Changes

==Support for the American Legislative Exchange Council==

'''BCBSA was a member of the [[American Legislative Exchange Council]] (ALEC) until it publicly announced it would not renew its ALEC membership on April 19th, 2012.'''<ref>Julian Pecquet, [http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-insurance/222049-blue-cross-blue-shield-quits-conservative-legislative-organization-alec Blue Cross Blue Shield quits conservative legislative organization ALEC], ''The Hill'', April 17, 2012</ref>

{{about_ALEC}}

The BCBSA [[political action committee]] (PAC) gave $393,460 to federal candidates in the 2006 election - 44% to [[Democrats]] and 55% to [[Republican Party (USA)|Republicans]].

==Lobbying==

In December, 2009,'' Raw Story'' and ''ThinkProgress.org'' reported that BCBSA had been quietly working with the [[American Legislative Exchange Council]] (ALEC) to draft a resolution that would use the issue of state's rights to make health care reform (and regulation of the insurance industry) unconstitutional. ALEC drafted and distributed model legislation in the form of a resolution, that would effectively make both a federally-created health insurance exchange and a public health insurance option illegal under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees certain non-specific rights to the states. Joan Gardner, a senior executive at BCBSA, admitted playing a key role in crafting the resolution. Christie Herrera, who directs a health task force at ALEC, reports that insurance industry lobbyists have been working with ALEC to promote it to legislators. The resolution, and amendments closely related to it, have already been introduced in at least half a dozen states. ALEC has been working behind the scenes for months to advance the idea that proposals put forth by President Obama and the Democrats to regulate the insurance industry and enact a public option, violate states' rights.<ref>Sahil Kapur [http://rawstory.com/2009/12/blue-cross-blue-shield-tacitly-working-deem-health-reform-unconstitutional/ Blue Cross pushing plan to declare health reform unconstitutional], ''Raw Story'', December 7, 2009</ref><ref>Lee Fang [http://thinkprogress.org/2009/12/05/bcbs-alec-health/ Blue Cross Blue Shield Lobbyists Quietly Helping Extreme Effort To Declare Health Reform Unconstitutional], ''ThinkProgress.org,'' December 5, 2009</ref>

By August, 2009, BCBSA and ALEC's "Tenth Amendment/health care resolution" had been introduced by Republican legislators in Indiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, West Virginia, and Florida, and Arizona's legislature voted to put it on the ballot in 2010, according to ALEC Health and Human Services Director [[Christie Herrerra]].<ref>Chris Good [http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/08/republicans_going_states_rights_on_health_care.php Republicans Going States' Rights On Health Care] ''The Atlantic'', Politics, August 14, 2009</ref>

BCBS spent $9,199,063 for [[lobbying]] in 2006. This total includes the parent BCBSA and the state subsidiaries such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of South Carolina, etc.

<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/lobbyists/clientsum.asp?year=2006&txtname=Blue+Cross%2FBlue+Shield Blue Cross/Blue Shield lobbying expenses], ''Open Secrets''.</ref>

==Activities==

BCBS launched [[Get Health Reform Right]]. The site is billed as a grassroots campaign to "build on healthcare that works for so many to help cover the more than 45 million who still need coverage," but it is funded and directed by BCBS.

==Personnel==

*[[Robert D. Rosecrans]], Chief Information Officer

225 North Michigan Avenue<br>

Chicago, IL 60601<br>

<references />