[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 127 (Wednesday, September 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S6444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MASSACHUSETTS

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, today I would like to recognize the 
accomplishments of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), a 
company that has provided affordable health insurance options for 
families in the Commonwealth for the past 75 years.
  As our Nation's health care system has evolved, BCBSMA has remained a 
leader in the industry by focusing on the principles of service, 
leadership, and innovation. In fact, it was the first organization of 
its kind to offer statewide insurance coverage for hospitalization--
providing all working families a financially realistic option so they 
could afford a hospital stay when it was needed. And decades later, 
BCBSMA was instrumental in helping to create several of the State's 
best-known health maintenance organizations (HMOs).
  BCBSMA has been actively working to improve the health of their 
members through an innovative benefit design that focuses on prevention 
and customized wellness programs, encourages community-based care, and 
improves care coordination.
  Additionally, they have been national leaders in payment reform by 
designing an innovative model that has demonstrated the ability to 
improve the quality of patient care while simultaneously slowing the 
growth of health care spending. In 2008, BCBSMA created a new payment 
system called the Alternative Quality Contract (AQC). This model 
rewards physicians and hospitals for the quality and outcomes of the 
care they provide to patients. Providers receive a global budget for 
their patients and are responsible for any excessive spending and are 
rewarded for quality. This combination of the global budget and pay-
for-performance incentives establishes provider accountability for both 
the quality and cost of care.
  BCBSMA isn't just committed to its members; they are leaders in the 
community with a distinct focus on corporate citizenship and civic 
engagement. They spend countless hours working within the community to 
make a measurable and sustainable impact on issues such as child 
development, healthy environments, and family nutrition. During the 
last year, BCBSMA associates volunteered to perform more than 26,000 
hours of community service throughout Massachusetts. In their tradition 
of supporting the work of not-for-profit organizations, BCBSMA is 
commemorating their 75th anniversary by providing grants to community 
stakeholders working to advance the health and nutrition of families 
facing economic hardship.
  BCBSMA founded the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation 
in 2001, one of the largest health-focused private philanthropies in 
New England, to expand access to health care. The Foundation played an 
important role in the passage of Massachusetts health reform in 2006 by 
providing reliable data and objective analysis to policy-makers and 
convening stakeholders for sessions of public debate. Massachusetts now 
has the best health care coverage rate in the Nation with 98.1 percent 
of residents having health insurance, including 99.8 percent of all 
children.
  Not only did BCBSMA work to expand health care coverage in the 
Commonwealth, they were a leader in the national effort to expand 
health care coverage to all Americans. BCBSMA was the only health plan 
in the Nation to file an amicus, or ``friend of the court'', brief in 
support of the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act when it was 
considered by the Supreme Court earlier this year. They believed the 
health reform law was critical to ensure that all Americans have the 
same health care benefits and protections that Massachusetts residents 
have known for years.
  As we continue to implement the Affordable Care Act, I am confident 
that BCBSMA will be there every step of the way. They are rated among 
the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality and 
their commitment to both exceptional and affordable health care is 
clearly evident to their nearly three million members in Massachusetts.
  I congratulate Andrew Dreyfus, President and Chief Executive Officer, 
and all the employees at BCBSMA who work together to advance the 
availability of quality health care on this remarkable milestone. I 
look forward to the innovation and leadership you will deliver over the 
next 75 years for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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