Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana has blamed a computer error after mistakenly sending as many as 11,000 letters to current and retired employees of East Baton Rouge Parish school telling them that their healthcare insurance had expired.
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) blamed the error on its computer system, which was in the process of ending its current dental insurance plan and moving to a new plan for July. When Blue Cross printed letters about the change in insurance plan, it also printed letters informing employees that their medical coverage was expiring.
The Baton Rouge Advocate reported that Blue Cross quickly owned up to the mistake, which it said was a result of routine maintenance on our mainframe system.
Letters and emails have been sent to all current employees concerning the error, and information has been added to the school system’s website. However, retired employees are not listed on the email database, and many who have moved out of state will not receive the second, correcting, letter for days.
We sincerely apologize for this communications error and assure you that the problem has been resolved, stated Mike Reitz, senior VP and chief marketing officer for Blue Cross.