Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the oldest and most respected health
insurance companies in the United States, and features the Blue Network which
spans most of the country.
Here are some reviews Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance members about
their health insurance plans. If you have any questions about BlueCross
BlueShield (BCBS) as to
the differences between policy benefits or which policies are available in your state, you can
call toll free
1-877-698-6645 to speak with a health
insurance specialist by who will be able to answer any Blue Cross Blue Shield
health insurance related questions.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of TN Health Insurance
Review:
When my husband and I planned for an early retirement we were both in our 50's.
Not only were we retiring, but we were moving to Nashville, TN. Since we
resigned from our jobs, we knew we would have to buy health insurance and dental
insurance in Tennessee.
We purchased a PPO family plan, for just my husband and me, through Blue Cross
Blue Shield TN. We paid for the family plan ourselves, initially, the cost was a
little less than $400 a month for both of us. Our co-pay was very reasonable at
$25 each per office visit. Over the next several years our premiums went up each
time one of us reached a certain age level. By the time my husband was 65 and
able to get Mutual of Omaha Medicare; our monthly premiums were almost $800 a
month.
Once my husband started with Medicare, I kept Blue Cross Blue Shield of TN and
it was changed to my name only, an individual PPO plan. My monthly premiums at
that point would have been almost as $600 a month. The only way to get a lower
monthly rate was to go with a higher deductible, which is what I did. For the
last few years my monthly premium is $362 dollars with a $500 deductible. I
could save more money by taking a $1,000 deductible. Once you take a higher
deductible, you cannot go backward to a lower one. My doctor visit co-pay is
$25. If I were to see a non-network physician, the co-pay would be higher.
There is a prescription plan associated with my health care policy. It is not
the best, but not the worst either. A prescription that would cost $55 without
using a prescription plan costs me $38. At the end of each calendar year I can
fill out a prescription form with all the medicines I purchased during the year.
The pharmacy prints out the list, which makes it much easier to fill out the
form. I submit that to my Blue Cross Blue Shield of TN claims department and
they pay a certain percentage of the total.
Since my prescription plan does not reimburse very well, and my high blood
pressure meds are expensive, I always ask for free samples. For the last year my
doctor in Nashville had been trying to get my pressure stabilized and it took
several different meds to achieve that. He gave me samples so that I would not
have to spend money on a prescription that may not work. Don't be afraid to ask
your doctor for samples. Another way to save money is to ask the doctor to write
scripts for generics. That can save a considerable amount of money.
Three years ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I normally have to go
for a re-check of my blood pressure every other month. At a cost of only $15
that is reasonable. The actual cost of those doctor visits are usually in the
$100 range, if no other tests were done. I have used this insurance for testing
for kidney stones, including ultrasound sound and other x-rays. I had a
procedure to get rid of a kidney stone and the procedure only cost me a few
dollars after insurance.
If you decided to switch doctors for one reason or another, make sure the new
doctor is a member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of TN network or you will pay a
higher co-pay. Always carry your insurance card with you and make sure you have
the co-pay money for the visit or most doctors won't see you.
Dental insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield is a separate policy which my
husband and I both have had for almost 10 years. It is not an expensive policy,
but it only covers the basics. The family plan for my husband and I only costs $45 a
month. I do not have a vision plan through Blue Cross Blue Shield of TN.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia review:
In these days where you have to pick and choose which bills to pay
there are
things you think may be a luxury that you can let go, in order to survive.
Health insurance is not a luxury, it is a necessity to our family. We are so
fortunate to be offered health insurance through my husbands employer, which is
100% paid for by the company. If we were to pay for it, it would cost us right
at $1000 a month for a family of three.
We recently were switched to an HMO with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia a few
months ago. We went a little while before we had to use it, then our son who is
17 had some kidney stones. He was taken to the local emergency room where we
paid our $150 co-pay. That Monday, we went to a nephrologist in Atlanta, where
the co-pay was $35, and was told he needed surgery. The next day we paid our
$1000 deductible for him and the stones were lasered and a stint put in. We went
back 17 days later for the stint removal and retrieving more stones. That visit
we paid a 20% co-pay.
We have been very pleased with Blue Cross Blue Shield of GA insurance. If we
would not have had insurance, we would have had to pay everything up front,
which would have been very expensive. Most of the doctors offices, clinics and
hospitals right here in our town are on our insurance network, which is really
convenient. We do have to travel out of town to see a specialist, which is not
bad, it is only an hours drive.
Last weekend, my husband woke up sick on a Sunday morning. We thought he may
have the flu, and was fixing to bring him to the local emergency room, which
would have cost us $150. I flipped through our BCBS GA provider book and found a
7 day a week clinic about 30 minutes from our house. We filled out his new
patient paperwork and paid our regular $35 co-pay. Within 10 minutes, he was
called back, and after the exam, he was told he had bronchitis and a sinus
infection. He was given some shots, sample medicine and they also called in some
prescriptions. All of that for $35! Yes, we had to drive a little ways, but we
were not out the $150 we would have been at the emergency room 10 minutes from
our home.
I am very thankful for our health insurance, and even more thankful that my
husbands employer pays every employees premium. Every year, we think we will be
responsible for some of the premiums because of the increases, but it has been 6
years that they have been paying it. Having health insurance gives us a peace of
mind knowing that if we do get sick, we can afford to go to the doctor and be
taken care of. You may look at the premium amount and think that there is no way
that you can afford it. You cannot afford to be without health insurance!
BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona rewiew:
I realize having health insurance is one of the most important things that a
person can have. Health insurance provides me protection and the ability to
cover medical expenses. Without health insurance I would be liable for all my
medical expenses and I could go bankrupt. So it has always been very important
that I have health insurance at all times. My Blue Cross Blue Shield AZ health
insurance usually covers a certain percentage of my medical expenses but it can
sometimes cover all your medical expenses depending if I met my deductible or
not.
There are many companies that I have had health insurance with. These carriers
include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Cigna, Cobra, UnitedHealthOne and
Aetna just to name a few. They all offer comprehensive coverage but their prices
did vary. My current premium is $185 per month. In Arizona, health insurance
prices go up every couple years so it's best to shop around for the best quote
(I used to be with Cigna).
For my health insurance coverage I am the only person on my current policy since
I don't currently have a family. It makes it easy for me to shop for coverage,
since I only worry about what coverage I need. For example I used to pay for
maternity coverage but now I no longer pay for it, because I don’t need it.
The insurance company I'm with right now is Blue Cross Blue Shield and I
currently live in Arizona. This insurance company is available only in AZ but in
most other states I can use the Blue Network. As said earlier there are numerous
other BCBS companies that you can receive coverage from. My insurance policy is
currently a PPO and my co pays are about 20% of all medical costs incurred.
Currently my monthly premium is only $221 per month for my health insurance policy.
Since I'm in good health I am able to get a fairly low and affordable rate.
Although I don't have any major health
conditions and rarely go to a doctor, I have
used my health insurance every once in a while. I used my insurance when I had
to go to the doctor in Phoenix for a checkup and to discuss some health allergy
concerns that I have. I’ve also used it a few times when I was injured, like
when I broke my ankle. During my lifetime I have learned how to successfully
handle medical claims. Whenever I have a larger medical claim. I always call the
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona claims department when I get the bill from my
insurance. Sometimes I’ll find procedures that the doctor has billed for that I
did not have done, or find procedures listed that didn’t seem relevant. Crazy as
it sounds, you need to view your claim and usually one quick call to claims will
make sure all the correct procedure codes are being included.
When getting health insurance I usually go through an independent agent. The
reason for this approach is because I get more personalized service and
assistance. Once I went though ehealthinsurance and it offered no customer
support. Now I’m not very comfortable ordering a policy on my own over the phone
or online, so I prefer to get my policy through independent health insurance
agent since they can also provide me with detailed information about what I'm
getting from my policy.
My current policy does not include dental and vision coverage, so I have a
separate policy for that insurance.
BCBS Texas Health Insurance Overview:
Searching for family health insurance can be a nightmare! Luckily, my
employer offers health insurance to its employees.
I work for a company that offers insurance coverage through Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Texas (BCBS TX). My co-pays are $25 for regular doctor visits and $35
to see a specialist. The plan I am under is a PPO plan. That means I can
self-referral to any doctor that is in the BCBS network. You may be asking, what
is the benefit of that exactly? I don’t have to see my regular doctor to be
referred to a specialist. Hence, I only one co-pay! I have a $1000 deductible
then my plan will pay 80%. Once I reach $2000 out of pocket maximum, my plan
pays 100% (except co-pays). I have prescription benefits included which runs
$25/$45/$60 for the different generic and name brand tiers. Dental and vision is
covered through a different employer sponsored company.
As an added perk, BCBS of Texas offers a free 24/7 nurse helpline. I can call
anytime, any day and speak to a live nurse. The nurse screens my health issue
and makes educated suggestions. Sometimes the suggestions may be that it’s ok to
use something over-the-counter, or that it’s ok to wait to see a doctor. While
other times, the suggestion is to seek immediate medical attention. This can be
reassuring to someone that isn’t quite sure if their need requires going to an
Emergency Room. In addition, the nurse will follow up with you to see how you
are doing.
Another added benefit would be the discounts. My husband and I were pleasantly
surprised when we recently signed up at the gym. The clerk asked us what health
insurance we had. When we told her we had Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and
she said our enrollment fee would be cut in half. I received a discount at a
nutrition supplement store, too. Surprisingly, there are many places I can go to
get discounts just for having insurance through BCBS.
BCBS offers a website to its members that is useful and even educational. As a
member, I can log-on and search through recipes, nutrition tips, exercise
routine suggestions, and relaxation programs. All of this at no cost to me!
There is even a place where I earn points for being health-conscious. Through my
employer I rack up daily points for exercising, seeing my doctor for cholesterol
and blood pressure screenings and even for just logging in to the nutrition site
and searching recipes. These points turn into prizes that I choose. Even my kids
can earn prizes. My health insurance rewards you for taking care of yourself!
BCBS has figured out a way to help its members save money at the doctors office.
If my doctor draws labs or performs a procedure in office, it falls under my
single co-pay for the visit. In other words, if my doctor’s office does x-rays,
labs, endoscopies, mammograms, biopsies or any other procedure in office, I only
pay my co-pay for the visit! I don’t have to deal with the 20% mess left after
my deductible or anything like that. Also, under my plan, routine preventative
(age-appropriate) screenings are covered at 100%. No coinsurance, deductible or
co-pay.
Recently, BCBS made a major change. No longer will dependent 19 year olds be
dropped off insurance for lack of being enrolled in school full-time. For
example, my recent high-school graduate son turns 19 this July. He decided to
take a year off to figure out what path to take. Before this change, he would
have been dropped from my policy due to being 19 and not attending school full
time. Due to this change in policy, he can stay on my policy until he turns 26,
regardless of student enrollment status.
My health insurance company has gone above and beyond to try to send a message
to their members…they want us healthy! I couldn't be happier with BCBS!
Insert your review here:
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For any questions about
Blue Cross Blue Shield
health insurance, deductibles, co-pay, or any
other health insurance related questions, please email us at
info@HealthInsuranceReviews.com.
Or you can call us toll free at
1-877-698-6645 to speak with a health
insurance specialist who can answer any questions you may have about BCBS health insurance or any other question about health insurance.
