CareFirst Earns Top Rating For Workplace Equality From Human Rights Campaign
The nation's largest LGBTQ civil rights group announces annual Corporate Equality Index
BALTIMORE, December 9, 2016 /3BL Media/ - CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), the region's largest health insurer, has earned a top score of 100 percent from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) on the organization's 2017 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
CareFirst is one of 400 companies to earn a CEI top rating and is also considered one of the "Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality" by HRC, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights group.
The Corporate Equality Index serves as the national benchmarking tool for ranking American workplaces and focuses on equal employment opportunity policies, organizational LGBT competency and public commitment. Since 2002, HRC has published the annual CEI to highlight businesses leading the way on LGBTQ inclusion and non-discrimination. Other businesses that have earned a top designation in the past include Apple Inc., CVS Health Corp., and AT&T Inc.
"It has long been a part of our company mission to promote respect, fairness and opportunity among all of our associates," said CareFirst President and CEO Chet Burrell. "This recognition from the Human Rights Campaign serves as a prominent reminder that we have been able to put that commitment into practice, ensuring CareFirst is a diverse and inclusive workplace."
To earn a 100 percent rating on the CEI, employers must:
-Have sexual orientation and gender identity non-discrimination protections explicitly included in all operations;
-Require U.S. contractors to abide by the company's existing inclusive non-discrimination policies; and,
-Implement internal requirements prohibiting company philanthropic giving to non-religious organizations that have a written policy of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
View the complete 2017 CEI Report for information on how the Corporate Equality Index is compiled.
About CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
In its 78th year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.2 million individuals and groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2015, CareFirst invested nearly $40 million to improve overall health, and increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit our website at www.carefirst.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram or Google+.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally-operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for 107 million members members – one-in-three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com. We encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out The BCBS Blog, for up-to-date information about BCBSA.
