Guide To Health Insurance.org

About Blue Cross

Blue Cross had modest beginnings in Texas in 1929. Initially, it provided modest hospital-care benefits for schoolteachers in the Dallas area. Around the same time, the concept behind the Blue Shield program was forming in the lumber and mining camps of the Pacific Northwest. The basic Blue Shield idea was to arrange a system through which employers paid physicians monthly fees for providing medical care to employees. The two systems merged over time, officially so in 1982. They have grown from systems that originally covered around 1000 people to a system that covers approximately 94 million people today.

Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance is provided by 38 independent, locally-operated plans across the United States and Puerto Rico. These plans are focused on providing high-quality, customer-focused, and affordable health care coverage for everyone. Blue Cross plans represent the most recognized health insurance providers in the world, covering approximately one in three people in the United States. These plans offer a full continuum of product and coverage options.

These plans worked closely with organized labor during the 1930s and 1940s. Today, Blue Cross covers more union workers and their families than any other carrier. Blue Cross is also well known for its coverage of federal workers, covering more than 50 percent of federal workers and their families. Blue Cross has been instrumental in assisting the development of the Medicare program.

Blue Cross Plans

Blue Cross offers a variety of high quality plans to individuals, groups, and federal employees. The plans are designed to provide economical, high-quality healthcare for everyone. In addition to typical health care plans, Blue Cross offers dental plans, prescription drug plans, and life and disability plans. Three typical plans are described below. These plans are offered to individuals.

• PPO Medical Plans -- These are Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs). Under PPO plans, members can obtain discounted healthcare services by going to designated health providers. Members can also go to other providers, but must pay for charges that exceed the allowable plan amounts. These plans are recommended for members with families.
  
  
• HMO Medical Plans -- These are Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). Under the HMO system, members receive comprehensive medical coverage for a fixed, monthly fee. Medical services must be obtained from providers who participate in the plan. Services must be coordinated by an approved Primary Care Physician (PCP).
  
  
• Individual Short Term PPO Plans -- These non-renewable plans are available for individuals who are between jobs, recently graduated, or awaiting other coverage. Coverage can range from 30 to 185 days. Deductibles range from $250 to $2000.
  
  

Blue Cross Headquarters

Blue Cross headquarters are conveniently located throughout the United States.