I have employer-provided insurance, and it's Health Net.
We also subscribe to separate dental and vision insurance and a flex-spending account through the employer.
Our prices went up because the new mandates increased costs. Nothing sinister. On the exchange, with a six-figure income, we are on the wrong end of the Great Redistribution.
As far as the article goes, it's likely "JS" never bothered to check the details of his policy in the first place, as tweaking deductibles is a standard way of adjusting prices. It also works on car and other kinds of insurance.
Blue Cross is highly competitive, even inside the exchanges.
More from California's exchange here.