Blue Shield of California

History

In 1938, the California Physicians' Service, an early name for Blue Shield of California, was established in the California Medical Association House of Delegates. In our first year of operation, 20,000 Californians and 5,000 physicians joined our cutting-edge, prepaid healthcare service plans. By 1961, we would celebrate our 1 millionth subscriber.

Specialties

Blue Shield strives to improve the quality and affordability of healthcare our members access through our coverage. We work hard to provide our members with the customer service, personalized care and supportive programs they need to effectively manage their health. We know we have done our job when our members trust us to help them navigate the healthcare system and feel empowered to make important choices around their health. Blue Shield has been on the forefront of the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) movement in the United States. We were one of the first health plans to implement these close-knit collaborations with physician groups and hospitals, aimed at improving quality of care while saving millions of dollars.