Is Health Care Service Corporation good health insurance?

HCSC provides high-quality, cost-effective Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance plans and has high overall member satisfaction, but its services are limited to five states.

Overall rating: 3.3

Health Care Service Corporation was founded in 1936 as a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and conducts business as an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. It’s the largest non-investor, customer-owned health insurance provider in the nation, which means policyholders, not stockholders, own it.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, it operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in five core states, including Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Montana. It’s a leading provider of various health insurance products to individuals, families, and employers in each of these states. Because of the limited number of states it services, HCSC isn’t available to many consumers and the types of plans offered in each state may not be the same.

Understand your options before choosing a Health Care Service Corporation health insurance for your health care needs.

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Health Care Service Corporation Health Insurance Overview
Company founded 1936
Coverage area Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
A.M. Best rating A
BBB rating N/A
NCQA accreditation No
NCQA rating N/A
Plans available
  • Dental
  • Employer plans
  • Family health insurance
  • Individual health insurance
  • Medicare Advantage
  • Medicare Supplement
  • Medicare Part D
  • Medicaid
Provider network
    • 300,000+ network of doctors and other providers
    • 9,000+ network facilities

Is Health Care Service Corporation a Good Health Insurance Provider?

What we like about Health Care Service Corporation health insurance plans: The drawbacks of Health Care Service Corporation health insurance plans:
  • High overall member satisfaction
  • Many plans include prescription drug coverage
  • Offers different tiers of coverage
  • Available plans greatly vary by state
  • Only operates in five states

What do Health Care Service Corporation Health Insurance Plans Cover?

  • Dental
  • Employer plans
  • Individual and family plans
  • Medicaid
  • Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and Medicare Part D

Health Care Service Corporation Health Insurance Plan Options

HCSC operates in five states, and the number and type of plans available greatly vary in each state. While some states only offer Medicare Advantage plans, others offer these and individual and family plans, but all plans are comprehensive.

In Texas, you’ll primarily find Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans, which only work for adults aged 65 or older unless you have a disability that qualifies you for Social Security benefits. The Texas branch of HCSC also offers group plans for employers.

You’ll find numerous HMO and PPO plans for individuals and families in three tiers in Illinois, including seven bronze, five silver, and three gold. These plans may qualify for a premium tax credit based on your household income and size, which can lower your monthly premium costs. The Illinois branch also offers Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO Plans, but only in certain counties, and Medicaid plans for those who qualify.

Many HCSC plans include prescription drug coverage, and its Medicare Advantage Plans may offer extra perks you won’t receive with Original Medicare. Its HMO plans require you to receive services either provided by or ordered by your primary care physician. Its PPO plans allow you to see any health care provider you choose, but coverage is less expensive when you go to a designated provider.

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Compare your options for Health Care Service Corporation health insurance plans:
Plan name Monthly premium Annual deductible Office visits Annual maximum out-of-pocket cost
Blue Precision HMO Bronze HMO 205 $450.38 $7,400 $60 primary/$85 specialist $8,550
Blue Choice Preferred Bronze PPO 201 $469.35 $6,100 $40 primary/50% coinsurance after deductible specialist $8,550
Blue Choice Preferred Bronze PPO 302 $482.59 $6,350 40% coinsurance after deductible primary and specialist $6,900

*Based on pricing for a nonsmoking 35-year-old female in Chicago, Illinois

How Is Health Care Service Corporation Rated?

Trusted ratings and reviews help you better understand how a provider’s plans compare with its competitors. Learn how we rated Health Care Service Corporation.

Overall rating: 4
Financial strength rating: 4 Customer satisfaction rating: 3 Value rating: 3.3 Coverage rating: 3

Financial strength: 4/5

The financial strength rating for HCSC is based on A.M. Best’s financial strength rating. A.M. Best is a credit-rating agency that specializes exclusively in the insurance industry. Financial strength ratings are vital for informing you of an insurance provider’s creditworthiness. You can assess an insurer’s financial health and its likelihood of defaulting on its obligations based on its creditworthiness.

Customer satisfaction: 3/5

Health Care Service Corporation’s customer satisfaction rating includes ratings from the Better Business Bureau, National Committee for Quality Assurance, and Consumer Affairs.

The BBB grades businesses based on its level of confidence that a business is operating in an honest fashion and how likely it will try to resolve any concerns a customer might lodge with the Bureau. Grades range from A+ to F based on complaints received from consumers and information obtained about the business. The higher an insurance provider’s grade, the more confidence the public has in it.

The NCQA has driven improvement in the healthcare industry since 1990, which includes assessing health insurance providers like HCSC. NCQA’s performance measures help businesses identify opportunities to make improvements. The information NCQA presents also helps consumers make better-informed health care decisions.

Consumer Affairs provides general information on businesses, including consumer reviews that can let you know the trustworthiness of a health insurance provider. It also posts an overall satisfaction rating based on ratings that range from 1 to 5 stars.

Value: 3.3/5

HCSC earned its value rating based on assessing its overall plan costs compared to other health insurance providers. Costs evaluated included the monthly premium, cost of office visits, cost of ER visits, annual deductible, and annual out-of-pocket maximum.

Coverage: 3/5

The coverage rating is a valuable tool in telling you whether HCSC offers the type of health insurance coverage you need in your area. It also compares details on an insurer’s health care provider network to determine whether ample choices are available.

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Insurance and healthcare 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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