Health Insurance Blog

Blue Cross Blue Shield member plans initiatives to increase access to affordable health insurance by the uninsured. PartVI

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) worked closely with both the Kansas Hospital Association and the Kansas Medical Society to create the ValueBlue health insurance product line.

ValueBlue is designed for Kansas residents that earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level and have been uninsured for a year or more.

The Blue Cross plan uses a special network of hospitals and healthcare professionals that agree to accept 50% of standard payment allowances, enabling BCBSKS to offer ValueBlue at half the cost of similar health plans in Kansas.

The administrative expenses that generated by offering the ValueBlue health plan are 100% absorbed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of kansas.

More information about Kansas Health Insurance.

AskBlue is a consumer tool develop by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association that helps individuals make decisions about the health insurance needs.  Essentially the tool helps consumers find individual health insurance plans that fits their needs that are offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield member health plans.

The tool is easy to use, after answering a few questions anonymously you will receive a summary that outlines health coverage option recommendations that will help you make a purchase decision.

The survey take a bit of time to go through, but it is a neat tool, and should be helpful to people who are less knowledgeable about health insurance and their family needs.

Thestreet.com recently rated the financial strength of HMOs from coast-to-coast.  It is important to understand the financial strength of an insurance company that will be providing you benefits as a weak company may provide you with sub-standard care as well as the potential for financial loss.

The following companies were rated as having an A+ financial strength rating by thestreet.com

• Health Care Services Corporation
• Blue Cross of California
• Excellus Health Plan
• Group Hospital & Medical Services
• LA Health Services & Indemnity
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
• Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield
• Horizon Health Care of New Jersey
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of KC
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island
• Carefirst BlueChoice
• Independent Health Association
• Anthem Health Plans of Maine
• Blue Cross of Idaho
• HealthKeepers Inc.
• Rochester Area HMO
• Optima Health Plan
• HMO Louisiana

More research about health plans by state.

Blue Cross Blue Shield member plans initiatives to increase access to affordable health insurance by the uninsured.

Part V

The Keiki Care Plan is a partnership between the state of Hawaii and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Hawaii.  Under the partnership, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Hawaii offers health coverage to uninsured children in the state with no monthly premium.  The cost of coverage is shared between the state and Blue Cross.

The Keiki care Plan provides basic health benefits including preventive care, immunizations, doctor’s visits, diagnostic tests, emergency care and limited prescription drug benefits.

The Keiki Care Plan is a three-year pilot program targeting Hawaiian children whose families are unable to afford health insurance and may otherwise go without needed medical care.

More information about Hawaii health insurance.

Blue Cross Blue Shield member plans initiatives to  increase access to affordable health insurance by the uninsured.

Part IV

GoBlue is a product offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida which provides Florida residents access to doctor visits, basic and preventative dental care, prescription coverage, and lab tests all at affordable rates as low as $26 per month, for a 25 year old.

GoBlue is a guaranteed issue producty which means florida residents cannot be declined due to health conditions.  In addtion, the product has no lifetime maximums so members can continue to be enrolled as long as they continue to pay their monthly premiums.

More information about Florida health insurance.

Blue Cross Blue Shield member plans initiatives to  increase access to affordable health insurance by the uninsured.

Part III.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware (BCBSD) launched a suite of health plans called BlueIndividual.  The BlueIndividual health plans provide access to affordable, comprehensive health coverage to Delaware residents who are ineligible for employer sponsored health coverage.

There are three products in the BlueIndividual portfolio, and each one can be combined with a tax-advantaged HSA Plan.

More Information about Delaware Health Insurance.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) member health plans collectively insure more than 100 million Americans, and although they are not supporters of President Obama’s health care reform proposal which would establish a public health plan that would compete with private health insurers, they are firm believers that everyone in our country should have health insurance.  Consequently many Blue Cross Blue Shield member health plans are undertaking state initiatives to increase the availability of affordable health insurance plans to the uninsured.

Over the next several days we will identify some of these state initiatives.

The first initiative is one launched by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, called the Alabama Child Caring Program (ACCP).  The program established in 1988 provides immediate and ongoing care to uninsured children in Alabama who are ineligible for state sponsored health programs.  Since the program was launched, nearly 70,000 Alabama children have received health coverage, helping Alabama lead the nation with the lowest % of uninsured children.

More information about Alabama health insurance.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Plans to sell individual health insurance plans via storefront on a larger scale in the future. BCBSFL who has had an operational health insurance storefront in Pembroke Pines for more than a year plans to expand to five to eight stores across the state.

Individual health insurance have become much more popular health insurance alternatives as the recession has cost thousands their employer sponsored health coverage.

• Aetna reports that their individual health insurance sales in Florida are up 22% over the past 6 months.
• BCBS Florida’s individual health insurance “requests” are up 15% over the past 8 months.

While some say that individual health plans are the least cost effective for the customer because of high administrative costs, they can be quite effective and inexpensive for the young and healthy in particular.

Other similar health insurance storefronts in Florida include an AvMed store in Hollywood aimed at Medicare Seniors, and about a dozen Humana stores across the state.

More about Florida health insurance.

When JD Power & Associates rated the top health plans in Pennsylvania, they also included Delaware in a region which included both Pennsylvania & Delaware.  However, of the eleven private health insurance companies that were included in the study and part of this region, eight of them where Pennsylvania health plans, and the three that weren’t exclusively Pennsylvania plans (Aetna, CIGNA, and UnitedHealthCare) did not factor into consideration among the top plans and were all rated as being below average in overall experience.

According to the study, the top health insurance plan in Pennsylvania was Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, which was also judged to be one of the best the nation has to offer.  Finishing a close second to Highmark BCBS, was another Highmark inc. company and Blue Cross Blue Shield Licensee Highmark Blue Shield.

Highmark BCBS serves health insurance customers in Western Pennsylvania, while Highmark Blue Shield serves Central PA.

Other Pennsylvania health plans that fared particularly well in the study include Capital BlueCross and Geisinger Health Plan, both were rated above average.

On BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois’ website they have details on a new Illinois health insurance law that went into effect on June 1st.  The Young Adult Dependent Coverage Law states that if you have dependents meeting certain criteria  you may be able to extend their coverage under your current health insurance policy.

Some eligibility requirements for non-military dependents include:

1. Must be under the age of 26
2. Unmarried
3. Do not have to be enrolled as a full time student

Some eligibility requirements for military veteran dependents:

1. Must be under the age of 30
2. Unmarried
3. Do not have to be enrolled as a full time student
4. Illinois resident
5. Must receive a discharge other than dishonorable

Dependent coverage change doesn’t apply to everyone.  Additional eligibility requirements may apply.  If you have questions contact BCBSIL if you are a member.  If you have coverage under your employer’s health plan, contact your group administrator.