Blue Cross Blue Shield Association to expand health insurance program

By Margarita Snegireva. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association officials on Wednesday announced a five-point proposal that seeks to expand health insurance to two-thirds of the 47 million U.S. residents who lack coverage.

Photo: Blue Cross Blue Shield Association to expand health insurance program

The proposal focuses on private and public cooperation; incentives, rather than mandates; and improvement of the current health insurance system, rather than new forms of coverage.

According to Mary Nell Lehnhard, senior vice president of the Office of Policy and Representation at BCBSA, the proposal seeks to revise the health insurance delivery system, rather than only expand access to coverage.

The proposal would reimburse health care providers based on quality standards developed by a third party, help providers and members adopt and use electronic medical records and establish a national database of the claims experiences of 80 million members.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) is a American federation of 39 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield healthcare coverage companies, in total covering over 97 million Americans.