COLUMBIA, S.C., June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Companion HealthCare Corp., the second largest health plan based in South Carolina, is changing its name to BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina, Inc. The change will become effective on July 1.
“We chose ‘Blue’ as part of our name because we clearly want to identify ourselves with our parent company and underscore our affiliation with the nationwide system of Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations,” said Chief Operating Officer Mary Mazzola Spivey.
“We also selected ‘Choice’ as part of our name because we want to emphasize the product choices we now offer and the freedom our members have to choose the physician they want to see,” she added. “Our new name reflects how far we’ve come in offering a wide variety of choices to our members, but that’s the only thing that’s changing. Our commitment to top-quality customer service, dependability and financial stability remains as strong as ever.”
Mazzola Spivey emphasized that the name change does not signify a change in ownership, corporate structure or management.
New identification cards with the BlueChoice HealthPlan logo will be sent to members over the remainder of the year. “This is an exciting time for us and we appreciate the great support we’ve received from our customers,” said Mazzola Spivey.
Companion HealthCare was formed in 1984 by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. In its first year of operation, Companion HealthCare had a network of 27 physicians providing healthcare to 1,043 members. Currently, it has over 7,000 physicians in its statewide network and serves over 197,000 members. Its members also have access to a worldwide network through its BlueCard(R) program.
Companion HealthCare (http://www.CompanionHealthCare.com), soon to be BlueChoice HealthPlan (http://www.BlueChoiceSC.com), is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, and both are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Companion HealthCare has an A+ rating from A.M. Best, and an Excellent Accreditation status, the highest level awarded, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
BlueCard is a registered mark of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.
Companion HealthCare Corp.
CONTACT: Elizabeth Hammond of Companion HealthCare Corp., +1-803-264-4626