GeoBlue® Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

Incorporated in February 1997, the company, then known as Highway to Health, began with a mission to help U.S.-based travelers access high-quality health care while abroad. The company's original founders had strong roots in healthcare and technology and leveraged that to build a hand-picked network of Western-trained, English-speaking doctors around the world, which they put online and made available to travelers.

The company then pivoted from solely providing digital services to offering insurance products through its acquisition of Worldwide Insurance Services in 1999. As the new millennium began, the company continued to maintain its place as a technology leader in the international healthcare industry, licensing its web and mobile tools to major consumer and travel websites as well as a number of international health insurers, launching its first mobile site in 2007, and being among the first insurance companies to launch a mobile app in 2009.

The company was recognized among the Deloitte Fast 50 in Philadelphia in 2007 and the Deloitte Fast 500 globally in 2008, and its mPassport® mobile app continued to garner awards and media recognition. During this time the company expanded its capabilities and products, building its own in-house medical assistance team and developing international health insurance products for the corporate expatriate, university and consumer markets. In 2009, a consortium of Blue Cross® Blue Shield® plans invested in the company, which then became an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, trading as GeoBlue.

In recent years, highlights include the strategic investment by Bupa; becoming the administrator of Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core, the program that enables over 80 million BCBS plan holders to use their U.S. benefits overseas; becoming the assistance provider for CanAssistance, a subsidiary of Canassurance Hospital Service Association, allowing eligible travelers of Canadian Blue Cross Plans to access the BlueCard PPO network in the U.S. and extending its assistance services to Bupa's individual and SME members – all of which solidified the company's position as the global solution for the Blue Cross Blue Shield system.

Alan Krigstein, Chairman of the Board of Directors of GeoBlue said: "The board and I are very proud of the company's achievements over the past 25 years. There are a number of market dynamics that make this an exciting time for GeoBlue, including the post-pandemic return to international travel and the increased awareness of the need for their products as well as the increase in remote/hybrid work arrangements which are paving the way for more location independent workers and international workcations. This, combined with GeoBlue's culture of innovation and customer-centricity, gives us confidence their next 25 years will be even more successful."

The recent launch of Global TeleMD™, a global telehealth solution available on all GeoBlue insured products, and having the industry's highest rated mobile app on the Apple app store are further hallmarks of the company's continued focus on using technology to simplify the international healthcare experience.

"25 years ago, GeoBlue was built on innovation and the courage to try new things. We grew and evolved because of resolve, adaptability and putting service at the heart of what we do," said Diego Fernández, GeoBlue President and CEO. "We have a rich and innovative legacy to be proud of and are grateful for the trust and support of our clients, especially the nearly 30% who have been with us for more than 10 years. Now as we look forward to the future, we will continue to push for what's possible with one purpose in mind – to simplify the international healthcare experience for our globally mobile customers."