FLORENCE -- About 850 jobs in South Carolina, including 700 in the Pee Dee, have been saved thanks to a Department of Defense contract.
PGBA, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, was selected as a subcontractor for a $23.5 million contract for TRICARE, the health insurance program for members and veterans of the military.
PGBA has offices in both Surfside Beach and Florence.
The company, which has worked with TRICARE for 30 years, lost the contract in 2009, but then won it back last year.
The current contract was set to run out at the end of this month.
Second District Congressman Joe Wilson from South Carolina issued the following statement:
"I am excited to see PGBA's work awarded with a contract from the Department of Defense. This contract will keep 130 PGBA jobs in the Midlands and another 700 jobs in the Pee Dee." He continued, "PGBA will provide claims processing, customer service, fiscal services, and information systems support. Since August 2004, PGBA has processed more than 107 million claims with an accuracy rate of 99.75%. PGBA implemented the first internet based processing system to improve service while cutting administrative costs."
