Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Company History
If you are looking for a healthcare provider with a long history in Florida, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida would be the exact fit if you are looking for experience. The company started out as two separate companies. In 1944, the Florida Hospital Service Corporation started providing hospital coverage around the Jacksonville area. That Corporation eventually became Blue Cross of Florida. In 1946, another corporation started providing coverage for physicians under the name of Florida Medical Services Corporation. That group eventually became Blue Shield of Florida. In 1980, these separate corporations merge to become the new Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida.
You cannot look at the company history of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida without looking at the larger Association at the national level. Currently the independent licensees of this association provide health care coverage for over 100 million people United States. Like the associations in Florida, Blue Cross developed separately from Blue Shield at the national level. To get a full picture of how the company develops you need to start looking at each of these entities separately.
The first Blue Shield group started in California in 1939. The focus of this group and the others to develop later was on providing coverage for doctor fees. The concept dating back to the early part of the 20th century when people in mining and lumber camps paid fees to a medical service group to get ongoing care by doctors. By 1948, the original Blue Shield group in California expanded to nine groups and came under the name of Associated Medical Care Shield Plans. Eventually that name changed to the National Association of Blue Shield Plans.
The first Blue Cross group began at Baylor University in Dallas in 1929. In contrast with the Blue Shield group, the focus of these groups was on the cost of hospital service. The first plan offered was to teachers to cover up to 21 days of hospital care for cost is six dollars each year. The company eventually expanded our coverage to other businesses in the Dallas area. In 1939, the American Hospital Association began using the Blue Cross symbol as an emblem for insurance plans that met their standards. This group of insurance providers eventually became the Blue Cross Association. The two different entities merged in 1982 to become the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida is a proud member of this association.