Now the "Blues" are overseen by a national organization, but there are numerous different companies under that umbrella. While some of them are still non-profit, some are:
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) is a federation of 38 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 99 million Americans.[3] The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of Blue Shield dates to 1939. The Blue Cross Association dates back to 1960, while its Blue Shield counterpart was created in 1948. The two organizations merged in 1982, forming the current association.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Cross
Prior to the Tax Reform Act of 1986, organizations administering Blue Cross Blue Shield were tax exempt under 501(c)(4) as social welfare plans. However, the Tax Reform Act of 1986 revoked that exemption because the plans sold commercial-type insurance. They became 501(m) organizations, subject to federal taxation but entitled to "special tax benefits"[8] under IRC 833.[9] In 1994, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association changed to allow its licensees to be for-profit corporations.[4] Some plans[specify] are still considered not-for-profit at the state level.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Cross#HistoryAnthem Blue Cross is for profit and routinely turns down claims. When we were covered by Anthem I thought they were horrible, then my husband's employer switched to CIGNA and they are even more of a PITA. Very few of the doctors I have been using are in the CIGNA network, so I have to pay more to continue using the doctors I had a prior relationship. I was hoping that his employer would change again - in ten years we've had four or five different insurance companies through the same employer - but no such luck. We get the joy of using CIGNA for at least one more year.
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