UNDERSTANDING THE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD SYSTEM

We are the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, the trade association for the independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. We are the proven consumer health advocates, always with the public's best interests at heart. When families are seeking quality health insurance, they think of our member Blue Plans.
The 41 local member companies of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association have provided millions of families like yours with top-quality, affordable health insurance for more than 70 years. For the one in four Americans who carry Blue Cross and Blue Shield cards, the Blue Plans symbolize health security. Our member Plans provide the kind of health care coverage you and your loved ones will want and need in the 21st century: high quality, customer-focused, innovative, affordable. As we move forward in the new millennium, there are many exciting medical breakthroughs likely just around the corner. With those discoveries comes change. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member Plans will be there every step of the way for American families, like always. Use this site to find your local Blue Cross and Blue Shield independent company now and join the best, most-recognized group of health insurance providers in the world.

KEEPING QUALITY HEALTH CARE AFFORDABLE

BCBS Healthcare Cost Campaign

For nearly 75 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies have been recognized as one of the most trusted sources for healthcare coverage and as an advocate for improving healthcare quality. Healthcare is the single largest segment of the economy in the United States. In 2003, we spent nearly $1.7 trillion on healthcare -- that's more than we spend on food, housing or national defense. By 2012, healthcare costs are expected to almost double to nearly $3.1 trillion. In an effort to help protect the vital resources of our healthcare system, the 41 independent Blue Plans launched a campaign to help keep quality healthcare affordable.
Keeping healthcare affordable and improving quality will require all of us to be more knowledgeable about healthcare and to be more vigilant in making cost-effective choices about our healthcare. The BCBS Healthcare Cost Campaign consists of four integrated elements -- BlueWorks, WalkingWorks, Your Choices Count and a comprehensive research agenda -- that will monitor the ongoing impact of rising healthcare costs and offer local solutions and insight on how to better manage our healthcare dollars and to improve the quality of care we receive.