Blue KC Celebrates Decades of Providing Civic Leadership and Dependable Health Insurance.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) has been part of the fabric of Kansas City for more than 70 years. From putting down roots in downtown Kansas City, to providing civic leadership, we believe in being an integral part of the community in which we live and work.
Learn more about our rich heritage in Greater Kansas City.
Over the years our members have relied on us to provide them with dependable healthcare benefits, services and resources so they can achieve lifelong health and wellness. We started providing benefits to our first member in 1938 and today, we serve nearly one million members. Read our rich history to learn more about our growth over the decades.
We were originally called Blue Cross of Kansas City.
We began as Blue Cross of Kansas City in 1938 with just seven network hospitals, two employees and $3,025 in working capital provided by local physicians, hospitals and individuals.
- The first group hospitalization plan, known as Group Hospital Services, began operating in Kansas City and was later named Blue Cross of Kansas City
- At the end of 1938, Blue Cross of Kansas City grew to 10 network hospitals, eight employees and nearly 14,000 members. Dues for single employees were $.75 per month and $1.50 a month for families
- In 1938, Blue Cross of Kansas City signed its first group, Wolferman's Bakery. The owner, Ms. Grace “Betty” Jackson, became a valued member and friend over the years. In fact, in 2009, we celebrated Ms. Jackson’s 101st birthday with her
We turned into Kansas City Blue Shield.
In 1943, Kansas City Blue Shield was formed to provide members with a prepayment plan for physician services.
- Within a year, the program held contracts with more than 300 companies and served more than 14,000 members
- In 1950, individual member enrollment was introduced. Kansas City Blue Shield extended benefits to individuals not covered by an employer
- Kansas City became the first Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan in the country to provide this new service, making health insurance accessible to everyone in the community
- In the 1960s, our company became aware that the healthcare needs of senior citizens would grow. That’s why we introduced a Medicare program that provides seniors with health insurance
We grew to become Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.
In 1982, the Kansas City Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans merged, creating Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC).
- Since then, our company has grown to serve nearly one million members in the greater Kansas City area
- We developed A Healthier You™, a comprehensive program that gives members the personalized tools, services and products they need to achieve lifelong health and wellness
We put down permanent roots in the Kansas City community.
We’ve invested in our infrastructure to dependably and more efficiently provide exceptional customer service to our members.
- In 1999, we installed the Facets computer system, our core system that allows us to accurately track all of our business functions
- In 2003, we purchased our headquarters building at 2301 Main Street to help drive down administrative costs and to demonstrate our long-standing commitment to Kansas City
We reached important milestones for longevity and profitability.
In September 2003, Blue KC celebrated its 65th anniversary and grew revenue and membership. This milestone marked eight decades of providing quality healthcare coverage in this community.
- We grew our revenues to more than $1 billion
- We saw the strongest overall membership growth in our history
We keep growing and expanding our products and services.
Today, we serve nearly one million people in 32 counties in greater Kansas City and northwestern Missouri including Johnson and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas.
- Through at least one of our physician and hospital networks, group and individual customers can access virtually every physician and every hospital in our operating area
- We offer 39 affordable health insurance plans to meet the needs of our customers
- We are committed to improving the health and wellness of the communities we serve