Is blue cross the same as Blue Cross Blue Shield?
Asked by: Celestine O'Hara PhD | Last update: July 9, 2025Score: 4.8/5 (74 votes)
What is the difference between Blue Cross and Blue Shield standard and basic?
FEP Blue Basic provides coverage for preventive dental care services only, while FEP Blue Standard provides coverage for preventive dental care and some other non-routine services. FEP Blue Focus does not offer dental benefits.
Is independence blue cross and Blue Cross Blue Shield the same?
About Independence
As a licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, we provide families with the security and stability that comes with a Blue Card.
How do I know which Blue Cross Blue Shield I have?
If you forget or aren't sure what type of health insurance plan you have (like an HMO or PPO), you can find out on your BCBS ID card. If you have an HMO, your card may also list the physician or group you've selected for primary care.
What is the difference between Blue Cross Blue Shield and Blue Cross?
History. Blue Cross and Blue Shield developed separately, with Blue Cross providing coverage for hospital services and Blue Shield covering physicians' services. Blue Cross is a name used by an association of health insurance plans throughout the United States.
Blue Cross vs. UnitedHealthcare: Which Insurance is Best for You?
How do I know what type of insurance I have?
Plan Type Your card might have a label like HMO or PPO to describe the type of plan you have. These labels tell you what type of network your plan has, so you can see which providers are “in-network” for you.
Who owns Blue Cross and Blue Shield?
The Association owns and manages Blue Cross and Blue Shield trademarked plans in over 170 countries and grants licenses to independent companies to use the names in exclusive geographic areas. BCBSA companies provide health insurance to over 115 million people in the United States.
Is Blue Cross Blue Shield different than Anthem Blue Cross?
Anthem and Blue Cross Blue Shield are related, but they are not the same company. While they are both top health insurance providers in the USA, the big difference is that Blue Cross Blue Shield is the umbrella that is made up of several independent companies, and one of these smaller companies is Anthem.
Is Blue Cross and Blue Shield private insurance?
Blue Cross Blue Shield is a private insurer that offers Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans. The plans they offer have various pros and cons, including cost and coverage.
Is Blue Cross cheaper than Blue Shield?
Depending on your region, the cheapest California health plan might be offered by Anthem Blue Cross or by Blue Shield of California. However, the rates tend to be about the same. The big difference is network. Which plan offers the most doctors, hospitals and medical provider networks?
Why is Blue Cross Blue Shield so good?
In every ZIP Code, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies offer a personalized approach to health care based on the needs of the communities where their members live and work. They work closely with hospitals and doctors in the communities they serve to provide quality, affordable health care.
Is Blue Cross Federal PPO or HMO?
We have a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)
Our fee-for-service Plan offers services through a PPO. This means that certain hospitals and other healthcare providers are “Preferred providers.” When you use our PPO (Preferred) providers, you will receive covered services at a reduced cost.
What happened to Blue Cross Blue Shield?
Court issues preliminary approval of $2.8 billion Blue Cross Blue Shield provider settlement. A $2.8 billion settlement from Blue Cross Blue Shield to health care providers resolving a 12-year antitrust lawsuit received preliminary approval yesterday from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
What is the best healthcare insurance?
Investopedia's analysis ranks Kaiser Permanente as the best health insurance company for 2025 because of its blend of affordability and low customer complaints. UnitedHealthcare and Aetna also earned top marks. We evaluated nine insurers using dozens of criteria, such as customer satisfaction, plan types, and costs.
Is Blue Cross Blue Shield the same as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts?
BCBSMA formed in 1988 after the merger of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts. In 1992 it offered an HMO plan along with the rise of managed care in the 1990s.
Did Anthem buy out Blue Cross Blue Shield?
In 1996, The Associated Group changed its name to Anthem Insurance Company. In August 1997, Anthem acquired Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Connecticut. It also sold Acordia to management. In 1999, Anthem acquired Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Hampshire and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Colorado and Nevada.
Is Anthem Blue Cross dental good?
The Bottom Line. Anthem can be a good dental insurance provider if you want to use your dental benefits soon after you enroll. You can access basic care after a three-month waiting period and pay just 50% of the costs. The 50% coverage is fairly standard, but the three-month wait is shorter than many other plans.
Is Aetna Blue Cross Blue Shield?
Aetna and Anthem are different health insurance companies. Aetna has broader availability, especially with Medicare Advantage plans. Aetna sells health insurance in 49 states plus Washington, D.C.. Anthem is a brand of the Blue Cross Blue Shield network. It only operates in 14 states.
Who is buying out Blue Cross Blue Shield?
Elevance Health's $2.5 billion acquisition of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana (BCBSLA) is on pause yet again amid concerns about the impact on competition.
Why is Blue Cross Blue Shield in a lawsuit?
The lawsuit alleged a range of antitrust violations by BCBS, including price fixing and allocating markets using exclusive service areas.
Can blue cross be used in any state?
Every Blue Cross Blue Shield plan participates in the BlueCard program that allows you to use your plan benefits to access care anywhere inside the United States. Depending on the type of plan you have, you may only be covered in emergency situations. This is the case if you have an HMO network plan, for example.
Do doctors prefer HMO or PPO?
HMO plans might involve more bureaucracy and can limit doctors' ability to practice medicine as they see fit due to stricter guidelines on treatment protocols. So just as with patients, providers who prefer a greater degree of flexibility tend to prefer PPO plans.
How do I know what kind of Blue Cross insurance I have?
Various logos may be displayed on member ID cards for Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Plans in the United States and International Licensees licensed through BCBSA. Member ID cards may include one of the logos below that identify the type of coverage the member has and/or indicate the provider's reimbursement level.
Which health insurance company denies the most claims?
According to the analysis, AvMed and UnitedHealthcare tied for the highest denial rate, with both companies denying about a third of in-network claims for plans sold on the Marketplace in 2023, respectively.