Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama is a health insurance

Health insurance

Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...

 company headquartered in Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

. The company, which was founded in 1936, provides coverage to more than 3 million people and is a member of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of...

.

The company also operates Cahaba Government Benefit Administrators and Cahaba Safeguard Administrators, both headquartered in Birmingham.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama employs nearly 3,700 people, which includes almost 3,000 people at its corporate headquarters in Birmingham.

History

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama was founded in 1936 as the Hospital Service Corporation. In 1952, the company changed its name to Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Alabama. In 1970, the name of the company was again changed when it became Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. By that year, the company had also increased its enrollment to over 1 million people. By 1994, the company increased enrollment to 2 million people and it increased to 3 million by 2001.

Cahaba Government Benefit Administrators

Cahaba GBA, headquartered in Birmingham, administers Medicare insurance for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is the J10 A/B Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) for the states of Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, and Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 and the Part B Carrier for Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

. Cahaba GBA also provides Regional Home Health Intermediary coverage for numerous states across the country.

Cahaba Safeguard Administrators

Cahaba Safeguard Administrators, headquartered in Birmingham, was founded in 2002 to administer the prevention of fraud under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The company is one of only 12 safeguard contractors under the CMS program.