content and tone of what we launched today is different from anything we have done before," said Brad Wilson, BCBSNC president and CEO. "We understand that reining in medical costs is an urgent and challenging issue. But we also recognize if we're going to make progress, the scapegoating that has driven the conversation to this point must stop."
Using television commercials, print advertisements and an interactive website, BCBSNC's campaign uses live goats to portray doctors, insurers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, consumers and attorneys in order to emphasize that "scapegoating" does not generate solutions. The campaign sends the message that all of these groups can - and must - work together to rein in medical costs.
"We made a conscious choice to use humor in this campaign as a way of opening the door to a conversation that can be complex and, at times, uncomfortable," Wilson explained. "Finding solutions to rein in medical costs is in the best interest of our company, our customers and everyone in North Carolina. We need solutions now. That means we have to begin the conversation now."
BCBSNC encourages all North Carolinians to visit BCBSNC's new website, http://www.LetsTalkCost.com, and to join a conversation about how to rein in medical costs. LetsTalkCost.com educates visitors about the drivers of medical costs and includes discussion forums, open-ended questions and a library of third-party research and statistics. Participants can also join discussions about medical costs with other users, including BCBSNC representatives.
North Carolinians can view the television commercials on www.LetsTalkCost.com and follow @BCBSNC and the #letstalkcost hashtag on Twitter to track and participate in the ongoing discussion.
About BCBSNC:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is a leader in delivering innovative health care products, services and information to more than 3.7 million members, including approximately 900,000 served on behalf of other Blue Plans. For 77 years, the company has served its customers by offering health insurance at a competitive price and has served the people of North Carolina through support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Access BCBSNC online at http://www.bcbsnc.com .
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