Blue Cross Blue Shield - History, Eligibility Requirements, Benefits

Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is a prominent federation consisting of 36 different Health Insurance organizations & companies in the United States. Blue Cross Blue Shield caters health insurance service across the U.S to over 110 million people.

Blue Cross Blue Shield is a primary linkage between all the other licensees. BCBS manages operating policies that every Licensee is bound to follow to be a licensee and it also controls the communications happening between various “Plans”, allowing all the Licensees to provide national insurance, although every plan has a defined service area.

Brief History:

Named as ‘The Association’ in the healthcare insurance industry, Blue Cross Blue Shield was initially two separate parts namely Blue Cross originated in 1929 and Blue Shield in 1939.

Blue cross which supplied quality coverage for hospital services was further developed into a new association called Blue Cross Association in 1960, while Blue Shield which specifically covered physicians’ services was developed into Blue Shield Association in 1948.

The initial scheme of Blue Cross guaranteed 21 days of hospital care to teachers for $6 per year and slowly it reached out to other employee sets in Dallas and finally got extended nationally.

Blue Shield was slowly formed by employers along with mining camps in the Pacific Northwest to cater medical care facilities.

The two ‘BLUE’ organizations united in the year 1982.

Service of Blue Cross Blue Shield:

Blue Cross Blue Shield has been catering healthcare coverage to the community since 1929. Healthcare insurance services of BCBS allowed a bunch of people to live without any fear & worry. Personalized offers of BCBS reach out to numerous people & communities living in every ZIP code, taking care of their needs and expectations. In order to deliver affordable & quality healthcare, they are closely linked with hospitals as well as specialized doctors.

Blue Cross Blue Shield thoroughly perceives & answers to the queries of local groups while supplying healthcare coverage to more than 110 million members in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. In the U.S, more than 96% of hospitals & 95% of doctors as well as specialists work with BCBS.

A total sum of 36 BCBS companies includes both independent & locally operated firms. They provide national health insurance coverage to four out of five American populations all over 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Plus, the BCBS Federal Employee Program works to ensure more than 5 million federal employees and retirees along with their families.

For years, BCBS has successfully catered 100% security to the communities and the members living therein. BCBS companies compassionately assist, invest in & construct plans as well as partnerships that offer a profitable effect on the health & welfare of American inhabitants.

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Medicare Coverage of BCBS:

Well, before choosing a Medicare coverage for you, let’s put some light on Medicare and understand how it works.

Medicare is federal health insurance provided to an eligible group of people. Medicare offers various parts namely Part A, B, C & D that are built to address every need in the community.

Eligibility Requirements for Medicare Coverage:

You can own a Medicare if you are:

65 years old
Under 65 with definite medical conditions or disabilities
Diagnosed with ESRD (End-stage renal disease) or ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
Benefited from Social Security or RRB (Railroad Retirement Board).

Also Read: How to Avail Medicare Benefits?

Parts of Medicare:

Medicare Part A and B are known as Original Medicare. Both of them consist of a specified set of services & benefits.

Medicare Part A	Part A caters facilities including inpatient care in hospitals and home health care services for terminally ill individuals.
Medicare Part B	Part B caters preventive services, outpatient care, durable medical equipment, medical supplies and doctor services.

Other than Part A and PART B, Medicare also offers the following coverage:

Medicare Advantage

Part C

PART C is a combination of Part A & Part B with some additional benefits including hearing aids, eye examination and wellness programs.

It is compulsory to own Part A and Part B to enrol into Part C/Medicare Advantage Part.

Prescription Drug Coverage

Part D

Part D of Medicare is prescription drug coverage.An individual can own Part D by enrolling in the Original Medicare plan or the Medicare Advantage plan.

Medigap

(Medicare Supplement)

These are state-related insurance policies for specific groups who avail Medicare coverage plan through Original Medicare.

Medigap helps paying some health care expenses that Original Medicare doesn’t offer.

Medigap provides extra benefits as well.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Employee Benefits:

Blue Cross Blue Shield cares about the employees. BCBS Benefits help employees’ to upgrade their aspects including professional development, general well-being, financial security, and physical health. The company makes sure to create an encouraging work environment for the employees, allowing them to take a break from their work in order to maintain their peace of mind. Benefit packages of BCBS are clearly the support system of employees as it works actively for their good health as well as wealth. Physical health is the primary key which leads to overall well-being. BCBS Benefit Packages motivate employees’ to imbibe healthy habits to improve their quality of life. Employees’ are provided with competitive plans with incentives, weight-loss programs, corporate discounts on bike shares, healthy eating seminars and many more. Health Management plans also reach out to the dependents of employees.

Blue Cross Blue Shield caters a list of medical plans after taking into account their employees’s budget and requirements. These plans also include vision & digital plans and prescription drug programs.