Bend Memorial Clinic and insurer near agreement (The Bulletin)
After several months of negotiations, Bend Memorial Clinic and Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon are close to agreeing on a new contract.The two parties talked on Christmas Eve, according to Regence President Dr. Bart McMullan. They agreed on many pieces of a new contract, but reimbursement for pharmaceuticals remained a key sticking point, McMullan said.

BLUE CROSS TO ZAGAT DOCS (New York Post)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield is teaming with the Zagat dining guide to provide doctor rankings for its members. Zagat will survey Blue Cross members using a 30-point scale on four criteria - trust, communication, availability and office environment...

Blue Cross gets A+ rating (BizJournals)
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services affirmed its A+ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc. for December 2008 and the outlook for the company is stable.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Expands Discounts on Medicare Supplement Plans (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
PHOENIX----Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona is upping the ante in the competitive market to serve Arizona s seniors by increasing the size and extending the duration and eligible age limit for early enrollment discounts on its Medicare supplement plans.