The leader of a grassroots organization protesting rising health insurance premiums by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield was taken into custody by police at the insurer’s Richmond, Va., headquarters.

Scott Golden, a spokesman for Anthem, told IFAwebnews.com that a “peaceful” morning protest conducted by the Virginia Organizing Project was underway on the public sidewalk outside the insurer’s headquarters July 24, when 10 or so individuals began to approach the front door of the building.  Citing the safety of client records and safety of its employees, Anthem officials locked the doors as the protestors “had no appointment” with anyone in the building scheduled, he said.

When one man continued to attempt access, Henrico County police told him that further attempts to gain entrance would constitute trespassing and he would be detained.

Joe Szakos

Lt. Mark Banks of the Henrico County Police Department confirmed that the man, Joe Szakos, 54, of Charlottesville, Va., was arrested and charged with trespassing. Szakos is the executive director of the Virginia Organizing Project.

Banks said Szakos’ arrest “pretty much quelled” the protest.

The VOP, which is dedicated “to challenging injustice,” according to its website, organized the event to request that Anthem refund its members’ premiums that were used to lobby activities in opposition to national health care reform. VOP dubbed itself a “strong advocate for health care” in a statement on the event. VOP said it has 36 employees who are Anthem clients.

In a statement following his arrest, Szakos said “I walked into our health insurance company Friday [July 24] to ask why they recently increased our premiums 14.1% and I walked out in handcuffs.” He is due back in court Sept. 22.

The group alleges its Anthem premiums have risen 14.1% this year with no additional risks, services or improved quality to justify the increase and that Anthem is allegedly spending $1.4 million per day lobbying to defeat a public health insurance option.

Golden said VOP just renewed their high-deductible plan coverage coverage June 1, which came with the 14.1% increase.

“That is the rate we gave them and they agreed upon to continue their coverage,” he said.

In a statement issued prior to the protest, Szakos said the group received an email from the insurer asking customers to call their congressmen in opposition of the government-run insurance program.

“Not only was this letter ironic given our organization’s support of the public health insurance option, but it was really disturbing because our premiums are going toward paying corporate lobbyists,” said Szakos. “As a customer that pays over $25,000 in premiums every month to Anthem, we expect that our money goes to pay health care claims for our employees, not invoices for D.C. lobbying firms.”

Golden said that while the VOP has its opinion, “I think you’ll find a lot of our customers that are against a government program as well.”

He added that WellPoint, Anthem’s parent company, spends less than 1% of its gross revenue on lobbying and he is not sure where the VOP got the $1.4 million per day expenditure.

“That is not an Anthem lobbying number, maybe that is an industry-wide lobbying number,” Golden said. “That is not a number linked to anything Anthem is doing.”

Golden said Anthem does support parts of health care reform such as having every American covered by health insurance and without consideration of pre-existing conditions if universal coverage is mandated.

“The public plan, we feel, is unnecessary,” he said. “We feel that bringing in the government means not competing at a level playing field for private insurers … and actually lowers quality care. Obviously, Anthem, WellPoint and the industry want to work collaboratively on any reform issues.”

An earlier version of this story mistakenly stated that the VOP shifted their coverage from a PPO to a high-deductible plan. Anthem said the organization renewed its high-deductible plan and cancelled its PPO plan, contrary to what it first told IFAwebnews.com.