Is Blue Cross Blue Shield Good Health Insurance?

Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is a highly rated, quality health insurance provider that offers a large network and extensive coverage but has higher-than-average premiums.

Overall rating: 4.6

Blue Cross Blue Shield is made up of 35 separate companies that provide health insurance for about one-third of Americans. BCBS serves all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and several international locations.

With extensive coverage, almost every American has the opportunity to purchase a BCBS-affiliated health plan. Still, the premiums and deductibles may not be the right fit for you. When looking into the Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate that operates near you, understand what health plans are available.

Blue-Cross-Blue-Shield-Logo

Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance Overview
Company founded 1929
Coverage area
  • All 50 states
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Puerto Rico
  • Several international locations
A.M. Best rating A+
BBB rating A+
NCQA accreditation Yes
NCQA rating 4 to 3
Plans available
  • Corporate health insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Group insurance plans
  • Health savings accounts (HSAs)
  • High-deductible health insurance
  • Individual health insurance
  • Medicaid
  • Medicare
  • Small business health insurance
Provider network More than 1.7 million doctors and hospitals

Is Blue Cross Blue Shield a Good Health Insurance Provider?

What we like about Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plans: The drawbacks of Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plans:
  • Plans are offered in all 50 states
  • Accepted by a large number of hospitals
  • Numerous Medicare plans offered
  • Medicare prescription drug coverage isn’t guaranteed
  • Made up of 35 smaller companies instead of one central provider
  • Some health plans have high deductibles

What Do Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance Plans Cover?

BCBS offers numerous health insurance plans, including:

  • Corporate health insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Group insurance plans
  • HSAs
  • High-deductible health insurance
  • Individual health insurance
  • Medicaid
  • Medicare
  • Small business health insurance

Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Plan Options

Blue Cross Blue Shield offers different types of health insurance plans through its affiliated companies, including exclusive provider organization (EPO), health maintenance organization (HMO), and preferred provider organization (PPO) plans.

BCBS of Tennessee offers health insurance plans at the bronze, silver, and gold tiers, each with different deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. Below you can compare some of your Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plan options:

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Compare some of Blue Cross Blue Shield’s top health insurance plan options.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Plan Options
Plan name Monthly premium Annual deductible Office visits Annual maximum out-of-pocket cost
Bronze B08S, Network S $353.88 $8,550 No charge after deductible $8,550
Bronze B07S, Network S $435.55 $5,950 50% coinsurance after deductible $6,900
Silver S21S, Network S $601.53 $3,900 Primary care physician (PCP): $10 copay

Specialist: 50% coinsurance after deductible

$8,000
Silver S01S, Network S $721.42 $750 50% coinsurance after deductible $7,800
Gold G06S, Network S $781.54 $2,750 PCP: $35 copay

Specialist: $50 copay

$6,350

*Based on pricing for a nonsmoking 35-year-old female in Nashville, Tennessee.

How Is Blue Cross Blue Shield Rated?

Trusted ratings and reviews can help you understand how an insurer’s plans compare to the competition. See how we rated Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Overall rating: 4.6
Financial strength rating: 5
Customer satisfaction rating: 4.5
Value rating: 4.5
Coverage rating: 4.5

Financial Strength: 5/5 stars

Blue Cross Blue Shield’s rating number is based on the rating given by A.M. Best. A.M. Best was the first credit rating agency and currently assesses the creditworthiness of insurance companies worldwide. Its financial strength ratings help you determine an insurer’s financial stability and judge the company’s ability to honor its obligations to policyholders. Many insurance companies under the BCBS umbrella have received an A or A+ rating through A.M. Best for several years, such as BCBS South Carolina and Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Customer Satisfaction: 4.5/5 stars

Our consumer satisfaction rating considers positive and negative reviews from policyholders, including those submitted to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). It also incorporates ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance and Consumer Affairs.

The BBB grades companies with an F through A+ based on their trustworthiness and provides a mechanism for consumers and clients to rate their experience. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s A+ BBB rating indicates customers’ experience with a specific affiliate as well as the company’s customer service and responsiveness.

BCBS’s star rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NAQA) ranges from 2 to 4, reflecting consumer’s varying experiences. Many people have highly rated the child services offered through BCBS, and others are satisfied with plan physicians and services.

Various Blue Cross Blue Shield divisions earned different ratings through Consumer Affairs, which assigns companies a rating of 1 through 5 based on customer reviews. For example, the Florida and California divisions have mainly positive reviews, while the New Jersey and New York companies received more negative feedback.

Value: 4.5/5 stars

We assessed the value of Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plans by comparing the overall costs to those of its competitors. The costs of premiums, emergency room (ER) visits, office visits, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums were evaluated.

Coverage: 4.5/5 stars

Our coverage rating reviews how many Americans have access to BCBS insurance, in how many states the insurer operates, and whether the provider network  offers consumers ample options.

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Insurance and health care consultant

Tammy Burns is an experienced health insurance advisor. She earned her nursing degree in 1990 from Jacksonville State University, obtained her insurance billing and coding certification in 1995, and holds a health and life insurance license in Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Burns is Affordable Care Act (ACA)-certified for health insurance and other ancillary, life, and annuity products. She maintains an active nursing license and practices private-duty nursing.

Burns’ background as a nurse, insurance biller and coder, and insurance consultant includes infectious disease, oncology, gynecology, phlebotomy, post operative, family medicine, geriatrics, home health, hospice, human resources, management, billing, coding, claims, fixed annuities, group and individual health and life products, and Medicare. She’s always been driven by a desire to help people, spending more than 25 years as a practicing nurse in hospitals, private doctors’ offices, home health, and hospice. As a nurse, Burns supported patients filing insurance claims with Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies as well as responding to billing questions from confused patients.

Seeing firsthand how unsuspecting patients are frequently confused by an overly complex system they don’t understand led Burns to become an insurance agent and health care consultant, now helping people understand the medical system. Since becoming an insurance agent in 2013, she has worked with some of the largest and most reputable insurance carriers and agencies in the nation, and she has built a large and loyal clientele by way of her commitment to transparency and personalized service.

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