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The Blue Cross organization can be traced to a hospital prepayment plan for school teachers. Justin Ford Kimball started the plan in 1929 for the Baylor University Hospital in Dallas. The plan provided 21 days of hospitalization in a semi-private room for a prepayment of 50 cents a month.
Plans began forming across the country, each associated with a single hospital. By 1932, community-wide Plans emerged, offering subscribers a choice of hospitals. In 1933, the American Hospital Association began to encourage the development of such Plans and began to regulate and approve them. The same year, the Plan in St. Paul, Minnesota, began using a blue cross, which was officially adopted by the American Hospital Association in 1939.
On June 30, 1972, ownership of the Blue Cross symbol and name passed to the Blue Cross Association and on February 27, 1973, a new symbol was introduced: a blue Greek cross with a stylized human figure in its center.
Our company was incorporated as a health care service contractor on May 5, 1945, when it was known as Washington Hospital Service. On July 8, 1948, the original certificate of registration was issued by the State Insurance Commissioner and authorized the acceptance of prepayment for health care benefits. On March 14, 1969, we changed our name to Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska.
In 1994, Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska affiliated with Medical Service Corporation (MSC) in Spokane, the Blue Shield plan serving Eastern Washington. This partnership was formed to strengthen our companies while still offering local service to the communities in which we work and live.
In June 1998, Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska merged with Medical Service Corporation (MSC) and changed its name to Premera Blue Cross. In eastern Washington, the company is known as MSC incorporated as Premera Blue Cross.
Premera Blue Cross offers traditional and preferred provider health plans, along with an HMO option, vision and dental coverage, and claims administration for self-insured plans. We continue to offer local health care coverage and respond to the special needs of people in Washington and Alaska.
Premera Blue Cross is here and with you meeting the health care coverage needs of more than 1.1 million members.
1945: Blue Cross becomes Washington Hospital Services, planting the seeds of what will become Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska, and is incorporated in Washington state.
1946: Blue Cross is granted 501(c)(4) federal tax-exempt status
1947: Washington State Legislature establishes a separate section in state law for Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans as “health care service contractors,” recognizing their function as a community service.
1952: Blue Cross introduces hospital outpatient benefits, doctor home and office call benefits, and diagnostic X-ray and laboratory benefits.
1957: Alaska Territorial Legislature recognizes “hospital medical service contractors,” under legislation similar to that of Washington state, thus allowing the establishment of Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska.
Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska is one of 38 national and regional carriers selected by the federal government to administer the Federal Employee Program, the world’s largest voluntary group health program.
1961: Secondary school teachers in Washington are combined into a single comprehensive group benefit plan under the auspices of the Washington Education Association.
1963: Anchorage district office is established.
1966: Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska is named by the Social Security Administration as the federal government’s intermediary for the hospital portion of Medicare (Part A).
1971: The State of Alaska employees enroll as a group with Blue Cross.
1972: Through a unique cooperative effort with another carrier, some 23,000 Boeing Company hourly employees across the country are enrolled for coverage with Blue Cross.
1975: Group Services, Inc. is established. Today, GSI is one of the leading life and health insurance agencies in the states of Washington and Alaska.
1977: Group enrollment becomes available to state and higher education employees of Washington through the program offered by the State Employees Insurance Board.
1978: Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska is awarded the federal CHAMPUS contract to administer claims for military retirees and dependents of active military personnel for the seven state Northwest region.
1982: Four southwestern states are added to the CHAMPUS contract with Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska.
States West Life Insurance Company is launched, again expanding the coverage options available.
1985: Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska and Providence Hospital of Anchorage enter into an agreement to form BestCare, a preferred provider arrangement offering significantly lower rates to groups in the Anchorage area.
Some 26,000 eligible Blue Cross Medicare Supplement subscribers receive a $55 “rebate” in an unprecedented $1.5 million refund of an unanticipated surplus created by substantially lower claims costs.
Blue Cross invites 76 hospitals and outpatient surgical centers to participate in a first of its kind competitive bid process as the first step toward launching Washington state’s first statewide preferred provider arrangement.
1986: Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska launches its preferred provider plan called, Prudent Buyer® in Washington state, contracting with more than 3,600 doctors and nearly 50 hospitals and outpatient surgical centers statewide.
N.C.A.S. – Northwest, Inc.® a third party administration service, is established offering highly flexible benefit administration services with nationwide capability through a national computer network.
Blue Cross introduces Lasting Care, the first service-based long-term health care coverage available in the nation and the first long-term care coverage available in the nation and the first long-term care coverage offered by any of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans.
Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska expands to central Washington as Blue Shield of North Central Washington.
1987: A temporary health care program is implemented, offering short-term coverage for those who face temporary periods without health care coverage.
1989: BasicOne, a Blue Cross Individual plan available at nearly half of the cost of traditional plans, is introduced in Alaska.
1990: Blue Cross introduces AdvantageCare, a combination of several Blue Cross utilization management services with the goal of delivering benefits for quality health care and containing rapidly increasing medical costs while helping foster a spirit of cooperation between patients, providers and Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska.
A Participating Provider Network is established for hospitals, dentists, vision care providers and pharmacies who agree to accept Blue Cross payment for allowable charges as payment in full, protecting subscribers from rising medical costs. The network is expanded later in 1990 to include Washington physicians.
The Blue Cross Individual plan, BasicOne, is introduced in Washington state.
Washington state, in conjunction with Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska, sponsors the Basic Health Plan. Available in Yakima and Snohomish counties, the Basic Health Plan is designed to offer an affordable and comprehensive medical program to individuals and families who cannot afford private insurance and do not qualify for public assistance.
Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska assists in the development of Partners in Change, a coalition of 17 of Washington state’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans and medical bureaus, formed to address health care availability and reform.
Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska joins the Alliance for Health Care Reform, a group of health care providers, insurers and representatives from the business community in Washington state, committed to searching for solutions to the problems commonly identified with our current health care system.
The Blue Cross Pioneer Plan, developed with the assistance of the Washington Association of Businesses, is introduced as the first small businesses plan free of mandated benefits to be approved in Washington state.
Blue Cross establishes BusinessOne, a state mandate free health care program for small businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
1991: The BestCare network is expanded into Washington state, incorporating the preferred provider network.
The participating provider network is expanded to include Alaska physicians, one of the first substantial provider networks in the state.
The Blue Cross Basic Health Plan is expanded to include Stevens, Klickitat and Skamania counties.
Blue Cross and HealthPlus implement BestBeginnings, a prenatal education service which encourages expectant mothers to adopt healthy lifestyles and receive medical care early on and throughout pregnancy.
Blue Cross becomes a host site for Electronic Claims Clearinghouse, a service allowing participating providers and carriers to submit claims electronically, thereby reducing administrative costs and paperwork.
1992: In an effort to enhance customer service, Blue Cross implements Quick Response, allowing subscriber inquiries regarding common questions such as claims status and eligibility information to be accessed via touchtone phone.
Blue Cross establishes a chiropractic network in Alaska and Washington state, allowing subscribers access to chiropractic care.
1994: Formed Premera – affiliated with Medical Service Corporation (MSC) in Spokane.
1998: Merged with MSC – changed name to Premera Blue Cross.