Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has made yet another executive change as the insurer's tiered plans continue to face criticism from providers and state legislators.
Kevin Conlin is Horizon's new executive vice president and COO effective April 1.
He will oversee all of Newark, N.J.-based Horizon's business activities. Conlin originally joined Horizon in 2012 as executive vice president of healthcare management, according to a news release.
Conlin is the latest in a series of personnel moves. In February, Horizon announced a number of new positions that would serve mostly as government and regulatory liaisons.
Horizon's Omnia Health Alliance and Health Plan currently is under fire. In November, 17 New Jersey hospitals filed a brief challenging the state's approval of Omnia. They say it harms them and patients by relegating the hospitals to a lower-tier network.
The hospitals allege that New Jersey's Department of Banking and Insurance didn't follow proper procedures for approving the plan and that the network is inadequate.
Lawmakers in the Garden State are now involved, according to NorthJersey.com. Senate president Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat, said tiered health insurance plans like Omnia would help lower healthcare costs in the state, which are among the highest in the country.
But seven legislators want to stop enrollment into Omnia as they determine how Horizon chose which hospitals were placed in the tiers, the report said. A legislative task force is studying the issue.
The plan's controversy hasn't stopped enrollees, however. Through Feb. 26, more than 234,000 New Jersey residents enrolled in Omnia, and the company is confident it will meet its goal of 256,000 enrollees by the end of the year.
