New York BlueCross BlueShield of the Rochester Area BlueCross BlueShield of Utica-Watertown North Carolina By September 2010, BCBS licensee Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina announced that it would refund $156 million to their policyholders following documented charges: they had been sued and fined for denying due medical treatments to their customers and for underpaying doctors. As of 2019 they were overseeing well over half of all payments for medical services in their state. BCBSNC invests in chronic and underlying condition research, telehealth and artificial intelligence (AI) for digital healthcare. In 2019, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina agreed to enter into a partnership with Cambia Health, but cancelled the agreement later that year. Dr. Patrick H. Conway, who had served as CEO from 2017, was scheduled to become CEO of the merged company, replacing retiring Cambia CEO Mark Ganz, but resigned after a DWI arrest in June 2019, putting the merger on hold. Pennsylvania Though historically "Blue Cross" was used for hospital coverage while "Blue Shield" was used for medical coverage, today that split only exists for traditional health insurance plans in Pennsylvania. Two independent companies operate in central Pennsylvania, Highmark Blue Shield (Pittsburgh) and Capital Blue Cross (Central Pennsylvania). In southeastern Pennsylvania, Independence Blue Cross (Philadelphia) has a joint marketing agreement with Highmark Blue Shield (Pittsburgh) for their separate hospital and medical plans. However, Independence Blue Cross, like most of its sister Blue Cross Blue Shield companies, cover most of their customers under managed care plans such as HMOs and PPOs which provide hospital and medical care in one policy. Rhode Island Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island was founded in 1939. The insurer is headquartered in Providence, at the 13-storey, $114 million Smith Hill office tower that it had built during 2008 to 2009: Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Headquarters. U.S. Virgin Islands BlueCross BlueShield of the U.S. Virgin Islands is administered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Puerto Rico. Vermont BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont was founded in 1980. In 2022, BCBS Vermont sued Teva Pharmaceuticals over its "years-long scheme to reap excessive profits" from sales of its multiple sclerosis (MS) drug, Copaxone. Wyoming BlueCross BlueShield of Wyoming (BCBSWY) is a non-profit founded in 1945. In 2022, BCBSWY penned opposition to the Pharmacy benefit managers act enhancements (Wyoming Senate File 0036). Nonprofit status debate While only some members