Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida was created when the Florida Hospital Service Corporation and the Florida Medical Services Corporation merged. The Florida Hospital Service Corporation, created in 1944, became Blue Cross of Florida in 1951. The Florida Medical Services Corporation, created in 1946, became Blue Shield of Florida in 1951. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida consolidated to form a single corporation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc., (BCBSFL) in July 1980. BCBSFL and Health Options, Inc. are independent licenses of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. BCBSFL is an independent organization governed by its own community-based Board of Directors and is solely responsible for its own obligations. BCBSFL and its family of subsidiaries serve more than 7.1 million Floridians. BCBSFL, in its health business alone, served 3.6 million members in 2004, a 30% share of the overall Florida health insurance market. BCBSFL added 187,000 new members to its Health Business in 2004. In 2004, BCBSFL experienced a consolidated retention rate of 89% among its customer base.