Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City Opens Innovative Retail Center in Zona Rosa

Kansas City, MO June 19, 2013

For more information contact:
Kelly Cannon
816.395.3711
Kelly.Cannon@bluekc.com

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City Opens
Innovative Retail Center in Zona Rosa

"Live Blue^SM" is a new wellness and education hub that empowers Kansas Citians to take control of their health and well-being

Kansas City, Mo. – June 19, 2013 – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) announces the launch of Live Blue^SM, an innovative center focused on wellness and education. The first Live Blue center will open in Zona Rosa on Aug. 1, and the company is expecting to finalize a second location in Prairie Village to open fall 2013.

"Blue KC is taking our leadership position in health and wellness to the next level with Live Blue," said David Gentile, president and chief executive officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. "Live Blue is a tangible example of our dedication to help the Kansas City community be inspired, be informed and be well."

The primary focus of Live Blue will be to help Kansas Citians learn healthier living habits, get active, seek support and get empowered to take control of their health and well-being. At Live Blue, there will be regular seminars and access to resources on a variety of healthy lifestyle topics such as fitness, nutrition and cooking. The center will also host local running and biking clubs and will be a valuable resource for those seeking support and answers about the changing world of healthcare.

Live Blue is a natural extension for Blue KC, which is committed to the health and wellness of its members and the community at large.

The nearly 4,000-square-foot space will feature a multipurpose room for seminars as well as fitness classes, a hospitality area for demonstrations on healthy eating, a dynamic calendar wall with details on Live Blue offerings, along with the many runs, walks and healthy lifestyle events throughout the community.

While Blue KC isn't the first healthcare provider to open a retail location, it is the first to open a center focused on promoting healthy living habits for all Kansas Citians. Live Blue will also offer products and services in a relaxed environment, and provide one-on-one assistance for anyone wanting to explore their health insurance options or access answers to their Blue KC policy questions.

It's just one more way Blue KC is guiding Kansas City through the quickly changing world of healthcare and toward a healthier future.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, the largest not-for-profit health insurer in Missouri and the only not-for-profit commercial health insurer in Kansas City, has been part of the Kansas City community since 1938. *Ranked by J.D. Power and Associates in 2013 as "Highest Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the Heartland Region, Two Years in a Row," Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City provides health coverage services to more than one million residents in the greater Kansas City area, including Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and 30 counties in Northwest Missouri. Our mission: to use our role as the area's leading health insurer to provide affordable access to health care and to improve the health and wellness of our members. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information on the company, visit its website at BlueKC.com.

* Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City received the highest numerical score among commercial health plans in the Heartland region (AR, IA, KS, MO, NE, OK) in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2012-2013 U.S. Member Health Plan Study^SM. 2013 study based on 33,533 total member responses, measuring 11 plans in the Heartland Region (excludes Medicare and Medicaid). Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of members surveyed December 2012-January 2013. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.

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