Wellchoice Inc. was a prominent publicly traded health insurance company, primarily known as the parent of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the largest health insurer in New York state. The company was formed in 2002 when Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield converted from a non-profit to a for-profit corporation and held its initial public offering (IPO). In late 2004, WellPoint, Inc. announced its acquisition of Wellchoice, a deal that was completed in 2005. The combined entity continued to grow and has since been rebranded, first to Anthem, Inc., and subsequently to Elevance Health, Inc. in 2022.

Founded in

United States