1941 World War II changed many facets
of American society. When soldiers returned home
both families and the economy grew. Blue
Cross was able to provide Americans with added
medical and surgical coverage. By the end of the
1940s, 35 million Americans were Blue Cross
subscribers.
1950 Blue Cross thrived by
improving benefits, increasing enrollment,
cutting operating costs and building
reserves.
1960 The 1960s brought very
important changes to the Blue Cross
organization. In 1965 President Johnson
signed a bill which created Medicare and
Medicaid. Blue Cross was elected by most
hospitals to process the Medicare and
Medicaid claims. The addition of this
government program doubled the size of Blue
Cross plans.
1970 A combination of inflation
and rising health care costs during the
1970s caused Blue Cross to raise premiums,
which caused alarm. The price of
malpractice insurance also increased
dramatically, and the providers of insurance
had to compensate.
1980
This was a period of
dramatic growth for Blue Cross, and in 1982
Blue Cross of Northern California and Blue
Cross of Southern California became one.
Blue Cross of California was born because
the two plans had become very similar and
the advances in technology made
consolidation a practical option to increase
efficiency.
1990 As the health care
industry continued to grow in the 1990s,
Blue Cross found it must learn to prosper in
a buyer's market. Customer satisfaction
became Blue Cross of California's number one
priority, and it remains so today.
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