In the 1930s and 40s, hospitals across the country saw the need to make quality health care affordable to all. In Indiana, Mutual Hospital Insurance made that vision a reality.
It started with two employees: Charles Jones served as president and Guy Spring as executive director. By the end of the year, they had hired 10 others to help. That's 500% growth in six months.
The first certificate of membership was given to Benjamin Blumberg of Terre Haute. He played a pivitol role in establishing the Indiana Blue Cross plan by investing $25,000. This amount was half of the paid-in contributions required by the State Department of Insurance before the plan could launch.
The fee for an individual "ward" plan was 65¢ a month. The first member to make a hospital claim was Horace Irving, pictured here. He was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital in Indianapolis.
In the 1940s, women stayed in the hospital for 10 days after having a baby. The first "Blue Cross Baby" was born to Mrs. Neil Day of Terre Haute, pictured here with her newborn daughter, Ruthanne.
Interest in the hospital plans was so strong, more employees were needed — and so was more office space.
From 1944 to 1956, membership grew from 1 to 1 million — while the staff grew to 300.
Enrollment secretaries — now known as salespeople –— focused on competitive rates, expanding benefits and reliable customer service. Some things don't change.
Known as "The Doctors' Plan," Blue Shield helped people pay for doctor care. Monthly costs were 75¢ for single members and $2 for families.
Tremendous growth in 2 years, from two to 48 employees.
This time, it's into offices in the Traction Terminal Building. Employees looked forward to the daily rounds by the "Coffee Girls" from Fendricks Bakery. They sold pastries and handed out free coffee.
Sales people, known as enrollment secretaries, went from town to town selling community plans. Radio stations supported their efforts with free programming, while movie theaters presented films about the glories of Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
This was the nation's first large-scale, federally funded health insurance program for the elderly and disabled. It provided health care benefits to 19 million Americans. The Blue Cross Association – along with Travelers and Aetna – was chosen as a fiscal intermediary and administrator of the plan.
We had prepared to process about 300 Medicare Part A claims daily. In practice, 750 claims was considered a light day.
By this time, computers had taken over much of the data processing. But to get there, all membership status files (MSFs) had to be manually converted into computer records.
During construction, a steel beam for the Service Center crashed into the conference room in the Terminal Building about 30 minutes before a scheduled meeting. Today, the building is home to the Hilton Indianapolis.
The HMO Act allowed medical services to be performed on a for-profit basis for the first time. It also required that employers with more than 25 employees in one location offer the option of HMO membership.
What began in 1972 as a joint operating agreement was officially completed in 1985. The new organization was named The Associated Insurance Companies. Lloyd Banks served as chairman of the board.
Facing financial trouble, Blue Cross of California created WellPoint in 1986 to run its managed care business. WellPoint was incorporated in 1992 as a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary.
The building had been home to JC Penney since the early 1950s. Its modern design was modified in the early 1990s for Anthem.
When the associations in Indiana and Kentucky merged in 1993, it was the first cross-state merger of two strong Blue plans. After the merger with Community Mutual of Ohio in 1996, The Associated Group changed its name to Anthem.
By 2003, WellPoint acquired plans in Illinois, Georgia, Missouri and Wisconsin.
This included Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Connecticut, Colorado/Nevada, New Hampshire and Maine.
The Foundation adopts the principle that giving back is not only a privilege, it’s also a responsibility.
The merger creates the nation's leading health benefits company — spanning 13 states and covering 28 million members.
New York becomes the 14th state.
This includes the first annual National Walk@Lunch Day.
More than 3,200 associates nationwide volunteered, logging 25,000 hours for 220 projects across 31 states in one day.
The bill is nicknamed "Obamacare".
Amerigroup focuses on the health and wellness of seniors, people with disabilities and low-income families.
The roots of LiveHealth Online go back to 1998, when Anthem launched its first telehealth initiative to help care for members in rural California.
The Innovation Studio was designed to help evaluate, shape and pilot ideas.
That's 1 in 8 Americans
As part of this, the Foundation raised $700,000 on Giving Tuesday — the highest in a single day to date.
The building is named for L. Ben Lytle, who started at Blue Cross in 1976 working for the data processing division. Eleven years later, in 1987, he become CEO.
We are transitioning members to this new pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) 10 months sooner than expected.
As we celebrate 75 years, Anthem advances its Mission: Improving lives and communities. Simplifying health care. Expecting more.
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