Blue Cross Blue Shield

The Changing Face of grubby hybridizing blue(a) block out Betty Bogart Kaplan University Author Note Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Betty Bogart, Student, Kaplan University, 1801 eastern hemisphere Kimberly Road, Davenport IA 52807. The Changing Face of Blue go after Blue shelter Since their mental home as individual companies in the early twentieth century, Blue frustrate Blue Shield has grown to become one of the largest insurance companies in the United States. Blue Cross reporting for hospital wield and Blue Shield coverage for physician visits grew to national coverage separately in advance merging to change the Association we know today.In 1929 Justin Ford Kimb every(prenominal) veritable a program to cover teachers for hospital treatment. It guaranteed them 21 days of hospital manage for $6 dollars per year. This program was later extended to encompass other employee groups send-off in Dallas then nationally. The program became Bl ue Cross. The first Blue Cross Baby was born in a hospital in Dunham, northernmost Carolina. This was the first birth in America to be covered by a wellness insurance certificate that included maternity benefits. In 1939 the American Hospital Association adopted the Blue Cross figure for plans meeting certain requirements.The ties with the AHA were severed in 1970. In the early 20th century employers in mining and lumber camps of the Pacific Northwest developed a plan to cover employees by paying monthly fees to bureaus composed of groups of physicians. Officially the first Blue Shield Plan was implemented in California in 1939. The plan grew and was adopted by the Associated Medical oversee Plan, a group of nine separate plans. Later the plan was renamed the subject area Association of Blue Shield Plans.Both programs grew to national coverage as the essential for medical insurance continued to grow with industry. The two companies merged to form Blue Cross and Blue Shield Ass ociation in 1982. At the time the company was defined as coverage under cordial welfare plans and was thus tax exempt. In 1986 the tax reform execution labeled the company a 501(m) organization which would be subject to federal taxation with special tax benefits under IRC 833. Following this change, BCBSA changed its policies to allow its licensees to be for-profit corporations.In 1984 the nations first heart transplant covered by Blue Shield Association was performed in Stanford University Hospital. This would pave the way for BCBSA to hit the Blue Cross and Blue Shield National Transplant interlock which would become the Blue Quality Centers for Transplant. Today it includes 60 transplant centers nationally and covers transplants for heart, lung, kidney, pancreas, bone marrow, and stem cell. In the mid 1990s the Balanced cipher Act added the Medi business organization+Choice program. This allowed beneficiaries multiple health plans to choose from.By 2000, BCBSA processed th e volume of Medicare claims. These claims alone totaled over 163 billion. In 2003 over 88 jillion Americans were covered by BCBSA liscensees. Today 38 companies comprise the BCBSA system which provides coverage for nearly 100 jillion people including all 50 states, the district of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Nationwide over 95% of hospitals and over 90% of overlord providers contract directly with BCBSA companies. Coverage through BCBSA now includes the largest privately underwritten health insurance contract in the world.The FEP (Federal Employment Program) covers more than 5 million federal government employees, dependants, and retirees. The world of health care is an always changing one and BCBSA is no different. From starting as two separate base programs to growing into a leader in health care and technology, this affiliation is an excellent example of how far the industry has grown and how far weve modern in this country and as humans in general. From transplant search and technology to Medicare, BCBSA continues to stay at the head of the field in all aspects.From their humble origins of trial programs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield meet always been on the cutting edge of new health care and technology. As one of the largest insurance Associations in the United states, BCBSA has continued to reform the quality of health care in the United States. Advancements such as Blue Cross & Blue Shield National Transplant web and Technologies Evaluation Center take for proven the companies drive to continually repair health care in the United States.The biggest concern I have for the future of health care would be affordability. Some families still lodge paycheck to paycheck barely scraping by and the spiraling toll of health care and health insurance remains out of stretching for them. Veterans and elderly benefits are cut to maintain cost while difference some unfortunates behind. Un-insured people in America was a staggering 50 million in 2010 lead ing most to believe that something must be done to keep health insurance and health care low-cost to everyone.No one should have to suffer without a physicians care simply due to lack of insurance. References Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (http//www. bcbs. com/about-the-association) Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (http//bcbsil. com/) Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program (http//fepblue. org/) CNN Money (http//money. cnn. com/) Scott P. Serota, CEO Blue Cross and Blue Shield (http//www. bcbs. com/about-the-association/officers/scott-serota. html)