Blue Shield Enrollment Rises
Enrollment in Blue Shield of California rose 24% last year to 3.3 million people, the third consecutive year of membership growth, the nonprofit reported Thursday.
The San Francisco-based health insurer also reported net income of $334 million for the year, up slightly from the previous year but well above the $61 million reported in 2001.
Revenue was nearly $7 billion, up from $6.9 billion a year earlier.
Ken Wood, chief operating officer at Blue Shield of California, said the nonprofit attracted several new accounts in 2004, including a health plan for California employees of the Department of Defense that accounted for most of the increase.
“We service all markets and we only focus on California. That helps us have traction here,” Wood said.
Blue Shield covers Californians through employers and pension funds such as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, which brought in 300,000 new members in 2003.
Founded in 1939, Blue Shield of California has more than 4,300 employees in 20 offices.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
