Independence Blue Cross

Health insurance company Independence Blue Cross (also known by the initialism IBX) is a health insurer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Independence is the largest health insurer in the Philadelphia area, serving people in the region and seven million nationwide. Employing more than 10,000 people, the company offers a wide variety of health plans, including managed care, and traditional indemnity insurance. Its network of health care providers includes nearly 180 area hospitals and more than 60,000 physicians and other health care professionals. Independence is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Company history Independence Blue Cross began in 1938 as the Associated Hospital Service of Philadelphia and offered the first prepaid hospitalization plan in the region. Philadelphia Mayor S. Davis Wilson enrolled as the first member, and Independence Hall became the first employer group to purchase coverage. By the end of its first year, the company had more than 160,000 members. By 1958, it employed 600 people and contracted with 94 hospitals. In 1964, the company changed its name to Blue Cross of Greater Philadelphia and in 1988, b