Namesake: BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), a network of 36 independent, locally-operated Blue companies. The first BlueCross plan was created in the late 1920s to help people pay for hospital services. The first of the Blue Shield plans, which helped people access medical services, came along shortly thereafter. On a national level, Blue Cross merged with Blue Shield in 1982.
History: The Blue Cross logo was created in 1929 by the predecessor of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield program in Minnesota, which identified its hospital care program with a solid blue Greek cross. The symbol was quickly adopted by similar plans across the country.
The Blue Shield symbol was created in New York in 1930 for a medical service plan. It was designed from the outset to have a similar look and feel to the Blue Cross logo so that it would help establish an obvious link with companion hospital plans. It quickly became the logo of choice among the country's Blue Shield companies.
Local: The Tennessee plan was established in 1945, when Chattanooga News-Free Press Publisher Roy McDonald created the Tennessee Hospital Service Association. In 1969, the name officially changed to BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. In 1997, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee merged with BlueCross BlueShield of Memphis. Today, the plan's 5,800-plus employees serve 3.4 million people across the state and around the country. The company is the largest private employer in Chattanooga and the biggest health insurer in Tennessee.
Today: Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans cover 84 of the Fortune 100 employers, including some of the biggest companies in the United States such as Microsoft, Walmart, UPS and General Motors. More than 107 million people – nearly one in three Americans – receive health care coverage through a Blue Cross plan. The BlueCard interplan program allows members of the various Blue Cross Blue Shield plans to receive health care services throughout the U.S. and internationally.