Mid-Atlantic Region’s CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Finds Success in Small/Mid-Size and Self-Insured Markets

CareFirst Continues to Grow Despite Heavy Regulatory Environment, According

               to a New Report from HealthLeaders-InterStudy



    NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 13 /EMWNews/ -- HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a

leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the largest healthcare insurer in the

Mid-Atlantic region, has been able to attract the majority of the small- to

mid-size group business in its market. According to the new report, Blue

Profiler: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, CareFirst will also likely

continue to enroll members from self-insured companies.



    "Insurers in Maryland have a hard time distinguishing themselves from

competitors on price because the state requires that all insurers pay

hospitals about the same rate for each procedure," said Jan Shuxteau,

analyst with HealthLeaders-InterStudy and author of the report. "One way

that CareFirst has succeeded in this market is by providing service to

self-insured companies that are not under state mandates."



    According to the report, nearly 1.58 million people are enrolled in

self-insured plans in Maryland. Of that group, about 44 percent are in a

CareFirst plan. In Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia, CareFirst has a

combined self-insured membership of more than 896,000 as of January 2008.



    On the financial side, CareFirst's premium revenue increased by nearly

11 percent from 2006 to 2007, from $5.28 billion to $5.86 billion, while

net income rose by almost 10 percent, to $180.5 million.



    Serving about 3.1 million members in Maryland, northern Virginia and

the District, CareFirst is not only the largest healthcare insurer in the

area, but it also is a large employer with more than 5,400 employees in the

Mid-Atlantic region. Additionally, CareFirst serves more than 540,000

members of the Federal Health Benefits Program.

    About Blue Profiler



    Blue Profiler offers the most comprehensive analysis of the nonprofit

Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. Each report focuses on an individual

nonprofit Blue plan and includes valuable analysis that will allow

companies to more effectively partner with these dominant organizations.

Each report includes information on:






    -- Competitive analysis

    -- Enrollment trends

    -- Company-wide financials

    -- HMO financials

    -- Consumer-driven products

    -- Medicare strategy

    -- Pharmacy

    -- Disease management



    About HealthLeaders-InterStudy



    HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a company of Decision Resources, Inc., is the

authoritative source for managed care data and analysis. For more

information, please visit http://www.HealthLeaders-InterStudy.com .






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    For more information, contact:



    Elizabeth Marshall

    Decision Resources

    781-296-2563

    [email protected]