BC/BS of Mich. Pledges $500,000 in Katrina Relief

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network will make a $450,000 donation to the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross in support of relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and employees from both companies are contributing in many ways, including donating and volunteering to assist community groups and relief agencies.

The donation is in addition to $50,000 the Michigan Blues had already pledged as part of a donation exceeding $3 million to the Red Cross by the 40 independent, locally operated Blue Cross Blue Shield companies across the nation. The donations will be used in the national effort to help residents in Gulf states affected by the storm, called the worst in the nation’s history, through the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.

Blues employees wishing to give individual monetary donations will be able to do so through payroll deductions from Sept. 24 through December 2007.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit corporation, provides health care benefits to over 4.7 million members through a variety of plans: Traditional Blue Cross Blue Shield; Blue Preferred, Community Blue and Healthy Blue PPOs; Blue Choice Point of Service; Blue Care Network HMO, and Blue HSA(SM) plans compatible with health savings accounts.