California health insurance  -    Blue Shield of California Review

 

Blue Shield of California Review, Rates, and Plans

 

 

Another year...another Open Enrollment.

 

Covered Ca has had big changes in store for California over the last few years.

 

For Senior options, check out Medicare options with Blue Shield.

 

As for Individual Family including Covered Ca, in some counties, they will be the only insurer.

 

Let's take a look at the company and their options available including Covered California plans.

 

We'll touch base on these main topics:

 

 

You can always quote the new Blue Shield plans and rates here with tax credit:

 

quote and compare covered ca health plans in california


quote and compare california blue shield business health plans

quote and compare Blue Shield california medicare plans

 

 

Let's get started!

 

 Recent Blue Shield California Changes

 

First, there are changes that affect all the carriers including Blue Shield.

 

Benefit Adjustments

 

Each year at Open Enrollment (Nov 1st - Jan 31st most years), there are slight changes to the core benefits.

 

These plans are standardized so the core benefits will be the same from carrier to carrier.

 

A silver plan will work like another silver plan across the market!

 

Within each plan level, there are tweaks here and there.

 

Usually not for the best but the carriers are scrambling to keep costs down (less high is a better description).

 

  • The deductible may go up $100.
  • The max might go up $50.
  • Copays might change by $5.

 

Again, it will affect Blue Shield's plans as well as the other carriers.

 

We'll address network and rates changes in those respective sections below but here's the biggest change.

 

There's no cost for our services as Certified Covered California agents.

 

Remains the Same

 

Otherwise, it should be pretty consistent for Blue Shield of California.

 

They will be the only carrier with near full-State coverage.

 The only one!

 

 

They will offer plans across the full spectrum of levels from Bronze HSA to Platinum.

 

Let's get into the individual topics that are important.

 

Starting with Pricing!

 

Blue Shield of California Rates

 

Up through 2017, the rate comparison really came down to Blue Shield's PPO and Anthem' EPO.

 

That makes recent years quite a bit easier since Anthem left big parts of the State.

 

They've since up back to some areas but check what's available in the quote below.

 

You can quote all your plan options including Shield here:


quote and compare covered ca health plans in california

 


In areas where Anthem is still here, it really comes down to the individual.

 

We'll see Anthem cheaper for some people and Blue Shield cheaper for others.

 

The difference can be striking.

 

You definitely need to quote the two side by side.

 

The average increase for all of California is single digits over the last few years.

 

An individual's rate change can be quite different from the average.

 

Keep in mind that if you get a tax credit, it will adjust as well.

Usually up!

 

 

This means that the change in tax credit should partially offset any increase in underlying premium.

 

It's really important to re-evaluate your income for the current year if you expect different results.

 

It's roughly the AGI on the 1040 tax form that we're trying to estimate.

 

The income piece can be confusing...especially if you're self-employed.

 

Let us help you walk through this section to make sure doing it right.

 

It can mean a lot of money out of pocket.

 

This brings up a good point...

 

The application or plan change itself if full of places where a wrong answer can affect your tax credit.

 

We can help with that process as well.

 

There's no cost to you as Certified Covered Ca agents.

 

If you already have a Covered Ca account, just delegate us (quick instructions here).

 

If you're enrolling newly, access to the streamlined application is here:


Apply for Blue Shield through Covered California

 

either way, we'll get you on the right track right away.

Blue Shield of California Plans

 

There's an art to comparing the various plans available.

 

Let's get out the brushes!

 

Blue Shield will offer plans at all levels:

 

  • Bronze 60
  • Bronze HSA (HDHP)
  • Silver (including enhanced Silver plans 73, 87, and 94 based on income)
  • Gold
  • Platinum

 

Even though the plans are standardized from carrier to carrier, it's still tough for the average person to compare the options.

 

Not a problem!

 

Two incredible resources to compare Blue Shield's plans.

 

Start with the Comparing Covered Ca plans Article.

 

if you really want a step by step guide with incredible insight, use our planfinder tool: or...

 

Find the best covered ca Blue Shield plan

 

The latter is pretty amazing as it walks through the questions we ask every day to help people find the best plan..

 

Quick note...if you're eligible for the richer Silver plans (87 or 94), that's hard to beat.

 

As close as we have to slam dunk.

 

Part of our service is to let you know where the income breaks are in case you are close to one that will give you an advantage.

Blue Shield of California Networks

 

This is an important one..

 

When we first started in 2014, we had 3-4 carriers with PPO plans on the market.

 

Now..2 carriers (for now anyway).

 

Blue Shield of California.

 

Health Net has joined the fray in some areas.

 

For Californians that want a real PPO plan, its Blue Shield or bust.

 

there are some epo's on the market still but the biggest one,

 In some counties, we only had Anthem and Blue Shield.

 

 

For an explanation of difference between EPO and PPO. Difference between HMO and PPO.

 

Which brings up a good point.

 

What about Blue Shield HMO?

 

Good question.

 

Shield does offer HMO's in more populous areas but it's been strange.

 

Occasionally, the HMO plans have been more expensive than their PPO plans for the same person.

 

This is very unusual since HMO's are generally cheaper for the same type benefits.

 

PPO's have a broader network, more flexibility, and "management" of care.

 

They should be more expensive.

 

What about doctors/facility changes?

 

Is my Doctor/Hospital in Blue Shield's Network

 

At the end of each year, we see a reshuffling of networks.

 

Some doctors come. Some doctors leave.

 

It's really important to re-evaluate before using providers.

 

In a perfect world, your providers would let you know if they made changes.

 

That's rarely the case so we have to check.

 

When you run your quote below, you'll a link for doctor search under any given Blue Shield plan.

 

Blue Shield under Covered Ca rates

 

If your doctor doesn't show up in the online directory (available through quote by clicking on "Find Doctors", don't despair.

 

Call your doctor's office and ask them if they "Participate with Covered California Blue Shield PPO?"

 

Many times, a doctor will bill under a medical group or not show in the online directory even though they are in-network.

 

Also, there is always a lot of change at Open Enrollment.

 

Blue Shield's PPO plans (Covered Ca market) no longer participate in the Blue Card network (providers in other States).  Anthem's EPO is the only plan that still has this.

 

Providers will join and leave various networks based on contract changes with the insurance companies.

 

If you email us your doctors and cities, we can research this for you.

 

the 2018 blue shield network is still smaller than employer based ppo networks but they have made some real ground.

Best Blue Shield California Options

 

So...where does Blue Shield do well in each area??

 

First of all, they dominate the PPO landscape.

 

There will be some smaller EPO plans available in bigger areas (LA county, etc) but for PPO, it's Shield.

 

You can learn about the difference between EPO and PPO here.

 

Shield's HMO's have become more competitive on the market.

 

The only reason you would look at that is if your doctor only took their HMO.

 

Within the PPO suite of plans, the basic rules on picking the best plan apply.

 

First, Shield's HSA plan (Bronze HDHP option in quote) is the best option since it has a per person single deductible versus a cumulative deductible.

 

This works better when one family member has really big bills in a year.

 

Beyond the HSA plan (more info on how HSA works here), how do we find the best Blue Shield plan?

 

Use the PlanFinder!

 

We've taken 10's of 1000's of conversations and boiled them down to the key questions/decisions we come across when selecting a health plan.

 

It's available here:

 

find Covered Ca Blue Shield plans

 

 

This will address 90% of your questions.

 

We're here for the rest.

 

There's no cost for our services as Certified Covered Ca agents.

 

Call 800-320-6269 or email us with any questions!

 

Is Blue Shield under Covered California

 

A resounding YES!

 

In fact, Blue Shield will likely make up 30%+ of the market.

 

Blue Shield is the only carrier with near full-State coverage going forward.

 

This is a big deal.

 

In many counties, they are the only carrier.

 

Keep in mind that by law, the plans, rates, and networks must be the same in or out of network.

 

For that reason, Blue Shield through Covered Ca is the way to go.

 

You can quote Blue Shield with Covered Ca here and enroll in Covered Ca Blue Shield plans here.

 

How to Quote Blue Shield in Covered California

 

How to Quote Covered Ca Blue Shield Plans:

 

That's it!

 

How to Apply For Blue Shield through Covered California

 

We've made this even easier.

 

How to enroll in Blue Shield through Covered Ca:

 

 

That's it.

 

We have people thank us up and down for this. Truly makes the process easy and there's no cost for our assistance!

 

Is Blue Shield Cheaper in Covered California

 

Great question.

 

By law, the rates must be the same off-exchange (direct with the carrier) or on-exchange (through Covered Ca)

 

When you run your quote here, you can quote either off or on-exchange and see for yourself.

 

One note...if eligible for a tax credit, we can only get it if enrolled on-exchange.

 

Go on-exchange.

 

It's faster. It's easier (with the link here). More importantly, you may be eligible for $1000's in tax credits.

 

Even if you're not, we've made it an easier process.

 

Access quote here:

 

quote for Obamacare Blue Shield of California

 

Is Blue Shield through Covered California Good Insurance?

 

Yes.  For one reason.

 

They have the only PPO on the market now.

 

The PPO offers the most flexibility. The most control. The most doctors.

 

If you want control of your medical decisions and the widest access to doctors, it's Blue Shield of California in Covered Ca for now.

 

Remember, you can only get the tax credit via Covered Ca (enroll here) and that's THE big deal right now.

 

Blue Shield of California Plan and Rate Review

 

We covered the big ticket items.

 

Anthem left big parts of the State which leaves Blue Shield as the de facto carrier in many counties.

 

The last PPO carrier in most counties!

 

Here's How to Find the Best Blue Shield Plan Through Covered Ca:

 

 

 

That's it!

 

We're seeing a major shift in the California individual and family health market.

 

  • One giant carrier is basically leaving.
  • One up and coming carrier is taking the banner.

 

Blue Shield of California.

 

This transition has been happening over the past 3-5 years but this year is definitely a watershed moment in the transition.

Please let us know how we can help.

  

You can run your Blue Shield of California Plan and Rate Quote to view rates and plans side by side from the major carriers...Free.

 

Again, there is absolutely no cost to you for our services.  Call 800-320-6269 Today!