Article: Florio, Blues battle over rate increase. (New Jersey Governor Jim Florio, New Jersey Blue Cross and Blue Shield)

New Jersey's health market de-regulation has lawmakers who designed the reform and Gov. Jim Florio threatening, legislative action if New Jersey Blue Cross and Blue Shield raises individual rates by 30 percent as indicated in published reports.

"I am reaching out to legislative leaders, and we will take whatever steps...to protect policyholders from this type of an increase," the Governor said, adding "if it means revisiting or changing current laws or regulations, we are prepared to do that."

Calling the outcry a "public relations gambit by the Florio administration," Blues spokesman Fred Hillmann said the governor "tried to criticize us for something ...

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