{{Short description|U.S. Pacific Northwest health insurance company}} {{Infobox company | name = Premera Blue Cross | logo = Premera Blue Cross logo | industry = Health Insurance | products = Health Insurance | type = Not-for-profit organization | founded = 1933 | hq_location = Mountlake Terrace, Washington, United States | parent = Blue Cross Blue Shield Association | area_served = Alaska and Washington | num_employees = 3,200 | predecessor = Washington Hospital Service, Medical Service Corporation, Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska | website = {{URL|www.premera.com}} | subsidiaries = LifeWise of Washington<br>LifeWise Assurance Company<br>Calypso Healthcare Solutions<br>Vivacity<br>Connexion Insurance (formally Ucentris) }}
'''Premera Blue Cross''' is a not-for-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield licensed health insurance company based in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, United States. It sells health insurance plans under the Blue Cross license in Washington state except Clark County and under both of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licenses in Alaska.
The company provides health insurance and related services to approximately 2 million people.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Edelen|first=Amy|date=15 March 2020|title=The Dirt: Premera Blue Cross, Vera Whole Health break ground on Vivacity Care Center in Spokane Valley {{!}} The Spokesman-Review|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/mar/15/the-dirt-premera-blue-cross-vera-whole-health-brea/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-31|website=The Spokesman Review}}</ref> Premera Blue Cross has operated in Washington since 1945, and in Alaska since 1957. Premera Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Premera|url=https://www.premera.com/wa/visitor/about-premera/fact-sheet/}}</ref>
==History==
Premera was founded as Washington Hospital Service in 1933,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Heckman|first=Candace|date=2004-05-01|title=Premera, MultiCare agree on new contract|url=https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/Premera-MultiCare-agree-on-new-contract-1143746.php|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-31|website=Seattle Pi}}</ref> and began operating in Alaska in 1957. In 1969, the company's name was changed to Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska.<ref name=":0" />
In June 1998, Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska merged with Spokane's Medical Service Corporation under the name Premera Blue Cross.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bjerken|first=LeAnn|date=20 October 2016|title=Premera Blue Cross adopts new customer-service focus > Spokane Journal of Business|url=https://www.spokanejournal.com/local-news/premera-blue-cross-adopts-new-customer-service-focus/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-31|website=Spokane Journal of Business}}</ref>
In 2002, Premera's executives first informed Washington commissioner Mike Kreidler of their intent to convert from a non-profit to a for-profit joint-stock company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20040716&slug=premera16m|title=State rejects Premera Blue Cross' for-profit plan {{!}} The Seattle Times|website=archive.seattletimes.com|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref> After five years, the request was officially ended on March 5, 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/premera-blue-cross-abandons-quest-to-switch-to-for-profit-status/|title=Premera Blue Cross abandons quest to switch to for-profit status|date=2007-03-05|website=The Seattle Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref>
In October 2009, Premera waived deductible or co-pay for 2009-H1N1 vaccine fees for its fully insured members.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=BusinessWire |url=http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090916006318&newsLang=en |title=Premera Eliminates Member Costs for H1N1 Vaccine |author=Premera Blue Cross |date=2009-09-16}}</ref>
On February 9, 2012 the Seattle Times published an article alleging non-profit insurance outfits, including Regence, Premera and Group Health, were stockpiling billions of dollars in reserves while increasing their rates at the same time.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ostrom|first=Carol M.|date=February 8, 2012|title=3 Big Health Insurers Stockpile $2.4 Billion As Rates Keep Rising|work=The Seattle Times|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017460805_surplus09m.html}}</ref>
In October 2014, Jeff Roe replaced Gubby Barlow as CEO of Premera.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.seattlebusinessmag.com/article/executive-qa-jeff-roe|title = Seattle Business Magazine|date = February 2015|access-date = |website = Seattle Business Magazine|publisher = |last = Helm|first = Leslie}}</ref>
On May 5, 2015, Premera experienced a security breach, possibly leaking the private information of 11 million of its members.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=KrebsonSecurity |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/03/premera-blue-cross-breach-exposes-financial-medical-records/ |title=Premera Blue Cross Breach Exposes Financial, Medical Records |author=Krebs on Security |date=2015-03-18}}</ref> On July 11, 2019, Premera reached a settlement to pay $10.4 million over its failure to secure sensitive consumer data following the breach in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cyberscoop.com/premera-blue-cross-data-breach-settlement/|title=Premera Blue Cross settles state data breach investigations for $10 million|date=2019-07-12|website=CyberScoop|language=en|access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Connie|date=2019-10-08|title=That postcard in the mail about money from a Premera Blue Cross breach settlement is real|url=https://komonews.com/news/consumer/that-post-card-in-the-mail-about-money-from-a-premera-blue-cross-breach-settlement-is-real|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-31|website=KOMO}}</ref>
In 2019, the company's board, according to the NAIC Quarterly Statement, included Connie Renee Collingsworth, a member of the leadership team of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and John E. Jenrette, an executive at Cedars-Sinai.<ref>{{Cite web|title=John E. Jenrette, MD|url=https://www.cedars-sinai.org/about/leadership/john-e-jenrette-md.html|access-date=2019-06-15|website=Cedars-Sinai|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Quarterly Statement of the Condition and Affairs of Premera Blue Cross|url=https://fortress.wa.gov/oic/consumertoolkit/Company/CompanyFinancialStatements.aspx?WAOIC=204|access-date=2019-06-15|website=fortress.wa.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Premera Blue Cross: Board of Directors - Bloomberg|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/board.asp?privcapId=6451550|access-date=2019-06-15|website=www.bloomberg.com}}</ref>
In response to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, Premera offered advance payments to health care providers amounting up to $100 million.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Campbell|first=Megan|date=8 April 2020|title=Premera Blue Cross to award $100M in advanced payments to health care providers|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2020/04/08/premera-blue-cross-100m-advanced-payment-health.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Puget Sound Business Journal}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.premera.com/wa/visitor/ Company website]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Companies based in Snohomish County, Washington Category:Financial services companies established in 1945 Category:Medical and health organizations based in Washington (state) Category:Health insurance in the United States Category:Members of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association