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Blue Shield Releases 2015 Mission Report

News Center
By Clinton McGue
May 26, 2016
BY PAUL MARKOVICH – Today, Blue Shield of California is releasing our inaugural Mission Report. The report represents who we are and what we believe it means to be a great nonprofit. Specifically, we believe Blue Shield has three fundamental obligations as a nonprofit health plan:

  • Be Truly Mission Driven: Our mission is to ensure all Californians have access to high quality health care at an affordable price. To me, this means that we are here to create a health care system that is worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable. We are striving to do exactly that via our nationally recognized Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) which enable physicians, hospitals and Blue Shield to partner closely to improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs. We also have a long history of leading and supporting efforts that further our mission, including advocating for universal coverage in 2002 long before the passage of the Affordable Care Act.



  • Be a Good Corporate Citizen: We have to pursue our mission in a way that is ethical and consistent with our values, because how we get there is just as important as getting there. That means doing the right thing, acting with integrity, being emblematic of our values, treating employees well, conserving natural resources and strengthening our connection with communities.



  • Be Good Stewards of Resources: In 2015, our company turned 76 years old and collected $14.8 billion from customers. We have an obligation to maintain a healthy, vibrant company for the next generation and to ensure every dollar we collect is going to its highest and best use. That is why we have capped our annual net income at 2%, maintain a surplus that allows us to be an A-rated financial company and are demonstrating that executives are rewarded for serving the mission by providing an unprecedented level of transparency into executive compensation. It is also why we give substantially to the Blue Shield of California Foundation, an essential partner in advancing our mission.


We invite you to share the facts and figures contained in this report with friends and colleagues. What you will read in this report illustrates the wide-ranging actions we are taking to help transform a dysfunctional healthcare system that is bankrupting us as a society into one that is worthy of our family and friends, and sustainably affordable.

We welcome your feedback and invite you to send any questions or comments to citizenship@blueshieldca.com.

Paul Markovich is president and CEO at Blue Shield of California