Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Kansas City Brings New Options To The Small Business Market With Bluechoice®

August 31, 2009

Kansas City—Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) today announced a totally new way for small companies with two to 99 employees to buy health insurance. BlueChoice, Blue KC's newest offering in its already broad portfolio of innovative health plans and services, brings the highest level of choice to business owners as well as their employees, and is the ideal product for today's economic environment.

The new BlueChoice makes it possible for business owners to choose the dollars they want to commit to employee healthcare, in other words, their health plan budget or defined contribution. BlueChoice offers a package of health plans, up to five unique plans with varying richness of benefits, that fits this budget. Employees are then free to choose the plan in that package that meets their needs. Business owners gain more control over their business's investment in health insurance while employees gain choices in premium costs, deductibles and ancillary products.

"With the new BlueChoice, employers and employees have more and better choices than ever before. BlueChoice is the most innovative approach to health insurance this community has ever seen. We've already generated a lot of excitement in the market around this product, and we anticipate a 20 percent increase in sales as a result of BlueChoice," said Torre Nigro, Senior Vice President of Small Group Sales for Blue KC.

Another advantage for employees is the flexibility to buy up to a plan that has a lower deductible or step back to a plan with a lower premium, using the savings to fund a Health Savings Account or for extras like dental or life insurance.

Innovative products like BlueChoice and commitment to customers are two hallmarks that have made Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City the provider of choice for the Kansas City area.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, the largest not-for-profit health insurer in the state and the only not-for-profit health insurer in Kansas City, has been part of the Kansas City community since 1938. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City provides health coverage to nearly one million residents in the greater Kansas City area and Northwest Missouri. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information on our company, visit our Web site at www.BlueKC.com. Our mission statement: We will use our role as the area's leading health insurer to provide affordable access to healthcare and to improve the health and wellness of our members.