Industry Leadership

We are pursing bold, new ideas to lead change in the industry.

With 70+ years of experience, our California focus allows us to understand the regional challenges associated with health care costs, quality and access and then drive change in these areas.

As the most populous state, many societal problems are tackled first in California so Blue Shield is uniquely positioned to be a national leader in controlling costs in our industry.

Our primary goal as a not-for-profit health plan will always be providing quality healthcare coverage at an affordable cost to members. We challenge provider rate increases that we believe are unreasonable, which helps protect our members and employers. Read more about our approach at makecareaffordable.org.

Accountable Care Organizations

In 2011, our trailblazing accountable care organization (ACO) efforts received national attention for their results in providing high quality health care services while lowering costs.

An integrated care delivery model with Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) and Hill Physicians Medical Group, was cited by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as “one of the best examples of patient care in the country.” **

Following that successful collaboration which resulted in a $15.5 million cost of health care savings, we entered into a collaboration to establish another ACO that will provide integrated, cost efficient health care to approximately 30,000 Blue Shield members in Orange County in 2012.

We will continue to invest in several other similar programs around the state over the coming years.

From working with providers to deliver more efficient and effective care, to encouraging members to take a more active role in their health, we’re always looking for new ways to translate “quality” into “quality of life.”


**Sept 2011, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Reviews Key Pilot Program Tied to Health Care Reform Goals