By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-10-11 20:22:17 | Word Count: 826
Lee Douglass, senior vice president of law and governmental relations Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield and who is the chief legal officer of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, was the guest speaker at noon, Tuesday, Sept. 29 of the Stuttgart Rotary Club at the Stuttgart Country Club.
Douglass is responsible for representing the company and its affiliates on legislative issues at state and national levels of government, oversight and management of legal services relating to litigation and regulatory issues affecting the company.
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Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, founded in 1948, is an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and is the largest health insurer in Arkansas.
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield serves approximately one-third of the fully insured market. If combined, the 39 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans collectively provide health-care coverage for 93 million - nearly one in three - Americans.
Arkansas Blue Cross provides health insurance plans for groups as well as well as individuals (under age 65 and for those who are Medicare-eligible) and families in Arkansas. In addition, Arkansas Blue Cross offers dental plans for groups and individuals and families.
The company operates through seven geographic regions in Arkansas with full-service staffs providing customer service, medical management and provider services closer to home for their members.
At Arkansas Blue Cross, their vision is to be the leading provider of health-care financing solutions, service and information that contribute to improving the health status of all those in the communities they serve.
Their mission is to provide organizations, families and individuals with the best value in health-care financing products, life insurance and health-related financial services. Their products and services are designed to create high customer value, confidence, peace of mind and an improved quality of life.
Douglass, a native of Little rock, received his bachelor degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.
He is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, the American Bar Association, chairman of the Arkansas Life and Disability Insurance Guaranty Association, a board member of the National Organization for Life and Health Guaranty Association and a board member of the Arkansas Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool (HIP). He has served as president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield believe their strength comes from being an independent, mutual, not-for-profit health insurance company and that we deliver the best value to our customers and society by maintaining that structure.
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield manage for long-term benefit of the communities they serve, not for short-term rewards or gains. They remain financially strong and stable in order to serve future generations.
As of 2007, there were 413,480 members, who are the companies owners, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield keep their interests central in our business decision-making.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield has 2,550 employees, fosters personal excellence, growth, flexibility and teamwork. They believe work is a major part of their lives and should be a fulfilling experience. Personal accountability and responsibility are cornerstones of our philosophy.
Blue Cross Blue Shield believes in building and maintaining collaborative, long-term relationships with physicians, hospitals and other providers. Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield is a network of 115 hospitals; 8,205 doctors and other health-care providers.
Arkansas Blue Cross differs from commercial insurers in several ways. Arkansas Blue Cross is a not-for-profit, mutual insurance company. That means that nearly all the money they collect as premium is paid out in benefits for customers on the average, nearly 85 cents of every dollar. The remainder - about 15 cents of every dollar - is used for operating expenses and reserve funds, which we are required by law to maintain.
As a not-for-profit, mutual insurance company, Arkansas Blue Cross is owned by its policyholders, not by stockholders. This means that premium dollars are used solely to pay claims and administrative costs, not to pay stock dividends.
Any excess funds are held in reserve for payment of future claims. Arkansas Blue Cross must maintain a fiscal balance between premium income and benefits paid to ensure that we have the ability to continue to offer these products and to pay policyholder claims in the future.
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