Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Unveils Five-Point Plan for Covering All Americans

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Unveils Five-Point Plan for Covering
All Americans

Nation's 39 Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans launch national campaign
that builds on the employer-based system

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stating that "a system that is
unaffordable for many today won't work for even more people tomorrow," Blue
Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) President and CEO Scott P. Serota
today unveiled a comprehensive five-point plan - "The Pathway to Covering
America" - for building on the employer-based system to improve quality, rein
in costs and expand coverage to all Americans.

The "Pathway" plan lays out detailed recommendations to change the incentives
in today's delivery system to help assure high-quality, affordable care and
offers solutions to expand access to coverage. For each of the five action
steps, the proposal outlines what Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans are doing
in their local communities and the necessary actions to be undertaken by the
government.

In announcing the new initiative at a Washington briefing this morning, Serota
was joined by CEOs from two Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans: Michael Unhjem,
president and CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, and Daniel Loepp,
president and CEO, (more Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Unhjem and Loepp
serve as chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of BCBSA's Board Committee
charged with developing BCBSA's position on key public policy and legislative
issues.

Specifically, BCBSA's five-point plan for comprehensive reform includes the
following:

1. Encourage Research on What Works. Today, an estimated 30 percent of
healthcare spending goes toward care that is ineffective, redundant or
inappropriate. America needs an independent institute to support research
comparing the relative effectiveness of new and existing medical procedures,
drugs, devices, and biologics.

2. Change Incentives to Promote Better Care. The incentives in our system
must be changed to advance the best possible care instead of encouraging more
services. Providers should be rewarded for delivering high-quality,
coordinated care, especially for the increasing number of Americans with
chronic illnesses.

3. Empower Consumers and Providers. Consumers and providers must have access
to the information and tools they need to make informed decisions. This
starts with information systems to manage personal health records. In
addition, consumers need to know how much they are paying for their healthcare
and what they are getting in return.

4. Promote Health & Wellness. The costs of treating chronic conditions are
estimated to account for 75 percent of healthcare spending. As a nation, we
must promote healthy lifestyles to help prevent chronic illness and work
aggressively to help patients with chronic illnesses manage their own health.

5. Foster Public-Private Coverage Solutions. Coverage plans need to be
tailored to capture the diversity of the uninsured population so that no one
gets "squeezed out" by cost, "misses out" on available government assistance
or "opts out" because they do not think they need health coverage.

"The Blue Cross and Blue Shield System strongly believes that everyone in
America should have health insurance," said Serota. "After deliberative and
thoughtful discussions, the nation's 39 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans have
crafted a comprehensive proposal based on our 75 years of experience as
leaders in the health community. We look forward to working with other
stakeholders to enact comprehensive healthcare reform."

Unhjem added, "To help advance this proposal, in 2008 BCBSA and its Member
Plans will engage in a multi-pronged campaign - both nationally and in all 50
states - to inform consumers, small businesses, large employers, policymakers,
presidential campaigns, and others about the value of the employer-based
system and our vision for improving healthcare."

"Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota is passionate about ensuring value for
our subscribers. We are working to provide the right incentives for the
delivery of high-quality, coordinated care, helping members make
well-informed, value-based decisions about their health and pioneering more
effective ways to coordinate care for those with complex needs," Unhjem said.

Loepp said, "A totally integrated healthcare system - one that is based on
proven clinical evidence to improve health outcomes and better serve the needs
of patients - is the foundation needed to build a delivery system that works.
The Blues have taken positive steps in this direction and intend to do even
more. The government also must take action if we are to realize this goal.
We look forward to working with other stakeholders and policymakers to reform
our system and cover all Americans."

The path for achieving this vision is laid out in our comprehensive 5-point
reform plan - "The Pathway to Covering America" - that we are releasing today.
For more information, visit www.bcbs.com/pathwayreport.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 39
independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield
companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more than 100
million individuals - nearly one-in-three of all Americans. For more
information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member
companies, please visit www.BCBS.com.

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Kelly Miller of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, +1-202-626-4825,
kelly.miller@bcbsa.com