Despite double-digit rate increases last year, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield offers some of the least-expensive health insurance in New Jersey. Low prices have helped the nonprofit become the state's largest insurer with the name recognition and clout that experts say will be critical in order to weather changes in federal healthcare laws. But news last month that chief executive officer William J. Marino was paid $8.7 million in 2009, 59% more than the year before, has brought the company a wave of negative attention and prompted calls for state and federal reviews, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
