Blowing Up Stereotypes with Every Breath We Take

I know from experience that if I say the words “insurance company,” a lot of people immediately get negative.

Cold. Money grubbing. Unfeeling. Uncaring. I’ve heard it all.

One of the great surprises of my career, and my life, has been discovering how Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana blows up these stereotypical insurance company descriptions. I’ve worked for a couple of publicly traded, Fortune 500 companies, and I can tell you right up front, this place is different.

And it has been for the entire 15 years I’ve worked here.

But don’t take my word for it. Take the word of the Points of Light Foundation, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. Just recently, the Points of Light Foundation recognized Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the entire United States of America!

Our Employees Give Back
How’d we get there? Check out the stats on what our employees gave in 2018:

• 24,000 hours of volunteer time
• Engaged with more than 300 non-profits
• $500,000 in gifts to area non-profit companies
• More than $160,000 in free consulting services to non-profit organizations

And that is STRICTLY what our 2,500 employees gave back to our state out of their very own time, talent and treasure. Truly these are people who live in and love Louisiana – regular people trying to give back to their hometowns. I am personally honored to work among such people.

Our Company Does Too
Our company gave even more in 2018:

• $1.5 million in donations to non-profits right here in Louisiana
• Funding the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation, which gave:
  • $3 million in grants to support making our communities healthier
  • $200,000 to  Angel Award Winners to support their programs, which SPECIFICALLY targets children’s needs

The way I see it, all of this tells the story of a remarkable company filled with generous, compassionate people who use their time and money, and their heads, hearts and hands to help build a better community.

So the next time I hear people going negative at the words “insurance company,” I’m going to ask them to hesitate just a minute because THIS insurance company and these employees are different.

And I feel so blessed to work among such people.

Straight Talk indeed!