Celebrating 50 Years of Partnership

When Blue Cross began providing medical coverage for Michigan public school retirees in 1975, it was a traditional fully insured health plan with no coverage for dependents.

Here are just a few highlights of how we’ve evolved over the years:

In 1985: The plan expands to cover dependents.

In 1990: The first Best of Health member newsletter is published.

In 1996: We introduce the Blue Preferred PPO plan for public school retirees under 65.

In 1998: The Blue Care Network HMO becomes available to Michigan public school retirees. Also, the Blue Health Line goes live, giving members 24-hour access to a registered nurse by phone.

In 2006: A Medicare Advantage plan for retirement system members 65 and older becomes available.

In 2008: Blue Cross launches the MPSERS website.

In 2009: The LivingWell program launches to encourage members to take charge of their health.

In 2012: The Go Green Campaign kicks off to deliver member communications via email.

In 2018: Blue Cross launches the MI Blue skill for Amazon Alexa-enabled devices.

In 2021: Blue Cross Coordinated Care begins to offer members personalized clinical support.

In 2023: The Blue Cross Coordinated Care Advocate program launches for non-Medicare PPO retirement system members. With the help of an advocate, members can get help with just about anything related to their health care plan.

Today, Blue Cross provides coverage for more than 166,000 Medicare Advantage PPO members and over 32,000 non-Medicare PPO members.

In the last 50 years, a lot has changed but our commitment to your health remains the same. We are embracing new technologies and approaches to help you on your healthcare journey.