Do all Health Insurance Companies Oppose Reform?

Listening to both the left and the right media, it would seem at a glance that most if not all insurance companies disagree with “Obamacare” and have been fighting against it. This became very obvious to the general public when The Lewin Group (Often cited by conservatives) was exposed as being owned by United Health Care which is a private insurance company. It has been noted that United Health Care has made attempts to kill healthcare reform, but does that go for all insurance companies?

In Oregon, Utah, Idaho, and selected counties in Washington, Regence BlueCross BlueShield is a leading health insurance company. Taken directly from the Regence website, Regence describes itself as:
“A leading health insurer in the Northwest / Mountain State Region, offering health, life and dental insurance. Regence serves nearly three million members as Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueShield (selected counties in Washington), Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence BlueShield of Idaho. Each plan is a not-for-profit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Regence is committed to improving the health of our members and our communities, and to transforming our health care system.”

Mark Ganz, president and chief executive officer of Regence BlueCross BlueShield published a statement on September 10th 2009 cited from the US Politics Today website stating:
“President Obama’s speech to Congress last night addressed many of the changes necessary to achieve comprehensive health care reform, changes that will move our nation toward the ultimate goal of universal coverage for all Americans. We certainly agree that the system is broken, it is too costly, outcomes are not what they should be, and not what the American public deserves.
“We were pleased the president focused so much attention on the high and rising costs of health care. Like many Americans, Regence has questions about specific elements of the reform proposals, including how to ensure the long-term financial stability of the system. We will have failed the nation in bringing about real, sustainable reform if we don’t address how we will control these costs.
“There is consensus in Congress and the health care industry — including insurers — around much of what the legislation should accomplish. All Americans must have affordable coverage and access to quality care; insurers must drop pre-existing barriers to coverage; medical care must become more efficient; and the entire system must be simpler and more transparent. Regence has advocated these changes for years and stands ready to share our practical experience to ensure that these reforms work.”
Ganz has been outspoken about reform for quite some time. In an article from the Regence website written on May 11th 2009, he writes:
“I look forward to continuing to work with the Obama administration, Congress and key stakeholders to assure the health reform bill affords all Americans access to quality, affordable health care.”

As time passes and the outlook looks worse and worse, healthcare providers of all sorts are starting to speak out for reform. From health organizations to doctors and even health insurances companies, it’s getting more difficult to disagree that there needs to be change.
That said, there is an important key point that is missing here and that of course is the public option.