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| Michael M. Mattox, President/CEO |
As a young boy growing up in northern Oklahoma, I learned many valuable life lessons from my grandfather. His teaching approach was simple; he lived by example and imparted wisdom in simple phrases. One such lesson I strive to live up to each day my grandfather uttered by saying “the highest regard that someone can give you is to say that they trust you.”
Several decades later, I’m proud to lead a company that has grown and flourished for 65 years on a foundation of trust. We recognize that our members trust Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas with their hard-earned dollars and with the welfare of their family in their time of need. Each of our 1,800 employees understands that we must maintain that trust in our daily operations.
More Kansans came to trust us with their health insurance needs in 2006 as our enrollment grew to a 17-year high. Nearly 49,000 new members were added in 2006, boosting the total number of Kansans who carry a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas identification card to more than 688,000. When you add in the Kansans we serve through our government contracts and those who live in our service area but carry a Blue Cross and Blue Shield card from a Blue Cross company located outside our service area, we actually serve nearly 1.2 million Kansans.
We recognize that our members trust us to provide exceptional customer service and fast and accurate processing of their claims, while keeping administrative costs as low as possible. In 2006 we operated our company on eight cents of every premium dollar, a figure that is very favorable when compared to competitors and other BCBS plans nationally. We continue to process nearly all claims within 30 calendar days, with most being processed, on average, in four days.