Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota seeks to generate more understanding and discussion about the complex issue of health insurance
Blue Insight launched as a communication resource for North Dakotans
January 15, 2009
To shed light on the complex issues facing member-owned health insurers and the challenges of the current health care system, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) is launching Blue Insight. Blue Insight will openly address questions members and others may have about the company, the insurance industry, the future of health insurance and health care in the state.
One major component of Blue Insight is a portion of the BCBSND web site dedicated to information sharing, www.bcbsnd.com/BlueInsight. Videos address concerns and misperceptions about the company, the availability of health care in North Dakota and how the company is working to address costs and change the focus of the state's health care system from treating illness to maintaining health.
One source of confusion is that most residents who are insured in North Dakota carry "prepaid health care coverage," a concept that originated during the Great Depression. Back then, patients across the country were finding it difficult to pay for health care, and hospitals were faced with closing their doors as a result. Members would join a group, pay a low membership fee or premium, and if a member needed health care services, the resulting pool of membership dollars was available to pay for those services. The result of this prepaid coverage was much greater access to health care.
In North Dakota, a combination of civic leaders with the support of St. Luke's and St. John’s hospitals in Fargo and the North Dakota Hospital Association formed the state's Blue Cross Plan in 1940. Six years later, the North Dakota Physicians Service, a Blue Shield plan, was organized to cover the cost of physician's services for members.
"We say we are 'by North Dakotans for North Dakotans' because of our history. Yet, even though BCBSND has been part of the health insurance picture in the state since 1940, we know very few of our members understand that they, in fact, own the company, and that we essentially operate as a buying service on their behalf," said Mike Unhjem, BCBSND president and CEO. "Nor are they aware that our premium rates are among the lowest in the country, and that 93 cents of each premium dollar is reimbursed to health care providers who deliver some of the highest quality care in the country," Unhjem added.
To provide these and other answers and keep the conversation going, BCBSND will update the Blue Insight web pages as new questions and concerns arise. In addition, the company plans to hold town hall meetings to facilitate more conversation and open discussion.
"We're keenly aware of the misunderstandings about health insurance here in North Dakota," Unhjem said. "As health care reform is discussed nationally, we're committed to generating more understanding about what is happening in North Dakota, and the impact national decisions will have on North Dakotans."
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, a not-for-profit mutual company owned by its members, serves more than 53 percent of the state’s population, providing health coverage and related benefits to more than 460,000 members. BCBSND is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
