As I reflect on the past year, amid the pandemic and social unrest, I’m proud of how our dedicated associates came together and responded with agility, leadership and compassion to help each other and the consumers, customers, care providers and communities who were counting on us.
These new forces impacting all of our lives challenged us to think differently. In 2020, we performed as we transformed. We met our financial commitments and delivered strong growth, reflecting the diversity and strength of our business and our unwavering commitment to those we serve. The Anthem of today has the most balanced and resilient health benefits portfolio in the market.
While I’m pleased with our growth, what excites me even more is how we’re expanding our role from being a partner in health benefits to a trusted, lifetime partner in health. Across the organization, we adapted and accelerated our digital innovations; enhanced our emphasis on community health, including maternal health, access to nutritious food and health disparities; innovated across many of our products and services; and simplified our processes – all in pursuit of delivering health beyond healthcare.
Today, Anthem interacts with and serves individuals throughout their health journey rather than at a single touchpoint. Through our broad range of assets, from our IngenioRx pharmacy business to the chronic and complex care provided by our CareMore and Aspire organizations, we are able to address the full range of consumer needs – medical, behavioral, pharmaceutical, and social – in a fully integrated fashion. Strengthening our commitment to whole health, we acquired Beacon Health Options, extending our capabilities and reach in mental and behavioral health services, especially important in the wake of the pandemic.
As we turn to the future, our vision and strategy for growth are, at their core, fueled by a passion for making a positive difference in the world. At Anthem, we don't just lead...we lead with purpose. This past year, we united in common language around a powerful, singular statement: improving the health of humanity. This renewed purpose has become the North Star for all the work we do across our organization.
While improving the health of humanity may sound like a lofty goal, in reality it inspires our collective passion and propels us to achieve impact well beyond ourselves. It’s about simplifying every single step of the healthcare journey to make it more affordable, accessible, and equitable. It’s about addressing the mental, physical, and socioeconomic challenges that so many people face. Finally, it’s about taking a broader view of health and well-being to include viable communities in which people can thrive.
As passionate and committed as we are, we know we can’t do it alone. That’s why Anthem joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), which calls for companies around the world to align their operations with sustainable and socially responsible practices that advance societal goals.
Fueled by our mission, driven by our purpose, and empowered by our advanced digital capabilities, we move into the future with a bold agenda. The traditional insurance company we were has given way to the digitally-enabled platform for health we are becoming. This platform strategy is grounded in data and deploys predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine-learning and collaboration across the value chain to produce proactive, personalized solutions for our consumers, care providers, employers, and communities. By leveraging these digital capabilities, we will build upon our broad Anthem portfolio of pharmacy, behavioral, clinical and complex care assets and algorithms to deliver integrated whole-person health solutions.
Throughout the following pages, you will read stories about how we’re cultivating whole health, pioneering tomorrow’s healthcare, and strengthening communities, much of it due to the ingenuity, dedication, and spirit of our associates who go above and beyond. I am grateful for their contributions.
As we continue to confront the enormous challenges our country still faces, we remain focused on our mission of improving lives and communities. When we lead with purpose, our potential is boundless and I’m incredibly optimistic about what lies ahead.
