Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida

Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, provides insurance services to consumers residing in the state of Florida. The collective organization services approximately 33% of Americans, or 88.7 million people. Since its inception in 1944, Blue Cross of Florida has expanded beyond its original corporation to serve the changing needs of Floridians. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida has become the parent company to a host of other health and insurance related organizations within the state, including Health Options, Inc., an HMO subsidiary and Comp Options Insurance Company Inc., a worker’s compensation subsidiary. Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida has insurance plans available for individuals, families, consumers over 65, and small businesses or companies. It offers medical, dental, life, and pharmaceutical coverage.

Available health coverage includes predictable cost plans, temporary insurance plans, HAS-compatible plans, low premium plans, value plans that do not require questionnaires, Cover Florida and Miami-Dade Blue. Predictable cost plans offer general coverage for specialist visits, urgent care, and routine check-ups. Temporary insurance plans act as bridge plans for those who have recently lost coverage or who are just beginning a job search. Policies are available for 30, 60, 90, or 180 days of coverage. HSA-compatible plans are designed to work with tax-free health savings accounts. Low premium plans are available for consumers who want health coverage but do not want to pay for benefits they will not use. Value Plans without health questions work as discount plans, making lower cost healthcare accessible to individuals and families who do not want to be bothered with invasive questioning. Cover Florida is a partnership between Blue Cross Florida and the state of Florida; it provides affordable health care to uninsured Floridians. Miami-Dade Blue is an area-specific plan for residents or employees within Miami-Dade County. Pharmacy coverage programs are included with most of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida plans. BlueMedicare Solutions is a health and prescription plan designed for individuals over the age of 65.

Three dental plans are offered through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida: BlueDental Care, BlueDental Choice, and BlueDental Choice Plus. BlueDental Care is a limited prepaid dental plan with emphasis on preventative care; in order to receive coverage, consumers must stay within Blue Cross’s approved dental network. BlueDental Choice is ideal for individuals and families who would like to predict reimbursement costs when visiting dentists and specialists within the network BlueDental Choice Plus is similar to BlueDental Choice, but members may choose any dentist they like, though benefits are maximized when an in-network dentist or specialist is selected. If members do go outside of the network, their claims are paid based upon the average fees charged by dentists.

Life insurance is accessible with a LifeEssentials Term Life Insurance Policy. It is available through Florida Combined Life, an affiliate of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. The policies are offered to individuals aged 18 to 64 years, and can be guaranteed for up to a 30 year term. Policy values range from $25,000 to $100,000.

Eligibility varies for the aforementioned plans, and may depend upon the plan chosen by the consumer. For most plans, the only concrete requirement is an age of 18 or over; for BlueMedicare Solutions, the age requirement is 65.