Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield is a California not-for-profit mutual benefit corporation that provides low cost medical and dental insurance.  Our corporate name is California Physicians’ Service.

• Year founded: 1939

• Service area: California

• Annual revenue: $9.7 billion

• Total employees: 4,800

• National affiliation: Independent Member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Blue Shield of California Foundation

Blue Shield donated $125 million over the last four years to the Blue Shield of California Foundation to fund nonprofit organizations that improve access to quality health care in California.

Accreditation

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently awarded Blue Shield an “Excellent” rating for service and clinical quality for its HMO and Point of Service (POS) lines of business.

“Excellent” accreditation status is reserved for the best health plans in the nation and is only awarded to those plans that meet or exceed NCQA’s rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement and deliver excellent clinical care. Review Blue Shield’s NCQA Health Plan Report Card at www.ncqa.org.

Financial Strength Ratings (as of June 2010)

• “A” rating from Standard and Poor’s for Blue Shield of California

• “A” (excellent) rating from AM Best for California Physicians’ Service

• “A” (excellent) rating by Weiss Ratings for California Physicians’ Service

Membership (as of December 2009)

• HMO: 1,160,000

• PPO: 1,720,000

• TRICARE: 462,000

• Other: 158,0001

• Total: 3,500,000

Provider and Hospital Networks (as of July 2010)

• HMO  – 34,800   physicians and 295 hospitals

• PPO  – 67,000   physicians and 354 hospitals

• Individual Medicare HMO – 12,000   physicians and 75 hospitals

Pharmacy Network (as of June 2010)

• Independent Pharmacies: 2,200 (CA State)

• Major Chain Pharmacies: 3,400 (CA State)

• Total Nationwide: 57,000

(Information updated as of 2011 from Blue Shield of California’s website)