Blue Cross had quiet beginnings. In 1929, Justin Ford Kimball, then vice president of Baylor University, formed a plan for $6 yearly that assumed the cost of days of hospitalization for the school's instructors. The plan soon spread to Dallas then across the United States.

The Blue Cross symbol first was used in 1934, but it was not until 1939 that it gained its real significance. At the time, the American Hospital Association in Chicago selected the symbol to identify all health plans which met certain rules they established for trustworthy insurance companies. The Blue Cross, symbol stuck, and today the name has earned a reputation for reliability.

Among the many plans which Blue Cross Blue Shield now offers are medical supplemental plans for older Americans. These plans are private insurance policies and are used to pay for co-pays, premiums, or other bills not covered by Medicare Part A and B or the new Medicare Part D, which pays for drugs. While a Medicare supplement plan is not necessary, it is a smart thing to enroll in one.

A Medicare supplement plan can protect you from a hard financial wound in case of a long term hospitalization or an extended stay in a skilled nursing facility. As Medicare patients are responsible for significant daily co-pays after the first twenty days of their stays, the result can be an hard on your nest egg!

There are several of plans from which to choose. Selecting one from an insurance store who represents many different reputable names is often the best choice. They have already done the time consuming work of sifting through hundreds of plans to pare it down to the best and most affordable. Filling in a very short, simple online application is all that is necessary to get a quote, and eligibility is soon determined. Medicare supplements are definitely worth looking into.