Company Description

CareFirst, Inc. is the not-for-profit, non-stock, parent company of CareFirst of Maryland, Inc. and Group Hospitalization and Medical Services, Inc., affiliates that do business as CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. A third affiliate does business as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware. CareFirst, Inc. is governed by a Board of Directors and special statutes regulating its business in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Delaware and Northern Virginia.

CareFirst:

•Is the largest health care insurer in the Mid-Atlantic region, serving more than 3.2 million members
•Has almost 6,500 employees in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Northern Virginia and West Virginia
•Includes more than 80 percent of all of the Maryland/D.C./Delaware/Northern Virginia region's health care providers as participating in one or more of its provider networks
•Offers self-insured employers administrative services through its third party administrator
•Has received six consecutive national Brand Excellence awards, recognizing its customer service, financial strength, membership growth and promotion of the Blue brand name
•Received "Commendable" ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its HMO
•Operates a for-profit regional HMO subsidiary - CareFirst BlueChoice-that is a licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. HMO features more than 3,500 primary care physicians
•Is affiliated with 165 hospitals in Maryland, D.C., Northern Virginia and Delaware
•Serves about 515,000 members in the Federal Employees Health Program - largest FEP enrollment in the nation
•Operates a subsidiary based in Charleston, WV, that annually processes more than 5 million claims for federal government subscribers and dependents as part of the Federal Employee Health Program

Company Mission

The mission of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is to provide health benefit services of value to customers across the region comprised of Maryland, Delaware, and the National Capital Area. To fulfill this mission, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield commits to:

•Offer a broad array of quality, innovative insurance plans and administrative services that are affordable and accessible to our customers;
•Fairly address the needs of customers in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate;
•Conduct business responsibly as a non-profit health service plan, to ensure the plan's long-term financial viability and growth;
•Collaborate with the community to advance health care effectiveness and quality;
•Support public and private efforts to meet needs of persons lacking health insurance;
•Foster health systems integration and health care cost containment to benefit the people in areas we serve, and
•Promote respect, fairness and opportunity for our associates.