Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois traces its roots to the depths of the Great Depression and a group of Chicago business leaders who witnessed how relatively minor illnesses that required a hospital stay were ruining families financially. These business leaders saw terrible hardship in their community and they took action to alleviate it. In 1936, they pooled their own savings and launched a not-for-profit company called Hospital Service Corporation to offer an affordable pre-paid hospital plan, which was a new concept at that time. The Chicago Plan, as it was called, was one the forerunners of what we know as health insurance today. The idea, of course, caught on and Hospital Service Corporation eventually became Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois.

Today, we are the largest and most experienced health insurance company in the state, providing more than 6.5 million members with comprehensive and affordable health plans. As a division of  Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois provides its members with a high level of confidence and security. For detailed financial reports, please visit the HCSC Web site.

We at Blue Cross are proud to be a technologically innovative, efficient and responsive health insurance company. That is why we are pleased to offer Blue Access for Members, which provides group health plan members and their dependents with secure online access to benefits summaries, claim status, provider information and valuable health tips.

The people of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois are committed to the highest standards of business ethics and integrity, and we are committed to fulfilling our corporate citizenship responsibilities to the communities we serve. For more information, please see the  Community Involvement section of this Web site.

Elsewhere in this Web site, you will find information on our full range of managed care programs for individuals, families, employer groups and seniors. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois health plans include flexible benefit designs and access to the largest network of hospitals and physicians in the state. In addition, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has been awarded accreditation by two national organizations.

We invite you to browse our site for information on the latest health plan options, membership benefits, new products, special services and our online Provider Search.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, shining through.