Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana

Our Benefits

As a Blue Cross employee, you may be eligible to participate in several excellent benefit programs.

The company provides many benefits at no cost to you and subsidizes the cost of providing these benefits. These benefits are in addition to your regular salary.

In addition to good working conditions and competitive pay, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana provides a comprehensive package of benefits to all eligible employees. Each benefit program has been carefully devised to meet a variety of employee needs. These benefits include time off benefits, such as Paid Time Off and holidays, insurance and more.

We are constantly studying and evaluating our benefits programs and policies to better meet our employees' current and future needs.

Health

Health benefits include medical, dental, vision, life and disability coverage, health and dependent care spending accounts, long-term care coverage and an employee assistance program that provides free, confidential counseling services to employees and their families.

The company pays the entire medical insurance premium for employees who meet the Preferred Premium requirements of our Healthy You, Healthy Blue employee wellness program. The company also pays a portion of the premium for dependent coverage. Employees pay the remaining portion of the premium for dependent coverage through a pre-tax payroll deduction each payday. Pre-tax deductions provide employees with the ability to pay for health plan premiums before any taxes are withheld. These dollars represent a significant tax savings to employees. Health Savings Accounts are available for employees who enroll in the BlueSaverplan. Coverage becomes effective on the first day of the month after you complete 30 days of employment.

Please refer to your Employee Handbook for detailed information about benefits available to you.

Wellness

Wellness benefits comprise a free, self-paced plan that offers Blue employees information, tools and incentives for making healthy lifestyle choices, including:

• Printed and online wellness resources and activity log
• Annual employee health fair
• Educational classes, seminars and wellness events
• Individual fitness profiles and counseling on request

Wealth

Wealth benefits include a bonus program, traditional 401(k) plan, a Roth 401(k) plan and a Retirement Plus program. Employees also enjoy the services of an on-site credit union and generous discounts on various products and services.

Paid Time Off

Paid time-off benefits are generous and include time for vacation and sickness as well as for community service through Team Blue.

Full-time regular and part-time benefit-eligible employees will be paid for, but not necessarily required to work on the following holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving
• Christmas Day and the day before or after Christmas

Team Blue

This employee service program administered by our Community Relations staff allows employees to take time off during a work day to participate in a volunteer activity. We encourage and recognize employees who bring leadership to community service organizations through their volunteer efforts.

Blue Cross believes that community service is also an opportunity for employees to exercise or develop skills and talents that may not be used in their everyday jobs.

Education

Education benefits include in-house learning opportunities and educational support at accredited entities.

• Our Blue Cross Learning Institute (BCLI) offers free classes, e-learning courses, training events and leadership and development programs for employees.
• The Educational Assistance Program reimburses eligible employees for undergraduate or graduate school and all job-relevant professional certifications and designations.

Work-life Balance

Work-life balance is crucial at Blue Cross, with benefits that include educational work-life sessions, stress management resources and flexible work hours to support and accommodate the diverse needs of employees' families, personal matters and unexpected life events.

The program includes:

• an annual employee health fair
• personal wellness coaching
• a personal guidebook to wellness
• online support tools
• planned wellness events throughout the year
• a free Employee Assistance Program offering counseling for crisis situations

Employees at our main campus in Baton Rouge enjoy the benefits of our Wellness Works fitness center, located on the first floor of the Customer Center building. The fitness center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may only exercise on your own time, such as on your lunch break or before or after work. Space and equipment are limited, so the fitness center is only available to employees.

Lagniappe

In Louisiana, "lagniappe" is a well-known word that means "a little something extra." In addition to all of the above, Blue Cross offers lagniappe benefits like company-sponsored sports teams, a charitable gift matching program and a full-service cafeteria at our main Baton Rouge campus where spouses, family members and friends can join employees for breakfast and lunch. Employees and visitors can eat, have coffee and take breaks in the bright and airy Atrium or on an outdoor terrace overlooking a lake and fountain.

Our Community

Blue Cross is strongly committed to good corporate citizenship and social responsibility. Our management and our employees want to make a difference in the state we call home. Our Foundation supports more than 200 organizations all over Louisiana that contribute to the health and vitality of the communities where we live and work.

We encourage and support employee community involvement in many ways:

• United Way
  Each year, employees conduct creative fund-raising campaigns to support the Capital Area United Way, which funds many community agencies in the greater Baton Rouge area. The company matches employee donations dollar-for-dollar.

• Matching Gift Program
  For employees who want to donate to their favorite nonprofit cause, the company will match their contribution up to $1,500.

• Employee Drives and FundraisersIn addition to giving their time through volunteer work, employees have opportunities to give cash or non-cash donations such as food, toys or school supplies to charitable organizations.

Our Diversity

Diversity is about appreciating, valuing and capitalizing on individual differences and creating an environment inclusive of those differences. We encourage the inclusion of all attributes that make individuals different from others, such as:

• Race
• Creed
• Color
• National origin
• Religion
• Sex
• Age
• Handicap
• Genetic information
• Vietnam-era or disabled veteran status

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we promote diversity.

We enjoy a diverse work environment with people from a wide range of cultural, racial and religious backgrounds and from all walks of life.

Blue Cross recognizes and supports diversity with a Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) of employees, which offers diversity training programs and works to develop and sustain an environment of mutual respect and trust to enhance employees' performance and productivity.

Our Diversity Training Program activities emphasize awareness of and respect for diversity. The program offers leaders and employees the opportunity to:

• Develop a work environment of mutual respect whereby employees are enabled to reach their fullest potential
• Embrace the notion of capitalizing on differences with all employees from all walks of life
• Understand how a diverse culture supports the alchemy of corporate success

At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, our mission is to improve the lives of Louisianians by providing health guidance and affordable access to quality care.

Blue Cross is fully aware of the increasingly urgent national issues regarding the affordability of healthcare, consumer health advocacy, and the quality of health services given. We're actively involved in each of these issues, helping to improve the health status of our members.