Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is one of those institutions that needs very little introduction, yet its sheer size and history warrant a reminder: It’s the national umbrella organization for the top health insurance brand in the United States, covering 100 million individuals at 96 percent of all U.S. hospitals and 91 percent of all practitioners’ offices.
Founded in 1930, the organization is the federation of 38 independent, community-based health insurers, known as "the Blues," in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. As the mother ship for all these independent plans, the association handles national legislative, political and regulatory strategy for the individual plans. The association employs more than 1,000 people in its Chicago headquarters and Washington office.
