Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas knows health care coverage in Texas; we invented it. We're Texas born and bred, and this is the only place we do business. Our mission since our founding more than 70 years ago has been to provide financially sound health care coverage to as many Texans as possible.

• We serve some of the best known Texas companies, including Brinker International, Brookshire Grocery, the City of Houston, Continental Airlines, the Employees Retirement System of Texas, Halliburton, H.E.B. Grocery, Pilgrim's Pride, the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, the Texas A&M System, Texas Instruments, TXU and The University of Texas System.
• We maintain our state headquarters in Richardson, with regional offices in Houston, Austin and Lubbock.
• We process our members' claims in Texas in our claims and customer service facilities in Abilene, Houston, Marshall, Richardson, San Angelo, Waco and Wichita Falls.
  

We're a non-investor-owned health insurance company. We believe Texas consumers and employers deserve the best of both worlds -- access to affordable, quality health care and top-notch service from a company that focuses solely on customers, not shareholders. Customer value is our cornerstone.

• We administer the state's Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool, which provides health insurance to eligible Texas residents who, due to medical conditions are unable to obtain coverage from commercial insurers (Source: Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool Web site, History of the Pool, November 2007).

We grew up in local Texas communities, and we've stayed there.

• We have more than 5,600 employees in 18 cities across Texas (Source: Internal PeopleSoft Report, November 2007).
• Since 1997, our statewide Care Van Program has given more than 306,000 free immunizations to medically underserved children and seniors in Texas (Source: Internal Care Van Program Activity Report, November 2007). 

We have a special relationship with physicians and hospitals that dates back to 1929. We remain committed to partnering with physicians and hospitals to provide access to affordable, quality health care, and we are a collaborative partner seeking solutions to joint concerns with employers, physicians, hospitals and governmental bodies.

• Our health maintenance organization (HMO) and preferred provider organization (PPO) networks are large, with more than 37,000 physicians and 500 hospitals across Texas (Source: Internal PREMIER Reports, December 2007).
• We have eight full-time physicians on staff with combined medical service of over 200 years (Source: Internal Division Medical Director head count, November 2007). 
• We have an Office of Physician Advocacy dedicated to addressing network physician concerns and fostering robust communication with the physician community.
• We have two Medical Advisory Committees comprised of physicians from across the state who help us ensure credentialing and quality of care standards.
• We provide physicians with our exclusive BlueLink online referral and pre-certification system, which allows physicians to obtain real-time access to network specialist referrals and approval of inpatient and outpatient procedures, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

As a division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is among the financially strongest health insurers in the nation providing our members with a high level of confidence and security.