- Blue Cross began in 1929 in Dallas, Texas, as an organization meant to provide health care to teachers, while Blue Shield started in 1939 as a group of 5,000 doctors who provided health care to patients in California. In 1946, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association formed.
- Rather than being one large company, Blue Cross Blue Shield consists of 39 independent insurance companies that operate under the common Blue Cross Blue Shield name.
- Approximately 100 million people subscribe to Blue Cross Blue Shield, reports the company's website. Around 80 percent of physicians and 90 percent of hospitals accept Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance.
- Blue Cross Blue Shields offers health insurance in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico.
- Approximately one out of every three Americans is a Blue Cross Blue Shield subscriber, according to the company's official website.
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