EAGAN, Minn., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Eleven years after filing its historic lawsuit against big tobacco, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is about to embark on one of the largest sustained investments in prevention in Minnesota history.
On August 17, 1994, Blue Cross and the State of Minnesota filed an unprecedented lawsuit against tobacco manufacturers on the grounds that the industry deceived consumers about the harmful effects of tobacco. The lawsuit was a turning point in changing the political and public environment on tobacco and resulted in Blue Cross receiving $469 million in a settlement from the tobacco industry. Three months ago, Blue Cross received preliminary approval from a Dakota County District Court judge to settle a class action case by groups claiming those tobacco proceeds. Final approval later this year will allow Blue Cross to invest the tobacco settlement dollars in health improvement efforts that will benefit all Minnesotans.
“While an 11th year might seem like an unusual anniversary to celebrate, we achieved an exciting milestone this year with court approval of a settlement plan that resulted from this historic lawsuit,” said Mark W. Banks, M.D., president and CEO of Blue Cross. “The lawsuit against big tobacco changed the way citizens, policymakers and health officials think about tobacco.”
Significant accomplishments have been made in tobacco control since Blue Cross’s lawsuit in 1994. Tobacco companies have since acknowledged the dangers of tobacco use, and previously secret tobacco industry documents have contributed to the research of notable tobacco experts. Most important, citizens and policymakers in numerous cities and states across the country have passed tobacco tax increases and comprehensive smoke-free workplace policies in an effort to improve health.
“This is a legacy we’re incredibly proud of, but we also know that we can do more to improve health in Minnesota,” Banks added.
Honoring the commitment made when the lawsuit was won, Blue Cross is developing plans for Prevention Minnesota, the settlement-funded health improvement effort that will tackle Minnesota’s leading killers: tobacco use, heart disease, and cancer. Prevention Minnesota will focus on reducing tobacco use, promoting physical activity and improving nutrition to improve the health of all Minnesotans.
“This is an exciting opportunity to broaden our health improvement efforts to touch every Minnesotan,” said Marc Manley, MD, MPH, executive director of Blue Cross’ Center for Prevention.
Prevention Minnesota will take a comprehensive approach to the challenge, approaching prevention as both an individual commitment and a community priority. The three goals of Prevention Minnesota are to significantly decrease the prevalence of tobacco use, significantly decrease the prevalence of risk factors for heart disease and significantly decrease the prevalence of risk factors for cancer and increase early detection of cancer.
“Prevention involves an individual commitment to create healthier lives for ourselves and our families,” said Manley. “But it also requires community action to create a healthier environments. These approaches go hand-in-hand. For example, more people will walk if there are safe, attractive sidewalks and trails, and they see others being physically active. Fewer people will smoke if workplaces, including restaurants, are smoke-free.
“In the next decade we will make tremendous progress against the leading health problems in Minnesota. That will be the true legacy of the Blue Cross work that started eleven years ago,” Banks added.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota’s first health plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the people of Minnesota. A not-for-profit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest health plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.7 million members in Minnesota and nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
CONTACT: Karl Oestreich, +1-651-662-1502, or Monika Strom,+1-651-662-6889, both of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
