Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Named One of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers Nationwide; Working Mother Magazine Announces List of Top 100 Companies for Working Mothers.

BOSTON -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) is one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers," one of three Massachusetts companies to make the nationally renowned list published by Working Mother magazine. This marks the fifth time the non-profit insurer has received the honor from Working Mother.

With the release of the 19th annual list of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers," Working Mother gave particular weight to three issues: flexible scheduling, time off for new parents and child-care options.

"It's an enormous responsibility to care for a family and succeed at a job, and we're thrilled to see the serious commitment of smart companies to help their employees," said Carol Evans, CEO of Working Mother Media which publishes Working Mother.

Some of the BCBSMA work/life benefits that earned the company its place on the '100 Best' list include flexible work schedules, tuition reimbursement, a resource and referral service for childcare, eldercare and adoption, emergency back-up childcare, and three on-site or near-site childcare centers. In describing what makes BCBSMA a standout family-friendly company, Working Mother drew special attention to the fact that last year BCBSMA donated $840,000 to community programs that benefit children and families. The magazine also highlighted an innovative new program at BCBSMA that allows full-time claims processors to work from home.

According to Terri Ireton, BCBSMA's Director of Associate Relations, helping employees reduce the stress of daily life outside the office translates into greater productivity inside the office, be that an on-site or at-home office.

"From the top down, BCBSMA appreciates the variety of strains that can take a toll on working people with families, and it is one of our most important values as a company to do what we can to ease those strains," said Ms. Ireton. "Whether subsidizing summer camp for an employee's child, helping an employee coordinate care for an elderly parent, or offering on-site wellness initiatives like Weight Watchers, BCBSMA realizes that taking a progressive approach to promoting the wellness of employees means taking an effective strategic approach to providing the highest quality of care and service to our members."

"Companies know that healthy employees mean a healthy bottom line," says Working Mother Editor-in-Chief Susan Lapinski. "Wellness programs cut absenteeism, increase productivity, and build loyalty. With obesity and diabetes on the rise in this country, it makes sense for companies to focus on weight loss and fitness to keep employees productive and happy on the job."

The complete list of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers appears in the October issue of Working Mother (on newsstands today and at www.workingmother.com). Working Mother will honor the companies at a gala awards ceremony at the WorkLife Congress in New York October 5 - October 7. (www.worklifecongress.com).

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.com) was founded 66 years ago by a group of community-minded business leaders. Today, headquartered in Boston, BCBSMA provides coverage to 2.6 million members. Consistently recognized for standards of service that are among the highest in the nation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is the choice for health care consumers seeking reliable and high quality health care coverage. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

About Working Mother

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2004, Working Mother magazine reaches nearly 3 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. Its 19-year signature initiative, 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers, is a benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America. In 2003, the magazine published its first annual list of the Best Companies for Women of Color and held regional and national events on the topic. The publication is part of Working Mother Media (WMM), which also owns the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), NAFE Magazine, and the annual 100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress. In 2005, WMM will launch a new annual publication, Working Through Pregnancy.

100 Best List Methodology

To be named to the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers list, public or private firms of any size and in any industry (except those in the business of providing work/life or child-care services) complete a comprehensive application, including questions about a company's culture, employee population and policies on work/life and women's advancement. With the help of industrial research firm eXpert Survey Systems, applications are validated and scored on more than 500 points of information, including the number of work/life programs offered, the employee usage of such programs and the representation of women throughout the company. This year, Working Mother gave particular weight to three issues: flexible scheduling, time off for new parents and child-care options.