National Labor Office: Labor and the Blues

Working to be organized labor's healthcare partner of choice

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies are the proven leaders in the financing and delivery of healthcare for organized labor. We cover one of every three Americans—including nearly 20 million unionized workers, families and retirees—who rank the Blues number one in customer satisfaction. By our estimates, more union households make the Blues their healthcare partner of choice than the three next largest insurers combined.

Working with labor is an important priority for the Blues. Union members represent nearly a fifth of our total enrollment and, when seeking the best health benefits, consistently turn to the Blue Brands. To demonstrate our commitment to building successful relationships with organized labor, the Blues fund the operations of the National Labor Office (NLO), which for forty years has worked to support unions' healthcare objectives. The Blues offer labor customers access to the nation's largest system of provider networks, which, together with our strong discounts, enables us to provide union members with the greatest total value in healthcare. And the Blues work together with the NLO to make sure that Blue programs and offerings meet the labor community's needs. That's the Value of BlueSM. Delivering the best local health plans nationwide to America's unions.

Delivering better healthcare coverage and value to union members
When you select the Blues as your healthcare partner, your union brothers and sisters receive the best coverage and value in healthcare.

The Blues' network of healthcare providers is the industry's largest, including 88 percent of all doctors and 99 percent of all hospitals in the United States. That means easier access to the best care for union members nationwide.
Given the size of our national provider network, more Blue members can remain in-network and receive services at discounted rates—allowing us to deliver the industry's lowest cost per claim to labor customers.
Because we own and manage all our networks, we can work with you at the local level to customize benefit designs for union members, working together with providers to enhance care delivery around the country.

Designing labor-specific products to meet unions' needs
The Blues are leading the way to better care for union members by focusing on labor's unique requirements.

The Blues collaborate with union representatives to develop labor-specific products and benefit designs, health plan reporting and analysis, healthcare delivery strategies and Web services.
The Blues partner with unions to create care management programs that address union members' healthcare needs, for example by enhancing workplace health and wellness through information, tools and resources tailored to members' personal situations.

Enhancing value for unions through relationships, education and information
As the liaison between the Blues and the labor community, the NLO administers a variety of programs that add value to Blue products and services for unions.

The NLO develops and manages select best-in-class strategic alliance relationships to enhance Blue product and service offerings for unions. For example, NLO strategic partners provide supplemental benefits for union members.
To support labor's strategic goals such as successful bargaining for health benefits, the NLO provides unions with a variety of education, training and consulting services, including:
The NLO sponsors opportunities for networking and exchanges of learning between labor leaders and Blue Cross and Blue Shield senior officers and provides unions with information and updates on major healthcare, labor and legislative issues.