Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield is the only health insurance company operating under the famous Blue Cross and Blue Shield logos in West Virginia. From its humble beginnings to its current stature as West Virginia's largest health insurance carrier, MSBCBS has continually evolved since 1932. Its current business philosophy mirrors its founder's - to provide solid coverage at a reasonable cost.

MSBCBS serves a myriad of commercial and governmental customers through its diverse products. Its success has been built upon MSBCBS' positive relationship with health care providers. The company maintains a comprehensive network of providers and offers a choice of many hospitals, physicians and medical professionals to both its traditional and managed care customers. MSBCBS offers health insurance plans to individuals, families, small businesses or large corporations. Products include New Blue, a traditional indemnity product, Super Blue Plus, a Preferred Provider plan and Super Blue Select, a Point of Service plan. Our expertise, our experience and our commitment to the people of West Virginia make MSBCBS the number one choice for health care coverage.

Covering West Virginia, MSBCBS serves all of West Virginia's 55 counties plus Washington county, Ohio. MSBCBS is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. MSBCBS provides or administers coverage to more than 400,000 individuals and has over 800 employees in Parkersburg, Charleston, Wheeling and Weirton.

In April 1999, MSBCBS entered an affiliation agreement with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, a largely respected Pennsylvania based Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan. MSBCBS established four fundamental commitments that were incorporated into the formal agreement. These were:

1. A commitment to the not for profit status and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Marks.
2. A commitment to the customers and citizens of West Virginia.
3. A commitment to the employees of MSBCBS.
4. A commitment to financial stability by improving MSBCBS' capital position.

Recognizing that health promotion and disease prevention are valuable keys in helping to control health care costs and maintaining a quality lifestyle, MSBCBS incorporates wellness benefits into products, including services like mammography, well-child care, immunizations and disease-specific screening tests. MSBCBS has also launched HealthPLACE on the Move, a mobile health screening facility, whose ultimate mission is to improve the health status of West Virginians by increasing the awareness of health risks, disease prevention and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Primarily designed to visit large group customers and to participate in community and civic events, HealthPLACE on the Move provides basic health screenings and distributes health education and promotion materials.

MSBCBS is making history with the Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease. This statewide health initiative is available to those who exhibit risk factors through a wide network of private and public funding. West Virginia has the highest incidence of coronary disease in the United States. That's why MSBCBS is embracing the Ornish program so enthusiastically, and why the support from the hospital community, government, physicians and employers has been so strong. In West Virginia, where the need is so great to reduce poor health habits and alleviate the stresses of life, the Ornish approach is ideal.