Our story
We strive to serve our community every day by staying true to our mission.
First Blue
Did you know Minnesota was the first "Blue" health plan in the nation?
Our history began in 1933, when seven St. Paul hospitals teamed up to form the “Minnesota Hospital Services Association.” It became the country’s first prepaid healthcare network. An early ad featured a nurse with a blue cross armband on the sleeve of her uniform. This was the birth of our iconic logo. We became the first health plan to be known as “Blue Cross.”
Less than 10 years later, the name and symbol were adopted by the national Blue Cross Association. Blue Cross went on to become one of most recognized and trusted healthcare brands in the world.
State leader
We are the leading health plan in the state
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Size
We have more members, the largest network of doctors, and more products and services than any other health plan in Minnesota.
Reach
Our more than 2.5 million members can be found in every Minnesota county, all 50 states and on four continents.
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Mission
We want our members to have access to healthcare that is easy to use. And we want that healthcare to be affordable and available when it's needed.
Non-profit
We are a nonprofit Minnesota company
Resources
Approximately 90 cents of every healthcare dollar we collect pays for our members’ healthcare.
Taxes
Although structured as a nonprofit, we pay more than $100 million in taxes and assessments annually.
Wages
We provide more than $250 million in wages to our state economy each year.
Employees
Approximately 3,500 employees work for us throughout Minnesota.
Report to the Community
We are committed to providing healthcare to all Minnesotans and advancing racial and health equity throughout the state. This report is a snapshot of our progress and summarizes the achievements of our community impact in 2023.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is an association of independent Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield plans.