Review Of Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance

Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is an association of independent health insurance firms that offer a variety of health products and operate independently in each state. Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) firms are members of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), an association of independent health insurance companies with members in every state. Blue Cross Blue Shield policyholders can use their insurance cards nearly everywhere in the United States, subject to provider participation and plan features.

Each Blue Cross Blue Shield private insurance business is locally owned and controlled. Individual BCBS firms offer and serve health insurance in their "home" states or regions. As a result, users review and report on interactions with their home BCBS plan rather than the organization as a whole. While some consumers had issues about payment and service, the firms we investigated earned largely favorable ratings from the Better Business Bureau and other reporting agencies.

Our Thoughts On Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical Insurance

Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance covers a wide range of services, including dentistry, vision, short-term medical, and individual major medical. In particular, BCBS offers major medical plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to new participants in all but three states: Mississippi, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Existing members in these three states may be allowed to keep their current coverage.

Some BCBS firms have operations in numerous states. CareFirst, for example, is a BCBS organization that serves Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Other BCBS companies, such as Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, are limited to one state.

Get The Best Health Insurance in your Location

Bcbs Policies Are Available

The BCBS entities in each state are listed below. Multiple BCBS businesses may operate in a single state in various situations. In California, for example, depending on where you reside, you would be insured by either Blue Shield of California or Anthem Blue Cross.

To reiterate, BCBS does not provide ACA insurance in Mississippi, Nebraska, or South Dakota.

Costs And Options For Plans

The Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers of a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois insurance plan, as well as one provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, are shown here. Our cost estimates in both situations are based on a 40-year-old man. It should be noted that some of these plans may not be accessible in all parts of these states, therefore it is critical to check your state's health insurance exchange to discover what plans are available.

According to a Value Penguin analysis on ACA plans in Michigan, BCBS of Michigan was one of the few firms selling the lowest Silver health insurance plan in 84 percent of Michigan counties.

Quotes For Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Michigan Silver Hmo Vs. Competitor Silver Hmos

We limited our analysis of competing insurance plans to a single state to retain focus. Individual prices for a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Silver health insurance plan are compared to similar Silver HMOs offered by Priority Health and McLaren Health Plan Community in the graph below.

The example plans' deductible levels vary from $2,400 for Priority Health to $3,700 for McLaren Health Plan Community. The three alternatives have similar out-of-pocket maximums, ranging from $8,150 for McLaren to $8,550 for Priority Health.

Deductibles, coinsurance, and copays are calculated differently for each plan. Only BCBS of Michigan, for example, attaches prescription expenses to the yearly deductible, which means medications are not paid until the deductible is reached.

The plans also differ in their approach to emergency department (ER) services. After the yearly deductible is met, both BCBS of Michigan and Priority Health charge a $250 fee per ER visit, plus 30% coinsurance. McLaren costs 20% coinsurance when the $3,700 deductible is reached, but there is no ER copay.

In the event that you got ER treatments totaling $5,000 before achieving any portion of your deductible, your total out-of-pocket expenses would be your entire deductible, copay (if applicable), and coinsurance for the remainder. Each plan's cost computation is provided below.

•BCBS: $3,000 + $250 + 30% of the remaining balance, or $525 = $3,775

•McLaren: $3,700 + 20% of the remaining balance, or $260 = $3,960

•Priority Health: $2,400 + $250 + 30% of the balance, or $705 = $3,355

Priority Health has the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure in this case. Priority Health also offers the lowest premium of the three options. As previously stated, BCBS prices may be higher than competitors' rates in some locations. Depending on where you reside, a BCBS health plan may not be the ideal option if cost is a major consideration. The BCBS provider network and corporate standing may be important factors to consider, but they may come at a somewhat greater cost.

Member Resources & Special Advantages

Many BCBS plans, as members of the BCBS Association, give access to extra health-related resources such as those mentioned here. It is critical to understand that these are not healthcare benefits.

•A nurse hotline that is available 24 hours a day, seven days

•Blue365, which offers savings on health and fitness clubs, weight loss programmes, and other health-related items.

•Telemedicine

•A mobile app, as well as a separate member website

Customer Feedback & Complaints

BCBS is a well-established health insurance organisation with a big provider network and extensive distribution. BCBS insurance plans offer a variety of coverage options at costs that are comparable to – or sometimes greater than – those from other carriers. Overall, BCBS has gotten favorable ratings from consumer reporting organizations like as the Better Business Bureau and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

BCBS corporations are different entities, yet their names are sometimes identical. As a result, consumers have experienced difficulty locating the appropriate department to solve their maintenance needs.

Customers had problems about claim payments and service with both BCBS of Illinois and BCBS of Michigan, including issues with wait times, a lack of follow-through, and incorrect information

The Better Business Bureau, on the other hand, analyses the amount of complaints and how quickly they are resolved, as well as a company's size in relation to complaint totals and duration in business when calculating ratings. The Better Business Bureau granted BCBS of Illinois and BCBS of Michigan A- and A+ ratings, respectively, based on all categories.

NAIC complaint totals for both BCBS of Illinois and BCBS of Michigan in the individual health category were below average compared to company size. BCBS of Illinois got an NAIC index of 0.00, indicating that the Illinois insurance department received no complaints during the 2020 evaluation period. The NAIC reported a median complaint index of 0.38 for BCBS of Michigan in 2020.