| Type | not-for-profit |
|---|---|
| Industry | healthcare |
| Founded | 1938 (created) 1939 (incorporated) |
| Founder(s) | California Medical Association |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Key people | Bruce Bodaken, chairman and chief executive |
| Revenue | $8.898 billion USD (2008) |
| Net income | $307 million USD (2008) |
| Employees | 4,500 |
| Website | blueshieldca.com |
Blue Shield of California is a not-for-profit health plan founded in 1939 and based in San Francisco, California. The organization serves over 3.4 million health plan members and nearly 65,000 physicians across the state.[1] Blue Shield of California was founded by the California Medical Association.
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Blue Shield of California, then known as California Physicians' Service, was created by the California Medical Association on December 18, 1938,[2] and was incorporated on February 2, 1939. The organization began offering coverage on March 6 of that same year. In 1946, the organization was among a founder of the National Association of Blue Shield Plans, which later became the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Today, Blue Shield of California is an independent licensee of the national association.
The Blue Shield of California health plan was the first in the nation to offer catastrophic coverage in 1950, provide coverage for a heart transplant in 1984, offer online benefit and enrollment information in 1996, and offer an online enrollment system for agents in 1998. In 2006, the National Committee for Quality Assurance, commonly referred to as NCQA, recognized Blue Shield as an "excellent" health plan for service and clinical quality.[3]
In 2002, Blue Shield of California became the first health insurer in the country to propose a specific plan for universal health coverage. Called "Universal Coverage, Universal Responsibility," the proposal would require individuals, employers, and government to share responsibility for achieving universal coverage.
In the California Healthcare Quality Report Card 2011 Edition, Blue Shield of California received 3 out of 4 stars in Meeting National Standards of Care.[4]