Anthem Blue Cross 2003 Annual Report Download - page 23

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 23 of the 2003 Anthem Blue Cross annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 36

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36

ANTHEM, INC. page 21
a time for choice
is offered for using mail order. In addition, members have realized lower prescription drug costs
thanks to the “Think Generics” program, which encourages the appropriate use of less expensive
generic drugs.
Our dental benefits now reach nearly 2.5 million members, making us one of the 10 largest
dental benefits providers in the nation. We provide life insurance benefits to nearly 900,000 members.
Behavioral health—with about 3 million members—is our fastest growing specialty product
segment. And our newest offering—vision benefits—features one of the nation’s largest vision
networks and is already serving 423,000 members. For 2004, we expect to see even more growth
across all of our specialty businesses.
Continuing growth in our total membership and our strong retention rate tell us our products
are responding to customer needs. In 2003, we attracted new members to all our major products.
Most significant was a 22 percent increase in individual members under 65 years old. We also saw
outstanding growth in the number of national accounts, or large, multi-state employers, that chose
Anthem to meet their health care benefit needs. National accounts membership grew by 16 percent,
and we anticipate substantial growth again in 2004.
As a Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plan, Anthem offers these large employer groups the
BlueCard program, providing unparalleled access to the largest number of physicians, hospitals and
other health care professionals nationally. Likewise, these health care benefits are also available for
employees who travel overseas.
In addition to quality health benefits, we offer employers information and programs that help
their employees improve their health and live healthier lives, while also educating them about the cost
of health care. One such program analyzes a range of claims and pharmacy benefit data and identifies
opportunities to collaborate with members and physicians to improve care. The enthusiastic reception
this program has received from national accounts customers, members and physicians has led to the
expansion of this program to more than 500,000 members. We anticipate that even more customers
will take advantage of this program in 2004.