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Blue Shield of California Pledges Profit Cap

SACRAMENTO (AP) -- One of California's biggest health insurers says it will cap its earnings at 2 percent of revenue and return amounts over that level to its customers, care providers and the community.

Blue Shield of California says the new plan starts with last year's profit. That means it will return $167 million to policy holders.

Chairman and CEO Bruce Bodaken says in a San Francisco Chronicle editorial his company doesn't have absolute power to control rising health care costs, but they can do some things to help people pay for it.

He says Blue Shield will remain committed to the cap as long as it can remain financially solvent and make investments to stay competitive.

Blue Shield serves commercial, individual and government markets and covers more than 3 million people.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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