Facts at a Glance

About BCBST

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is a not-for-profit organization. The company:

  • Is the state’s leader in health care financing.
  • Was founded in 1945 and now serves nearly 3 million members in all 95 counties in the state.
  • Including Medicare operations, provides services to nearly 4 million people nationwide.
  • Paid more than 66 million claims and more than $11 billion in health care benefits in 2009.
  • Has more than 5,000 employees.
  • Is headquartered in Chattanooga with regional offices in Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville.
  • Provides benefits to nearly 24,000 companies.
  • Contributes more than $7.5 million annually to Tennessee charities through our community outreach efforts.
  • Supports major statewide sponsorships including the TSSAA state football championship (BlueCross Bowl) promoting healthy competition and Tennessee Senior Olympics promoting fitness.
  • Is one of the largest TennCare providers (MCOs) in the state with approximately 483,000 members.
  • Has a flagship network of providers, called Blue Network P, that includes more than:
    • 184 hospitals
    • 20,883 physicians
    • 2,276 pharmacies

National and State Health Care Facts

  • Americans spend more than $7,400 per person on health care services annually.
  • Spending on health care in the U.S. accounts for 16.0% (or 1/6) of gross domestic product.
  • Tennessee health care costs 9% more on the average than U.S. health care.
  • Tennesseans buy 16.9 prescriptions per year, compared to about 11.8 nationally
  • Tennesseans spend $1,272.94 per person on prescription drugs, compared to $948.72 nationally.
  • Despite paying more for health care, Tennesseans:
    • Have one of the highest rates of obesity nationally (40% higher than U.S. trend; 10% higher than regional trend).
    • Have an increase in diabetes of 1.2% per year (278% higher than U.S. trend; 109% higher than regional trend).
    • Have 33% less than U.S. trend in smoking decrease; 33% greater than regional trend.
    • Have an average rate of 8.69 in the infant death rate per 1,000 births compared to 6.86 nationally.
  • 20% of Tennesseans Participate in TennCare.
  • Nearly 14% of Tennesseans are uninsured.

Online Resources Offer More Info

For more information on BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, visit the company’s Web site at www.bcbst.com.

Media Contact

Mary Thompson, APR

(423) 535-7694 (office)
(423) 802-8322 (mobile)

Page Modified:August 31, 2010