Blue Shield of California and TriWest Healthcare Alliance: Honoring Our Veterans Today, and Every Day | Blue Shield of California

This Veterans Day, we’re honoring and thanking those who’ve served in the United States military. Blue Shield of California is proud to provide healthcare coverage to nearly 870,000 active-duty military members, veterans and military families living in California.

Below, learn about some of the different ways that we care for and support our veterans.

Healthcare coverage designed for veterans

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates the Community Care Network, which teams up with administrators across the country to offer a network of providers and access to the health care and services veterans need. TriWest Healthcare Alliance administers these services in 14 states, including California, where Blue Shield of California serves as TriWest’s health plan partner.

Healthcare benefits look different for each veteran, and Blue Shield is committed to ensuring veterans and their families living in California can access the clinicians, services and resources they need when the VA cannot provide those services within their own healthcare system.

Meeting veterans’ unique health needs

Due to the nature of military service, veterans have a wide range of health needs that are different from many other groups. Ensuring they can access the health care they need requires a customized approach and strong collaboration between Blue Shield, TriWest and the VA.

This alliance leverages Blue Shield’s deep understanding of the market, long-standing provider relationships, and extensive experience in providing access to health care for Californians. Blue Shield’s network for veterans currently includes approximately 93,000 providers — a 12% increase this year — and continues to expand, ensuring these members have access to the care they need, when they need it.

The type of care our veterans need also can look different than many other groups, such as a greater need for physical therapy, orthopedics and mental health — so we focus on these categories when constructing our network to make sure we have clinicians, facilities and resources available.

We also look at geographic accessibility for our veterans and active-duty military members across the state, with concentrations often near military bases. Our network focuses on these areas, as well as rural or underserved locations where VA facilities may be limited or unavailable.

Virtual care has become an important component of health care, and many providers within the VA Community Care Network have embraced this, serving patients beyond traditional healthcare facilities while making care more convenient and accessible. TriWest also contracts directly with virtual care providers to offer urgent care, behavioral health and specialty care, which has been particularly impactful in rural and underserved areas. 

Honoring and serving our veterans and military members every day

In addition to providing an excellent healthcare experience, Blue Shield of California is committed to supporting the overall well-being of our veterans, active-duty military personnel and their families.

This summer, we teamed up with the Salvation Army to support food security for veterans and families in need. Throughout the year, our Operation Vet employee resource group offers support for veterans, active military members and families — including recruiting veterans to work for Blue Shield. Additionally, our Chief Growth Officer, Ellen Sexton, sits on the TriWest board, helping further our collaboration in support of these members.

“It is such an honor to serve those who have served our country and be a part of their healthcare journey,” said Dan Prettyman, Blue Shield’s vice president of select markets. “At Blue Shield, we are striving to make health care worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable, and that is exactly what our veterans deserve from us.”

For more information about veterans’ health benefits, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.