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Affordability is our business

Advancing affordability, access and healthier communities

Emily J. Reynolds
Chairman of the Board, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

JD Hickey
President & CEO, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

For more than 80 years, BlueCross has served as a trusted partner in our communities. Affordability remains our purpose and the primary driver for every decision we make as health care costs continue to rise. Over the past five years, payments for medical and pharmacy claims have increased by 25%, underscoring the urgency of this work.

In 2025, we used 89 cents from every premium dollar collected to pay for the care our members need. And as a not‑for‑profit health insurer, we invest in what benefits our members. Alongside our affordability work, we advance efforts to enhance health outcomes – because long‑term value depends on both lowering costs and improving care.

Our members

Affordability stayed at the center of our work. We reduced avoidable costs by boosting transparency, strengthening provider partnerships and supporting members in making informed decisions about outpatient surgeries.

We focused on programs that expand access and promote early detection for our members. Our Partnership for Healthy Moms and Babies program has reduced prenatal and postpartum care disparities, demonstrating how targeted, data‑informed support can improve equity.

Our colorectal screening initiative expanded statewide and drove screening rates for pilot group members from 50% to 92%, helping more Tennesseans detect issues earlier.

We also kept quality top of mind by maintaining high-quality service as seen by industry certifications and high-quality ratings for our Medicare Advantage, BlueCare and Commercial plans and services.

Our community

Our Healthy Tennessee Report offered a data‑driven look at the health challenges facing communities across the state, highlighting regional differences and the social risks shaping outcomes. These insights helped us focus our partnerships and investments on the areas where they can make the greatest impact. 

We celebrated the completion of the BlueCross Healthy Place at Founders Park in Memphis, a restoration of a historic space that now supports community gathering. And in Erwin, we began construction on a new park that will help a town rebuild following the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

We launched a new Volunteer Time Off benefit, and our TeamBlue employee volunteers spent over 10,000 hours volunteering in-person and virtually with more than 300 organizations across the state. 

Being a good corporate citizen is also embedded in our daily work. We work hard to be good stewards of our premiums and our natural resources. We contributed to the vitality of our communities through the $604 million in local, state and federal tax dollars we paid last year. In fact, we’re one of Tennessee’s largest corporate taxpayers. 

Our people

Our people say BlueCross is a great place to work and that people of all backgrounds can succeed here. We know that directly translates to caring and compassionate customer service. When we take care of our people, they’re more inclined to go above and beyond for the people we serve. We see that every day as our employees deliver on our mission.

Jae Yi’s personal health journey is a great example of our employees bringing their unique backgrounds and experiences to BlueCross. The empathy employees like Jae bring to their work each day gives us a competitive advantage.

The BlueSky Tennessee Institute graduated its second class, and our new BlueHorizon program will build a pipeline of customer service representatives to BlueCross. Both programs support our long-term investments in talent that support a stronger member experience. 

These are just a few ways we worked toward our mission in 2025. Thank you for reading our annual impact report and for continuing to let us be your partner on your health care journey.

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BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Community Trust and BlueCare Tennessee are Independent Licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is a Qualified Health Plan issuer in the Health Insurance Marketplace.
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