What Makes Blue Cross and Blue Shield so Special?

About the Company:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Insurance Company offers health insurance to more than 100 million people in America. The Company is an association, called Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) made out of a coalition of 39 different health insurance organizations in U.S.

Blue Cross Insurance Company emerged in the year 1929 and Blue Shield Insurance Company came into existence in 1939. Later, the Blue Cross Association came into being in 1960. In 1982, both the insurance companies – Blue Cross & Blue Shield merged that made the present association.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Company’s headquarters is based in the Michigan Plaza Complex (Chicago, Illinois). Some special Blue branded health plans provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield association comprise Blue Card, Blue Card Worldwide, BlueWorldwide Expat. These exclusive Medicare Supplement Insurance plans offer travel coverage to the insured in the country as well as worldwide. Blue Cross and Blue Shield affiliated companies are licensed to provide these Blue branded health insurance policies within specific areas.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance companies are franchises, independent of each other and the general association, offering insurance plans within defined regions under one or both of the association's brands. In every US state Blue Cross & Blue Shield insurers offer some form of health insurance coverage

They also act as administrators of Medicare in many states or regions of the U.S., and regularly can be found providing group coverage to state government employees, as well as the U.S. Federal government under a nationwide option of the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP) established by the association on their behalf. Hence there exists a strong bond between the Blue Cross Blue Shield system and Medicare Supplement policy-making bodies at the highest levels of government in the United States.

The Federal Employee Program (FEP) offered by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association apart from giving insurance that covers more than half of the federal government employees, provides insurance coverage also to the retired employees of the federal government and their families as well.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield Medicare Supplement Insurance Coverage:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Insurance Company offers tremendous benefits with the liberty of choosing Secondary Supplemental Medicare plans (Medigap) plans at the best prices. The Medicare supplements (Medigap plans) offered by Blue Cross & Blue Shield are categorized into:

• Budget conscious plans
• Premier coverage plans
• Medicare select option (Reduced Premium)

Benefits Received by the Members of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Insurance Company:

The Blue Cross & Blue Shield Medicare Supplemental Insurance plans offer to the insured abundant benefits such as:

• Guaranteed Acceptance (no health inquiry done)
• Liberty of selecting any medical specialist
• Coverage for prescriptions and hospice coinsurance
• Special discount for members
• Excellent customer service
• Guaranteed renewability (in spite of any change in  your health status)
• Insurance Coverage offered on travelling within or outside United States (Medicare Plan F, C and G offer coverage for foreign travel)
• In most of the insurance cases there are no claim forms
• Guaranteed insurance coverage to meet the changing Medicare expenses