Protesters’ leader arrested outside Anthem headquarters
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Protest at Anthem Headquarters
The Virginia Organizing Project protests outside Anthem headquarters in Richmond, asking for a refund of premiums spent to lobby against health care reform.A leader of about 60 protesters outside insurance giant Anthem was charged with trespassing yesterday after entering the company's headquarters to ask about rising premiums.
Joseph A. Szakos, 55, executive director of the Charlottesville-based Virginia Organizing Project, was arrested by Henrico County police after he and four other demonstrators made it as far as a vestibule before being stopped by locked doors.
Szakos' wife, Kristin, is running for a seat on the Charlottesville City Council.
Speaking through the glass doors to a security officer, Szakos explained that his group was a customer and wanted to speak to someone about rate increases. He was directed to call customer service and was on hold when a company representative arrived with police and demanded that the visitors leave.
They all did promptly except for Szakos, who was handcuffed and carried off in a police car as protesters shouted, "Let Joe go!"
Szakos was taken before a magistrate and released on a promise to appear in court Monday, according to Henrico County police and VOP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan social-action organization.
The arrest capped a lunchtime demonstration that caught the attention of motorists and Anthem employees, who gathered at windows to watch the confrontation.
Most of the protesting was confined to the public sidewalk along Staples Mill Road near West Broad Street, with demonstrators holding signs, such as "Health Care Skyrockets as CEOs Line Their Pockets," and shouting phrases such as, "Honk if you pay too much!" to passing motorists.
Leaders of VOP said their premium with Anthem increased 14 percent this year and that the money is helping to pay for industry lobbying efforts to oppose health-care reform that would include a public insurance option, as President Barack Obama has proposed.
"We don't think that's right," VOP Chairwoman Jay Johnson said. "We need a public option, and we feel Anthem doesn't want that because they don't want to be accountable, and they don't want to be competitive."
Scott Golden, a spokesman for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, said premiums are increasing primarily because of the costs of such factors as new technology, inflation on services, obesity, and other consumer lifestyle choices and regulatory requirements.
He said Anthem's parent company, WellPoint, spends less than 1 percent of its gross profits on lobbying, and he argued that government-run health insurance would lead to even higher premiums and lower quality of care.
"We understand that if a government-run plan comes into effect, a government-run plan doesn't compete with a market-run plan," he said.
One of yesterday's protesters said he wasn't knowledgeable enough about the issue to talk to a reporter. However, Patrick Costello, 23, said he showed up because "health care is a human right" and he's "young and healthy and paying way too much."
"We need to find a way to provide quality health care to more people, and, so far, the private health care hasn't done that," he said.
Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or
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Reader Reactions
“Health care is a human right” Are you freaking kidding me? Did I not get the memo? I agree with the previous poster about using “rent-a-protester”, sometimes you hurt your cause more than help it by using uninformed protesters. Of course, the guy who got arrested is from Charlottesville and that little pompous town is packed full of bleeding heart liberals and is a breeding ground for uninformed protesters.
drhoagie- You really don’t believe that do you? The Corporate war against Organized Labor is all about keeping wages low to compete with the global workforce that works for a fraction of what American workers make. Without Unions, many Americans wouldn’t have the weekend off! And what about Teachers, Police, Firefighters Unions? Are those unneeded too? Unions are the only organizations that enabled millions of Americans to become middle class without a college education. I’m sure you think $10 an hour is fair pay and working 2 or 3 jobs is being a hard-working American but that is not the way it is supposed to be. Pay parallel to corporate profits and productivity is the way it used to be. And a 2% raise used to be for the below average employee. Now we are lucky to get 2% of you’re the best employee.
As far as Walmart, I’m sure you enjoy 50 cent liters of Coca-Cola, but Walmart is a leader in worker exploitation. Yes, there might be some employees that love working there but for the most part they hire people who are not a liability to their costs (part-timers, elderly, moonlighters) so they don’t have to pay benefits or full work weeks. Walmart has an awesome productivity system that analyzes store revenue to workers on the clock in real time, so having a workforce that can be told to “go home” at a moments notice is who they look for.
Stop believing all you hear and look for the real answers my friend.
Health care is just a librul plot to ruin Ammerica!!!
Dose everyone no that are presedent barack hussein obama is acturally a xtra terrestial muslim terrorist sent to destroy Ammerica??? And Barbara Pelosi also want’s to take over the whole whorld along with all the other terrorist socialists an they are planning anotherr attack of some kind, for more details just watch FOX News !!!!!1
oh also I almost forgot, barney Frank is another one he caused the hole economic mess along with the other democrats in the congress during the 1990s when Clinton wass messing around in the Oval OFFICE!!!!1
dubious: Don’t be such a drama queen. Pro-Leftist Union think tanks provide general talking points for followers to use against Walmart. You appeared to hit most of them.
Walmart employees work voluntarily and appear to enjoying their jobs every time I go there.
It certainly isn’t like the DMV or post office there.
drhoagie -
Walmart is a poor example. They do have the buying power to get EXCELLENT benefits for their employees…but they don’t. Until recently, Walmart refused to insure many of their employees by hiring numerous part-timers, older people, or people on medicaid. Companies like Walmart put the cost on you and I, the taxpayer, and everytime a non-insuresd Walmart employee goes to the ER w/o insurance, our taxes pay that not Walmart.
I heard Obama appealing to the dopey by saying he was going to put an end to corporate savings in health care. He alleged big companies pay up to 16% LESS than smaller companies when purchasing health care.
Ah, isn’t that how it is supposed to work? Large companies are providing a bigger pool then small companies.
They are driving more business to one carrier then smaller companies.
One large company is generating less paperwork then several large companies, therefore, less overhead is created for the carrier.
This may come to a surprise to the Marxist One and his uneducated followers; but Walmart pays less for apples then Bob’s Corner Grocery Store. Walmart has greater buying power. And in return they are able to pass on some of those savings to you.
In America, we call that “Capitalism”.
Who supports VOP? I do, along with many other Virginians and no I don’t have much but I give what I can. Don’t start with the Leftist crazy stuff either because many in VOP don’t fit that stereotype. I and many others believe we need to make a difference in what has been happening to our country, to our people and to our communities.
My question is, what is 1% of Wellpoint’s gross profits? Anthem purchased Wellpoint in 2004 for 21 billion dollars. I just wonder how large a number would be 1%.
For the record VOP is a customer of Anthem and the four demonstrators that went in with Joe Szakos were four of the volunteer Board of Directors of VOP. They obviously take where the money they collect is spent very seriously.
We are real people giving what we can, if it is only to speak out, and to do what we can to make a better place for our children, for our communities. I’ve worked all my life and believe in paying my bills and my fair share.
I’ve lived without insurance while working a full time job, and paid the bills; with lousy insurance and worked a full time job and paid my bills. But now I am questioning what am I getting for my money?
When I was partially laid off three years ago, I fell and broke my wrist and cracked a bone in my arm. I didn’t have insurance, the company I worked for could’nt afford it and I definitely couldn’t. I could not get in to see an orthopedic except one that was 250 miles away because yes I had been on partial unemployment for 2 months and was broke.
Before you say get another job, I happen to be in an area where there just aren’t many good jobs left. Went to apply for a job the year before that where 2,000 people showed up for 10 good jobs available. All that tax break investments for the top just hasn’t trickled down at all.
The emergency room visit was nearly $2,000 (yes I paid the bill in full!) and I still didn’t get to see an orthopedic. I just wore the temporary splint they gave me at the emergency room on my arm for a few weeks and hoped for the best. I guess it healed enough though the wrist sometimes gives me trouble.
Now in America THIS should not be happening if we have such a wonderful health care system.
Health care is not a privilage. A driver’s license is a privilage. We can live without a driver’s license, but we can die without medical care. The current health care system is just not working for this country.
The dopey leader goes and gets arrested.
Doesn’t he know how to effectively protest?
What an embarrassment.
It is reported one of the Rent-A-Protester said he wasn’t knowledgeable enough about the issue to talk to a reporter.
If only our president were as sharp as this young man.
Here’s a question for you…Exactly who funds VOP? The answer cannot be found in their “Annual Report.“ We all know who funds Anthem…only those who choose to be customers.
Anthem sounds like the GOP - can’t handle being questioned. No wonder health care reform has been “in the works” for 60 years. Greed.
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