Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is committed to building upon its contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Our Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion aims to strengthen and embed DEI in everything we do.

In 2022, we’ve focused on elevating our DEI strengths, impact and progress by:

• Cultivating an equitable environment for employees and members.
  
• Growing our position as a DEI industry leader.
• Addressing systemic barriers that may create disproportionate advancement opportunities for people of color.
• Evolving our supplier diversity practices to improve our utilization and spend with diverse suppliers across all areas of the organization.

By embedding DEI across our business and processes, we have accelerated opportunities to drive diverse engagement and inclusive experiences for our employees, members, customers and communities.

Business Resource Groups

Supplier Diversity

A diverse supply chain is critical to the success of our business. Our employees, members, customers and communities we serve expect us to be inclusive in all aspects of our business, including our third-party relationships.

This includes our supply chain, our providers, producers and other business partners. These diverse partnerships improve our ability to innovate, maximize our operational effectiveness, and ultimately, enhance our ability to serve our members.

Our total spend with diverse suppliers increased from 4.27% in 2021 to 4.71% in 2022, representing 2022 disbursements of $170.2 million to diverse-owned businesses.*

BCBSTX is a member of several nonprofit advocacy organizations that promote the inclusion of their business members, assisting in their growth and connecting them with prospective customers: 

• National Minority Supplier Development Council
• Women’s Business Enterprise National Council 
• National LGBT Chamber of Commerce 
• National Veteran’s Business Development Council
• Disability:IN

We engage with these organizations in matchmaker events, access their databases to identify potential businesses for inclusion in sourcing opportunities and participate in their conferences. 

* Applies to Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas

Recognition of our DEI Practices, Programs and Strategies

Sustainability

Commitment to sustainability is at the core of our business practices. We operate in accordance with the triple bottom-line theory, which calls for the pursuit of actions that support people, the planet and prosperity. We’re committed to reducing our emissions in measurable ways. 

Two honeybee hives were installed at BCBSTX’s Richardson headquarters to support biodiversity.

Five of our 2022 energy efficiency projects resulted in a reduction of about 170,000 kilowatt hours in electricity usage across the enterprise — roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon sequestered by 2,000 tree seedlings growing for 10 years.*

We continue to offset 100% of our electric power usage-related emissions with the purchase of renewable energy credits. Our employees recycled nearly 409,000 pounds of paper and 57,400 pounds of electronic equipment in 2022. These recycling efforts translate to saving about 5,400 trees, 1.4 million gallons of water and 709 cubic yards of landfill space.

BCBSTX’s Richardson office recently installed two honeybee hives on the north side of the building to support biodiversity. “Some will simply see the bees as a novelty, but I genuinely hope that most people who engage with this program, on any level, come to understand it as a barometer of the health of the larger ecosystem,” says Terry Bridges, the BCBSTX facilities representative overseeing the hives.

The company also participates in science-backed initiatives that support strategic sustainability decision-making. Our headquarters building earned the WELL Health-Safety Rating certification in 2022 and maintained its certification by Fitwel.

* Applies to Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas

Employee Health

Ethics and Compliance

External recognition assures our customers, business partners and our communities that we are a company committed to ethics and integrity. That’s why we were proud to be named one of the 2022 World’s Most Ethical Companies^® by Ethisphere^® for the seventh straight year.