For now, Blue plans to run each ad for two months, but Ms. Grosso stressed that this "is not set in stone".
Over the following fifty years the Blues grew dominant, but in late 80's the marketplace began to change, and many state Blue plans found themselves in trouble.
The Blues plans "have to play," said Dr. Sanjay B. Saxena, an executive with Booz & Company, the consulting firm.
If you want to kick those January blues, planning a long-haul trip may be the answer.
"We think every Blue plan has to decide for itself" if it wants to be acquired.
"We don't have to recreate the wheel because the Blue plans are already there," said Daniel J. Hilferty, the chief executive of Independence Blue Cross, a nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia.
Many of the 44 Blue Plans across the country offer discount cards through their Medicare supplemental plans, saving the average participant 15 to 25percentt on drug costs.
Last year, Firstrust Bank in Ardmore, Pa., began offering a "pink plan," an unsecured three-year loan up to $25,000, and a "blue plan," a 5- to 15-year home equity loan up to $10,000.
While UnitedHealth had difficulty several years ago starting a so-called medical home program, in which doctors would be paid to be responsible for better care and coordination of a group of patients, the Blue plan has already enlisted nearly 2,400 of Florida's doctors in the program, making it one of the largest in the nation.
