Health Insurance Blog

BlueEdge is a high-deductible health plan offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) that can be combined to form an HSA. There are also BlueEdge plan options for employer groups that work in conjunction with health reimbursement arrangements.

BlueEdge also includes coverage for both preventative & wellness benefits.

Health savings accounts are effective ways to keep monthly premiums down, especially for individuals or families that are relatively healthy.

Health insurance rates for BlueEdge can be as low as $75/mo or for BlueChoice PPO as low as $58/mo.

More information about Illinois health insurance.

The article “Leading insurance grievance: delays in claims handling” by Becky Yerak on chicagotribune.com states that Illinois consumers have been filing less complaints about their health, auto and homeowners insurance companies. 

Illinois health insurance complaints were down 13%, auto insurance complaints were down 10%, and homeowners insurance was down 5%.  The complaint ratios, which compare the number of complaints with every $1 million in policies, vary widely among insurance companies.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners released the study showing that the leading complaint was because of delays in handling of claims at 18.7%.  The next most common complaint was claims denials which was around 18.2%. 

Consumers complained most often about accident and health insurance coverage at 37.5% of complaints.  Auto insurance accounted for about 35% and homeowners insurance only accounted for 12.5% of all of the complaints.

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.

BCBSIL has brought Availity network to its providers which gives instant information about BCBSIL members’ eligibility, benefits, status of claims as well as other functions.  This platform not only reduces costs but is expected to enhance patient care. 

This secure web portal was built and is operated by Florida based Availity, LLC and BCBSIL will be giving providers access at no additional cost.  Availity is designed to make sharing information in the future easier as well, to help improve efficiency and the quality of information transfers. 

Recently, the Asian Health Coalition of Illinois (AHCI) announced that it will be giving its Corporate Leadership award to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois for their efforts to promote wellness and for its strong support of AHCI.

According to BCBSIL’s site, BCBSIL supports hundreds of nonprofit organizations every year that offer services to people who are unable to become insured.  They take their role in community very seriously and are honored to accept this great award.  The award was accepted by President of BCBSIL, Paul Boulis, at an AHCI fundraiser last month. 

Judith Graham from the Chicago Tribune recently wrote about the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan, and its coverage for those individuals unable to buy Illinois health insurance elsewhere. There is a cap on the number of people that can enroll (currently almost 6,000) in order to ensure that its costs are fully covered by state funding and its premiums, which can’t be higher than 150% of what a regular insurance premium costs in the market. This program is reserved for U.S. citizens and legal residents, and has a $2.5 million cap on lifetime benefits, according to Judith.

Currently, Illinois has about a thousand slots remaining in ICHIP’s traditional pool, so it’s worth looking into if you have unsuccessfully attempted to buy individual health coverage or suffer from certain chronic, uninsurable conditions including:

• Juvenile diabetes
• AIDS
• leukemia
• Parkinson’s disease
• multiple sclerosis
• cystic fibrosis

This program is different from the HIPAA plan, which is intended for those who have lost their employer-sponsored health insurance and exhausted their COBRA unemployment insurance.

Judith Graham from the Chicago Tribune’s Triage blog has mentioned that the state of Illinois is now suffering from an epidemic of 50 to 64 year-olds without health insurance. These individuals are caught between a rock and a hard place–they often suffer from pre-existing conditions that preclude buying individual health coverage on the open market, but aren’t yet old enough to qualify for Medicare.

An AARP/Disability Advocates of Chicago report found that over 287,000 (13.3%) adults in the 50-64 age group are uninsured. 44% of poor adults in this age range lack health insurance.

Unfortunately, the current corruption scandal involving Ill. Governor Rod Blagojevich is distracting the state from its governing duties, including dealing with health care. Get the best Illinois health insurance quotes, regardless of your age.

(Photo credit: Cuksis under CC 2.0)

US News and World Report’s 2008 ranking of the top Illinois Health Insurance Plans are listed below.  Based on 1) consumer surveys and 2) success in preventing and treating illness compared with average plan.

1. PersonalCare Insurance of Illinois (conducting business exclusively in Illinois)
2. Health Alliance Medical Plans (Illinois, Iowa)
3. CIGNA Healthcare of St. Louis (Illinois, Missouri)
4. Medical Associates Health Plan (Illinois, Iowa)
5. United Healthcare plan of the River Valley (Illinois, Tennessee, Iowa, Virginia
6. OSF Health Plans (Illinois)
7. United Healthcare of the Midwest (Illinois, Kansas, Missouri)
8. United Healthcare of the Midlands (Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa)
9. CIGNA Healthcare of Illinois (Illinois, Indiana)
10. United Healthcare of Illinois (Illinois, Indiana)

You’ll notice, on this top 10 list, there are 4 distinct United Healthcare plans listed as well as 2 CIGNA health plans.  This generally results from various regional health plans being responsible for a service area that covers specific MSAs, or specific regions within a state or states.

Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna are noticably absent from this list

A recent press release from Aetna announced the launch of their new line of individual health plans for young adults called BodyGuard which became effective August 1 .  Rates start at $40 per month.

The BodyGuard portfolio of health plans are designed for healthy young adults, a segment of the population that is most likely to go uninsured.  Young adults frequently do not maintain health coverage because of their good health and “invincible” feeling, but should be protected in case of unexpected events such as accident, or sudden illness for example.

Initially BodyGuard will only be available in Illinois, but will expanded to additional states in the future.

In addition to the health insurance coverage, individuals enrolling in BodyGuard will have the option of adding dental coverage for $14 per month