Before speech ambush, Horizon offered Christie $135M for health programs
TRENTON -- In the days before Gov. Chris Christie pressured Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to share some of its "abundant surplus" to fund drug treatment programs, the state's largest health insurance company had extended an olive branch to the governor, NJ Advance Media has learned.
According to three sources with knowledge of the negotiations, Horizon proposed $135 million to fund drug treatment and other health programs for the poor. The sources all spoke on the condition they not be identified because of the sensitive nature of the talks and the players involved.
On Friday, in a statement released to NJ Advance Media, Horizon officials confirmed offering the administration a substantial but unspecified amount of money. The money, Horizon officials said, would be used over two years to create a temporary fund for health care programs.
The company said it suggested the money should come from savings Horizon would recoup by the legislature passing a long-awaited law limiting surprise, out-of-network medical bills.
Read more: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/03/horizon_extends_135m_olive_branch_to_christie_admi.html