A critical part of our mission is ensuring that high-quality health care is affordable for all Californians. We must both improve the quality of care and control the rising costs. The following are some of our key efforts to address the affordability crisis.
Quality and affordability
Blue Shield's pledge
To do our part to keep coverage affordable, Blue Shield of California made this pledge: we will limit our net income to 2%.
Accountable Care Organizations
We collaborate with doctors and hospitals through our accountable care organizations (ACOs) to improve healthcare delivery and quality of service, and to reduce cost.
Value-based care
Blue Shield believes that an essential part of improving the healthcare system and addressing the affordability crisis is the development of programs that reward high-quality and high-value care. Blue Shield has committed to having 40% of our healthcare spending in value-based payment models by 2016, and 60% by 2018.
We participate in a Learning and Action Network launched by President Obama and Secretary Sylvia Burwell of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Innovative programs that expand access and lower costs
We also have implemented a number of innovative programs to keep costs down and improve quality, including:
- Drug-Cost Transparency Service™ lets California healthcare providers view patient-specific lower-cost alternative medicines and compare prices.
- Pay-for-performance programs encourage better quality health care by rewarding high-performing providers.
- Virtual Care provides remote specialty care access
- Blue Shield of California Foundation makes grants to support the healthcare safety net and domestic violence prevention, helping health care to become more effective, safe and accessible for all Californians.
- Blue Shield's palliative care program is patient- and family-centered care that prioritizes quality of life and seeks to ease the symptoms of serious illness.
Quality, utilization management, and patient safety
Blue Shield's mission is to ensure all Californians have access to high-quality health care at an affordable price.