Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida – Two Companies Becoming One
There are many medical insurance companies to choose from, but for a great majority of people when they think of insurance they tend to think of Blue Cross and Blue Shield. This may be due to the fact that they are one of the oldest providers of health insurance in the nation. It could also be due to how wide spread they are. Blue Cross and Blue Shield seem to offer some form of health insurance in nearly every state in the United States. Blue Cross and Blue Shield are active in many people’s medical insurance needs. They may seem to operate as separate companies such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, but they are still part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, of which Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida is a part, is a federation of over 39 individual insurance companies. These companies first began with the creation of the American Hospital Association in 1929. Under the AHA plan, teachers who paid $6.00 were guaranteed 21 days of hospital care. This first was done at Baylor University but then spread throughout the Dallas area and eventually went nationwide. This plan eventually went on to use the blue cross symbol and eventually it became known as the Blue Cross Association.
Blue Shield was begun later in the Pacific Northwest. It was designed to deal with regular medical costs rather than hospital costs. It was originally designed to provide employees of the lumber and mining camps in the area, medical care if they paid monthly fees to a group of designated physicians. This idea began to spread and finally in 1948 the Associated Medical Care Plan as they were called, adopted the name, National Association of Blue Shield Plans. It was later in 1982 that Blue Cross and Blue Shield came together to form the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association which includes Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida.
The benefits of these two organizations becoming one are countless. By being such a large company with locations in so many areas of the United States it makes medical services available to their members in nearly every area of the nation. This is an extreme advantage for those who travel or spend time in other parts of the country. Even though offices and providers may be widespread, paperwork and plan requirements remain the same. This means that one can be a member of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and receive treatment in Oregon, without ever feeling like they left home.
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