CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is a

health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...

provider serving 3.5 million individuals and groups in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

. It has dual headquarters in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

It is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

and an independent licensee of the

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, also known as BCBS, BCBSA, or The Blues, is a United States–based federation with 33 independent and locally operated BCBSA companies that provide health insurance to more than 115 million people in the U ...

. The company has a 75 percent

market share Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a Market (economics), market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those ...

in Maryland. It also serves more than 626,000 members in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

History

The history of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield can be traced back to 1934 when a hospital association in

formed Group Hospitalization, Inc. In 1942, the company was sanctioned to use the Blue Cross service mark, and in 1951 became a full participating member of the Blue Cross system. In 1969, Maryland Hospital Service, Inc. (Blue Cross) and Maryland Medical Service (Blue Shield) changed their names to Maryland Blue Cross and Maryland Blue Shield. In 1998, the Maryland and District of Columbia companies merged to form CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. In July 2000, CareFirst announced that it was leaving the Medicare HMO marketplace at the end of the year. In 2001, Wellpoint (now

Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

) offered to acquire the company for $1.37 billion, including $119 million in bonuses to Carefirst executives. In 2003, the offer was rejected by the Maryland insurance commissioner. In 2013, CareFirst partnered with Cognizant to provide its members with information access and management of health coverage via smartphones and tablets using mobile technology. In May 2015, the company announced that a cyber attack in June 2014 compromised the data of 1.1 million current and former members. The breach did not include

Social Security number In the United States, a Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to United States nationality law, U.S. citizens, Permanent residence (United States), permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents under section 205(c)(2 ...

s, medical claims, employment, credit card or financial information, and CareFirst subsequently blocked member access to these accounts and requested members create new user names and passwords. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, CareFirst contributed $8 million to organizations on the front lines for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

relief, recovery and equitable vaccination efforts for communities in the region of Maryland. The company also covered services that are medically necessary for any of their members that are diagnosed with COVID-19. In early 2021, the company began providing

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

and Medicare Advantage options to consumers. In 2021, CareFirst dedicated $10.5 million toward addressing the root causes of

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

in certain regional communities. The company also launched Better Together, a public health campaign urging people to get COVID-19 vaccines. In October 2021, the company launched CloseKnit, a virtual primary care practice providing a variety of care services including behavioral health services and care coordination.

Management

In 2018, Brian D. Pieninck was named Chief Executive Officer. In April 2021, CareFirst appointed Dr. Tich Changamire as its new Chief Medical Officer.

Partnerships

In October 2019, CareFirst partnered with Halcyon, an incubator program, to financially support healthcare startups. In September 2020, the company partnered with MedStar Health to provide value-based health care to communities. In August 2021, the company collaborated with Pittsburgh, PA-based healthcare provider Highmark to offer health insurance designed specifically for labor unions and members.

References

{{Reflist, 1 Financial services companies established in 1934 Companies based in Baltimore Health insurance in the United States Health maintenance organizations Members of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Medical and health organizations based in Maryland 1934 establishments in Washington, D.C.