CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Recognized as One of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for the 13th Consecutive Year
The organization remains one of a select few health insurers recognized for ethical leadership in 2025
Baltimore and Washington — CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), one of the country's largest not-for-profit healthcare organizations, is once again recognized among the World’s Most Ethical Companies®. This is CareFirst’s 13th consecutive year being recognized by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. This distinction underscores CareFirst’s unwavering commitment to integrity and high ethical business standards.
“Trust is a cornerstone of healthcare, built on a foundation of ethics and integrity that drive positive health outcomes,” said Brian D. Pieninck, President and CEO of CareFirst. “We are deeply honored to be recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for 13 consecutive years. This recognition is a testament to what inspires us to continually set higher standards, ensuring we uphold ethical excellence while advancing the health and well-being of the individuals and communities we serve.”
As one of only a few health insurers included in this year’s list, CareFirst is honored to join more than 130 organizations across 19 countries and 44 industries in setting the standard for ethical business practices. The World’s Most Ethical Companies® designation recognizes organizations that demonstrate excellence in areas such as corporate culture, governance, business integrity and social responsibility. The assessment is based on Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, which evaluates companies across five key categories:
- · Ethics and Compliance Program
- · Corporate Governance
- · Culture of Ethics
- · Environmental and Societal Impact
- · Leadership and Reputation
“Congratulations to CareFirst for achieving recognition as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies®. Behind this honor is a true dedication and a commitment to advancing business integrity. This approach is good for business—employees and other stakeholders value companies that prioritize the kinds of practices we measure with our process,” said Erica Salmon Byrne, Ethisphere’s Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Chair.
The World’s Most Ethical Companies® assessment requires companies to provide 240+ proof points on practices that support robust ethics and compliance. That data undergoes further qualitative analysis by experts who spend hours vetting and evaluating each year’s group of applicants. This process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify best-in-class ethics and compliance practices from organizations across industries and from around the world.
CareFirst remains dedicated to fostering a culture of transparency and accountability while advancing initiatives that improve healthcare access and affordability. Through innovative programs, strategic partnerships and investments in community health initiatives, CareFirst continues to prioritize the well-being of the people and communities it serves.
The full list of the 2025 World's Most Ethical Companies® can be found here. To learn more about CareFirst’s commitment to ethical leadership and corporate responsibility, visit www.carefirst.com/transformation.
About CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
In its 87th year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit healthcare company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.5 million individuals and employers in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2023, CareFirst infused $233 million in support of regional community impact to improve overall health and advance accessible, affordable, equitable, high-quality healthcare. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit www.carefirst.com.
About Ethisphere
Ethisphere is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that strengthen corporate brands, build trust in the marketplace, and deliver business success. Companies turn ethics, compliance, and culture into a business advantage by leveraging Ethisphere's data-driven program and culture assessments featuring the latest guidance and the practices of hundreds of global organizations across the 8 pillars of an ethical culture, and 240+ ethics, compliance, social, and governance data points delivered through a proprietary software platform. Ethisphere also honors superior integrity programs through World's Most Ethical Companies® recognition, brings together a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA), and advances ethical business practices through the Global Ethics Summit, Ethisphere Magazine and the Ethicast podcast. For more information, visit https://ethisphere.com.