CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield's Maryland Affiliate Elects New Board Chair, 6 New Directors

February 28, 2007

Contact:

Heather Rudo 1.800.914.NEWS (6397)

OWINGS MILLS, MD - The Board of Directors of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield's (CareFirst) Maryland affiliate has elected a new Chairman and six new members of the Board.  Michael J. Kelly - a member of the Board of the Maryland affiliate since 2004 - has been elected Chairman.  He replaces John M. Colmers, former chairman of the CareFirst of Maryland, Inc. Board, who resigned to become Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene under Governor Martin O’Malley.

Kelly serves on the board of Union Theological Seminary in New York City and as interim Executive Director of the National Senior Citizens Law Center in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.  Kelly served as Dean of the University of Maryland School of Law from 1976 to 1991.  He has been an active member of the Board, chairing the Compensation Committee and serving on Strategic Planning and Mission Oversight committees.

"I look forward to working in this new role to see that CareFirst continues to provide quality service to our members in Maryland, while also doing our part to address the unmet health care needs of the greater community," Kelly said.

The new board members Of the CareFirst of Maryland, Inc. board are:

Barbara Blount Armstrong - Chief Operating Officer of Associated Black Charities, in Baltimore, Maryland.

James A. D'Orta, M.D. - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for International Medical Consulting, Inc., in Washington, D.C.

Joseph G. Hall - A Vice President for Goldman Sachs in Washington.

Richard N. Kramer - Chief Operating Officer of PinnacleCare, Inc., a Baltimore-based care management company.

Margaret Scott Schiff - Vice President, Finance and Human Resources for the Washington Post.

James J. Xinis - President and Chief Executive Officer of Calvert Memorial Hospital in Prince Frederick, MD.

"Our Board will benefit greatly from adding such qualified and diverse members," added Kelly.  "As a group, they bring a wealth of relevant experience in health care, finance, and business that will help guide our efforts to meet the needs of our members and the communities we serve."

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
In its 71st year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to more than 3 million individuals and groups in Northern Virginia, the District of Columbia and Maryland.  Through its CareFirst Commitment initiative and other public mission activities, CareFirst supports efforts to increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas.