   The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) is a
federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and
companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or
indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million
Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while
the history of Blue Shield dates to 1939. The Blue Cross
Association dates back to 1960, while its Blue Shield
counterpart was actually created in 1948.