Blue Shield Health Insurance Coverage

Blue Shield of California, based in San Francisco, has been providing health coverage to California residents since 1939. Today, Blue Shield of California is one of only two preferred provider organizations that offers plans to all California ZIP codes and counties.

Blue Shield of California serves more than 4 million members. So why are so many Californians turning to Blue Shield for their health insurance coverage? Blue Shield believes every Californian deserves quality health care, comprehensive benefits and plans at affordable prices.

What Are the Benefits of Blue Shield?

Blue Shield is a nonprofit health plan provider, and in 2011, they pledged to take only 2% of their net income as revenue and give the rest back to their members and community. Since making this pledge, Blue Shield has returned as much as $560 million.

Blue Shield offers many benefits for its members, including the following.

1. Improve Your Health With Wellvolution

This feature helps you be proactive about your health. The programs within Wellvolution can help prevent and even reverse disease entirely through a lifestyle-based approach. Improving aspects of your lifestyle, such as diet, social support, stress reduction and exercise, can allow you to become healthier and stay healthy. The core of Wellvolution is that lifestyle can be your medicine.

With Wellvolution, you can:

• Reverse existing conditions
• Eat better
• Manage stress
• Lose weight
• Become more active
• Improve sleep habits
• Quit smoking

Join the hundreds of thousands of Wellvolution members to enjoy these benefits.

2. Contact Nurses or Doctors Anytime

Blue Shield members also have access to telemedicine services – NurseHelp 24/7 and Teladoc. NurseHelp 24/7 is a feature that gives you the ability to contact a registered nurse 24/7 with your questions and receive advice about your current symptoms.

With Teladoc, you can consult doctors anytime from just about anywhere. As soon as you begin to feel unwell, you can get professional medical advice.

With these services, members enjoy the convenience of being able to get medical services and advice at any time of the day or night.

3. Use Preventive Care

Stay up to date on your preventive care by receiving recommended tests and screenings for your gender, age, current health and your medical history. By keeping up with preventive care, you can maintain your body’s line of defense against illness and diseases or treat them before you even start to experience symptoms. Not only will preventive care spare your health, but it will also likely spare your wallet, as you’ll be able to tackle medical issues before they become more severe and costly.

4. Enjoy Wellness, Vision and Alternative Care Discount Programs

Blue Shield offers discounts on several vision and fitness brands. These offers can make it easier for members to take care of themselves and save money.

Fitness helps you stay healthy, increases your energy level and can improve your mood. Staying active and building muscle means you’ll burn more calories, even while at rest. One of the fitness programs offered through Blue Shield is Fitness Your Way, which gives members access to more than 10,000 fitness centers for a mere $25 a month.

Blue Shield members can also save up to 20% on vision costs from participating providers. Some of the vision care includes:

• Frames and lenses
• Extra pair of glasses
• Hard contact lenses
• Non-prescription sunglasses
• Tints and coatings
• Routine eye examinations

If Blue Shield members are searching for alternative care, they can find discounts through Blue Shield. Members may be able to receive discounts on the following services:

• Acupuncture
• Therapeutic massage
• Chiropractic services

These discounts make obtaining care and staying healthy easier and more affordable for Blue Shield of California members.

5. Select Providers From Choice Networks

Our networks are among the largest in California, so you can find a wide range of hospitals and doctors. With a large number of providers to select from, members have the freedom to choose the best provider for them.

6. Find a Plan That Suits Your Budget

With Blue Shield, you can find the coverage at the price that’s affordable for you. Blue Shield also offers financial assistance, and if you qualify, you may receive help with paying your coverage through Covered California.

With all these great benefits, it’s no wonder so many Californians choose Blue Shield as their health plan provider.

Blue Shield Insurance Plans

Across health plan providers in the U.S., Blue Shield was the first to provide coverage for lifesaving surgeries and to offer catastrophic coverage. Today, Blue Shield of California continues to offer quality health insurance plans.

1. Individual and Family Insurance Plans

The individual and family plans offered at Blue Shield fit different budgets, so members have choices. Members can enjoy plenty of benefits, including telemedicine services via Teladoc and NurseHelp 24/7.

What type of coverage meets the needs of you and your loved ones? With Blue Shield of California, you can choose the plan that’s right for you. Access the information about your health plan anytime online, and be proactive with your health by using wellness programs at low to no cost.

Why do Californians select individual or family insurance plans from Blue Shield?

• Blue Shield has been serving Californians high-quality health care plans for 80 years.
• Members can choose from 52,000 physicians and more than 320 hospitals.
• These plans fit different lifestyles and budgets.
• Members can access programs like Wellvolution, NurseHelp and CVS Minute Clinic.
• Members may be able to access trio HMO plans for a quality local network of hospitals and doctors.

With individual and family health care plans, you can also obtain vision, dental, life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment coverage.

The open enrollment period runs from November 1, 2023, to January 31, 2024.

2. Employer Plans

Some employees may seek supplemental coverage when they can’t access a quality health care plan through their employer, but Blue Shield members covered with an employer get the high-quality coverage they need. Whether you’re enrolling during your company’s open enrollment period or you’ve started a new job, Blue Shield of California can provide you with the health care plan you need.

When an employer provides your Blue Shield plan, you’ll have access to a large network of hospitals and doctors, so you can select the right provider for you. Members also get access to discount programs and enjoy a list of comprehensive benefits.

If you’re working for a new employer, how exactly do you select the right plan for you? To begin, you may want to ask yourself some of the following questions:

• Are you healthy?
• Are your dependents healthy?
• Do you want access to specific hospitals, doctors or specialists?
• Do you travel frequently?
• How important is it that you have access to as many hospitals and specialists in California as possible?
• Do you visit your doctor only for annual checkups?
• In the next year, do you anticipate needing any special medical services, such as surgery or for pregnancy?
• Do you take prescription drugs regularly?
• Do your dependents take prescription drugs regularly?
• Do you have any chronic conditions, such as diabetes, cancer or asthma?
• Do your dependents have any chronic conditions?

Knowing your answers to most of these questions can help you determine which health care plan is right for you and your family.

Visit Blue Shield’s employer coverage page for more information about your coverage with an employer, or ask your employer if you need more specific information.

3. Medicare Coverage

Medicare doesn’t always cover every individual’s health care needs. If you have needs that go beyond what you can receive from Medicare, you may be able to access additional coverage with Blue Shield Medicare. Blue Shield offers multiple coverage options so you can select what works best for you.

The Medicare prescription drug plans offered through Blue Shield cover a long list of medications, and the pharmacy network spans more than 6,000 pharmacies in California at major chains and retailers. With a Medicare Supplement plan, you may also have access to wellness and fitness program discounts.

4. Vision Plans

Beyond eating healthy and exercising, you may also want a vision plan to make sure your eyes are receiving the care they deserve. With Blue Shield, you’ll have access to an extensive network of eye care professionals in California. A vision plan with Blue Shield also offers you access to online providers, major retail chains and eye care boutiques. You can choose from a variety of plans to get the care that’s exactly right for you.

5. Dental Plans

Does your health care plan include dental benefits? If not, you may want to consider switching to Blue Shield. With a dental plan through Blue Shield, you’ll receive access to dental provider networks that are some of the largest in California. Blue Shield also allows you to protect your smile with free X-rays and cleanings. For a dental plan you can depend on, Blue Shield can provide.

6. Individual Term Life Insurance and AD&D Coverage

Life insurance is crucial for anyone with dependents or loved ones who rely on you financially. To protect your children or your spouse from the unexpected, you can purchase a term life insurance plan with Blue Shield. Your life insurance can be purchased in conjunction with your medical plan or as a standalone policy.

When you get life insurance through Blue Shield of California, you may also want to obtain accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) coverage. This coverage can provide you further protection in the event of accidental death or injury. You can select from several coverage amounts ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 at low monthly rates.

Nearly every Californian can find the health care plan they need with Blue Shield of California. From Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum plans, any Californian can find a plan at the right price with the coverage they need.

The Blue Shield Network

Blue Shield provides an extensive network with approximately 46,000 doctors and 300 acute hospitals for its members on a PPO plan.

2016 brought further expansion of coverage to all Yuba, Sutter, Alpine and Monterey counties. Blue Shield has also announced that it will replace its EPO (exclusive provider organization) with a PPO in the Central Coast, Northern, North Bay and Alameda areas. In doing so, they will give more provider options for Blue Shield Covered California members.

Blue Shield of California offers its BlueCard Program for PPO plan members, which links Blue plans throughout the nation and abroad via an electronic network for reimbursement and claims processing.

In 2017, Blue Shield introduced the “Trio” Accountable Care Organization plans to Covered California. These ACO HMOs will be using an integrated network delivery model across specialties and hospitals to improve quality patient outcomes with overall efficiency.

For the coverage year of 2023, the Blue Shield’s Trio HMO plans expanded into Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda and Ventura counties.

To learn more, preview Blue Shield’s provider network.

Blue Shield Insurance Quotes

Now that you know all the plans and benefits that Blue Shield of California has to offer, you may be considering obtaining a health care plan with Blue Shield. But first you want to know: How much will my health insurance cost?

With Health for California, you can get a free quote for Blue Shield of California insurance. Quotes through Health for California include:

• The name of the carrier
• The plan type, such as Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum
• The plan category, such as HMO or PPO
• The price you’ll pay
• The total price

Blue Shield of California values its members and wants to give them the best value for their health care.

Who Should Consider Blue Shield Coverage?

You’re aware of the plans Blue Shield of California has to offer. You know the benefits, and you may even have an idea of the cost. But how do you know if you should consider Blue Shield coverage?

Californians in need of affordable health care should consider Blue Shield. Members can enjoy a myriad of benefits and the peace of mind of having essential, high-quality coverage they can depend on.

Those who are seeking a health plan provider that gives back to the community should look no further than Blue Shield of California. On top of the provider’s pledge to return the majority of their revenue, employees of Blue Shield perform volunteer work to help the community. In 2014, employees raised more than $400,000 to donate to local nonprofits.

If you’re looking for affordable health insurance coverage in California, get a quote for Blue Shield from Health for California today.