No matter who you are – business owner, employee, doctor, legislator, or even insurer – the uninsured are a matter of daily concern, because everyone is impacted by uncompensated care and its effect on health care costs, quality of life and emergency room access.

Creating affordable coverage and access to quality care are at the heart of the mission of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. Working with the State and other government entities, we made 2007 a year of positive change and better health for individuals and communities across Tennessee – in conjunction with the State’s CoverTennessee initiative and through our own efforts to decrease the number of uninsured and make quality care and coverage in reach for everyone.

In January, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee was awarded the contract for the state’s CoverKids program, a comprehensive health plan designed for uninsured children 18 years old or younger with household incomes below 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Modeled after the benefits received by dependents of state employees, CoverKids emphasizes wellness and prevention, including immunizations, developmental screenings and well-child exams. Qualifying participants pay a reduced copay for services, while children in households above the income limit also participate with a monthly premium. The program is one of four under the umbrella of CoverTennessee, which works to meet the needs of the state’s uninsured.

Also in 2007, the State of Tennessee chose BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee to administer a second of the four programs, AccessTN, a high-risk health pool for uninsurable adults. AccessTN makes it possible for Tennesseans with sufficient income, but pre-existing health conditions, to purchase health care coverage. Benefits for AccessTN are modeled on the same comprehensive benefit plans offered to state employees.

To further expand care access and address health issues for the uninsured population, the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Community Trust sponsored its third annual statewide Best Practices Forum on Uninsured Health Care. An estimated 836,000 Tennesseans are uninsured, and currently, more than a dozen volunteer-based clinics across the state work to provide care to under- and uninsured individuals.

The day-long forum attracted more than 100 attendees from the health care, government, business, religious and academic sectors. The conference featured administrative and clinical tracks to address health literacy, evidence-based medicine, partnerships and grant writing as a collaborative way to combine the efforts of all parties to build solutions for the uninsured.

In support of better health and better care across the state, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee contributed $4.8 million in financial, in-kind and volunteer efforts to more than 250 Tennessee organizations during 2007. The contributions are part of the company’s outreach effort, designed to positively impact the health of Tennessee communities. Key giving channels for the company include corporate outreach, the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Community Trust and the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation. All three funding channels address a range of health and social issues focused on prevention.

As part of corporate outreach, BlueCross sponsored events and health initiatives, including Healthy Competition, the Tennessee Senior Olympics and WalkingWorks for Schools, where more than 165,000 students enrolled in the school-based walking program at the start of the 2007 school year and are learning the importance of daily exercise and healthy lifestyles.

Through the Trust, nearly $500,000 in support was provided for healthy living, health care access, education and diversity, and economic and community development.The 2007 funding priorities for the Foundation were children’s health and childhood obesity, minority health disparities, and the under- and uninsured. The Foundation bestowed nearly $2 million in grants to organizations such as Mountain State Health Alliance, Tennessee Pediatric Society Foundation, Rural Medical Services and the Tennessee Center for Nursing.

Memphis has the highest infant mortality rate among the nation’s 60 largest cities, losing an estimated 17 babies per 1,000 live births among African-Americans who reside in the city. Foundation collaboration with the UT Health Science Center supported The Blues Project, a clinic- and home-based social intervention program for healthier outcomes for at-risk mothers and their babies. The project helps improve maternal, fetal and pediatric outcomes through education, employment and improved social factors linked to adverse child health issues. With corporate and Foundation support, the Blues Project will receive more than $2 million over five years – critical funds to improve the health of hundreds of women and their infants.

Results so far are positive, with early onset prenatal care; reduced preterm deliveries, STDs and substance abuse in mothers; reduced complications and hospital stays at delivery; and improved social outcomes on education, employment and social support systems.

The Foundation also awarded a $700,000 matching grant to support the state’s Graduate Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program, directing $1.4 million to pay for scholarships for registered nurses to earn graduate teaching degrees in nursing. With the scholarship, nurses earning a graduate degree are expected to teach for four years in a Tennessee undergraduate nursing studies program. Expanding the nursing faculty will relieve immediate teaching shortages and continue to encourage and promote additional qualified nurses into the health care system to address the nursing shortage.