Blue Cross Announces Partnership with SBA

Blue Cross of California and the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that they will co-sponsor a project to make health care more available to small businesses and their employees. Though 80 percent of small business owners surveyed agree that health insurance can help hire and keep good employees, many are unsure of the options available to them, according to a 2001 Small Employee Health Benefits survey. Blue Cross and the SBA aim to distribute and develop educational materials through seminars and a Web site. Along with health insurance topics, they will also conduct seminars on managing small business’ cash flow, loans, productivity, and employee turnover. Though directed towards small business owners, these seminars are also available to the public. Blue Cross of California serves 7.6 million members and is an operating subsidiary of Wellpoint, Inc.