Independence Blue Cross - Keystone Health Plan East

Independence Blue Cross (IBC) is a health insurer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. IBC is the largest health insurer in the Philadelphia area, serving more than two million people in the region and seven million nationwide.

Employing more than 7,000 people, the company offers a wide variety of health plans, including managed care, traditional indemnity insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid. Its network of health care providers includes nearly 160 area hospitals and more than 42,000 physicians and other health care professionals.

IBC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Company history

IBC 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, began doing business as Independence Blue Cross.

In October 2011, IBC launched a private, charitable foundation â€" the Independence Blue Cross Foundation.