An important, long-awaited health insurance initiative has been added to the Illinois State Bar Association's sheaf of diverse membership services.

ISBA members, their families and law firm employees now can obtain quality medical coverage via Blue Cross/Blue Shield, along with beneficial A+ premium ratings and claims ratios.

The ISBA Committee on Insurance Pro-gram and Services reviewed and recommended the proposal from Marsh Affinity Group Services, which administers ISBA insurance plans.

Marsh has added a variety of Blue Cross/Blue Shield offerings that will appeal to members who do not have health insurance, and can even enhance the plans of those who do.

Among them are qualified Health Savings Account (HSA) plans and Preferred Provider Options (PPO) with many available deductible, co-insurance and co-payment options.

Because ISBA members will be pooled with members of about 200 other associations that Marsh Affinity administers, individual specifications can be adapted to quality health insurance plans at economical rates.

Marsh also provides insurance coverage for individuals and small groups through HSAs and PPOs offered by other carriers, such as Humana, Unicare and Celtic.

ISBA members can choose from a wide range of programs that include life insurance, major medical and catastrophe coverage, dental, vision, long-term care and disability insurance.

For complete information, call Marsh Affinity at (800) 321-1998 or access the Web site, http://isba.healthinsurance.com