S IGNA L T R I BU N E Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill VOL. XXXIX NO. 35
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
August 25, 2017
Anthem Blue Cross–LB Memorial stop negotiations with termination of services Assemblymember criticizes insurance company for timing and method of notification. Cory Bilicko Managing Editor
Courtesy City of LB
As of 2015, the Wrigley area is considered 71- to 100-percent impacted, according to an assessment by the Office of Environmental Health Hazards.
What the people want Wrigley Association discontent with current planned neighborhood projects. Sebastian Echeverry Staff Writer
Members of the Wrigley Association stated in an open letter to Long Beach officials that they feel building planners have not taken into consideration the concerns of residents when discussing the Land Use Element portion of the Long Beach 2040 Plan. The General Plan Land Use Element is the blueprint for the City’s future, providing a map of allowable land uses, building types and heights, according to Long Beach Development Ser-
vices. The plan is only updated a few times, and it guides city officials as they expand urban developments. The plan is broken off into designated sections, such as residential or commercial projects, as well as larger classifications, in particular, the downtown or midtown plans. The Wrigley neighborhood is slated to receive public transportation-oriented developments, community commercial structures and multi-family residential housing projects. The biggest concerns Adam Wolven, Wrigley Association president, and other members have with the slated projects is urban density and the building’s heights in the predominantly suburban neighborhood.
“Part of the Land Use Element raises building height limits proximal to the Metro Blue Line station,” Wolven said. “It raises them up to a 10-story heights limit, which puts these giant buildings really close to single-family residences.” Wolven said he feels these building heights put into question the privacy of homeowners who live near the projected building complexes. “My friend’s back yard can be seen from a 10-story building,” he said. “It robs the surrounding neighborhoods of privacy.” The Wrigley Association also believes that the proposed plan will bring more traffic to the neighborhood and will clutter the see WRIGLEY page 13
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Cory Bilicko | Signal Tribune
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see ANTHEM page 14
Effective Aug. 15, the contract between Long Beach Memorial Medical Center (pictured) and Anthem Blue Cross and has been terminated, and the insurance company has discontinued services at the hospital and removed it as an in-network provider.
Aug. 28 - Sept. 1, 2017
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Monthslong contract negotiations between Anthem Blue Cross and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center abruptly ended last week and resulted in the insurance company discontinuing services at the hospital and removing it as an in-network provider, effective Aug. 15. Although a state assemblymember has denounced Anthem for its method of delivery and timing in notifying members, a spokesman for the company said MemorialCare– the healthcare system that includes Long Beach Memorial Medical Center– terminated the contract in an effort to acquire greater reimbursement rates. On Aug. 23, the office of 70th District Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell provided the Signal Tribune with a copy of the letter Anthem Blue Cross sent to its members. The letter states, “Your healthcare needs are very important to us, and we are committed to providing you with exceptional service. Please be assured that your healthcare coverage will not be interrupted and that this termination will not result in a change to your covered benefits.”
In an emailed statement, O’Donnell criticized the insurance company, saying enrollees were given no prior notice and were informed in a letter received after Aug. 15 that directed them to seek alternate contracted facilities for care. “I am outraged to learn that thousands of families will no longer be served by Long Beach Memorial Medical Center if Anthem Blue Cross is their healthcare provider,” O’Donnell wrote. “I call on Anthem Blue Cross to immediately reinstate the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and complete its mission of providing the responsible and adequate health care that enrollees have come to expect. Anthem Blue Cross should negotiate with Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, not patient lives.” However, in an emailed response to the Signal Tribune, Colin Manning, staff vice president of regional and state public relations for Anthem, presented a different version of how the services came to be terminated. “Anthem is disappointed that MemorialCare chose to terminate their contract with Anthem in order to demand an excessive increase in reimbursement rates,” Manning wrote. “Anthem has been in discussions with MemorialCare for months in an