It will be another two months until the leader of a grassroots organization finds out whether he will see jail time after being arrested at the Richmond, Va., headquarters of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for trespassing.

Joe Szakos

In July, Joe Szakos, executive director for the Virginia Organizing Project (VOP), was arrested at a protest organized by the group. The VOP, which pays $300,000 per year in health insurance for its 36 employees through Anthem, was protesting rising premiums as the insurer and others spend what they estimate to be millions on anti-health reform lobbying.

Szakos said following his arrest that he was only seeking answers to the group’s premium increase and “walked out in handcuffs.”

The case against Szakos will now be heard Nov. 23 in Henrico General District Court after his initial court appearance was continued, according to the VOP. The group said the main witness for the prosecution, an Anthem employee, failed to comply with an issued subpoena to be in court as the person was out of town.

Szakos’ defense team opposed the motion to continue but was overruled on the matter, the group said.

Szakos said in a statement that the Anthem employee “who asked the police to arrest me – must have had more important things to do” than show up in court and the continuation is “wasting more time and resources.”

“The proceeding today was a shame, a disgrace and a waste of time,” he said. “This entire process has wasted a lot of taxpayer money. Virginians are already paying outrageous health insurance premiums through Anthem. They should not be forced to pay for the court costs involved with Anthem’s crackdown on customers who question their business practices.”

An Anthem spokesman deferred comment to IFAwebnews.com on the trespassing charge and court case to the Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.

The VOP leader said Anthem should apologize to the people of Henrico County for the waste of money and to his organization for taking up their time and resources for a trial in the first place.

“This trial is yet another example of an insurance industry that is out of control and accountable to no one,” Szakos said. “The fact that a paying customer can be arrested and taken to trial for trespassing on their own insurance company’s doorstep says a lot about the relationship the health insurance industry has with its customers.”

As he did following his arrest, Szakos said his mistreatment by Anthem “is not unique,” as thousands of others have seen rate increases, rejected claims and denied coverage for pre-existing conditions by the insurer.

“The insurance companies don’t care about our health and the health of our families,” he said. “We all deserve better than this.”