Harvard Pilgrim Health Care was formed in 1994 from the unification of the Harvard Community Health Plan, founded in 1969. It is a nationally granted regulator in preventive care and disease management programs. They focus on patient-centered care that coordinates resources across the healthcare delivery system. They have over one million members in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine.
Blue Cross was founded in 1929 to give prepaid hospital care and compensation for physician services. The Blue Cross Association and National Association of Blue Shield Plans merged in 1982 to form the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Some states function as Blue Cross, while it runs as Blue Shield in some other states.
Now, let’s have a look at what Harvard Pilgrim and Blue Cross have to offer to their members –
Harvard Pilgrim
Harvard Pilgrim offers you a lot of reasons to choose them for your insurance plans:
Ø To better the quality and benefit of health care for the people and communities
Ø Always classified among the nation’s highest-rated health plans for quality and member satisfaction
Ø More than 28,000 doctors and clinicians in Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Ø Get emergency care anytime, anywhere
Harvard Pilgrim provides the following health insurance plans:
Affordable Care Act Plans
Affordable Care Act plans are great for treatment, comprehensive coverage, and even “Obama Care.” These plans meet all the requirements of Affordable Care and are generally the most wide-ranging plans in the market. If you have a chronic illness or face a medical emergency, these plans can help you prevent unexpected costs.
Short-term plan
If you cannot afford an Affordable Care Act plan or have missed the limit for implementation, you may want to opt for a short-term project. Short-term health insurance plans usually provide more coverage than affordable care plans. However, these plans do not help you avoid state fines.
Medical Indemnity Plans
Medical Indemnity plans are also known as fee-for-service plans. Also, medical Compensation Health Insurance pays you a fixed amount for services. So, for example, if they pay you $50 and visit a doctor, the plan will give you $50 regardless of the actual visit bill. Medical compensation plans help cover out-of-pocket medical expenses such as caps and securities when combined with other insurances.
Medicare
Medicare is a governmental health insurance program that started in 1966 in the United States. It provides health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older. However, they also offer Medicare services for some younger people who have disability status.
Medicare Advantage Plans
Medicare Advantage plans provide the same benefits that Original Medicare offers, with added benefits like prescription drug plans, vision plans, etc. Nonetheless, the insurance provider may have different rules and regulations.
Private insurance companies are supposed to provide the same essential benefits for each written plan, but they can charge different premiums. Therefore, you can search for a complementary medical insurance plan that fits your medical and financial needs. Insurance companies can pay their plan premiums in any of the following ways:
Community no-age-rated: These Medicare supplemental insurance plans charge similar premiums across the state irrespective of age or community.
Issue-age-rated: The premiums of these plans are based on your age when you first enroll in the policy. Hence, the lower your age when you register for this type of plan, the lower your premium will be.
Attained-age-rated: Like issue-age-rated, these plans pay premiums based on your age when you first purchased a policy. After that, however, the premiums will increase with age.
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Like Harvard Pilgrim, Blue Cross also offers a variety of health insurance plans for its members. These plans include the following –
Individuals & Families
Healthcare coverage is one of the critical decisions you make in your life. Protect yourself and your family with health insurance that fits your medical and financial conditions. Blue Cross Blue Shield offers various healthcare plans for individuals and families, including vision, dental, annual body check-ups, and much more.
If you need to move to a new state because of changing jobs or being out of work, BCBS can help you transfer your insurance plan following the new state’s healthcare policy.
Global Coverage
Blue Cross Blue Shield provides permanent coverage for people outside the United States. They also offer several plans and programs for healthcare coverage during short-term and long-term travel.
Medicare with Medicaid
This program provides provisions to low-income individuals and families, people with physical or mental disabilities, and older people. However, the qualifications of Medicaid are different from those of Medicare. Individuals eligible for Medicare and Medicaid are subjected to special terms and conditions.
Your initial enrolment period starts at the time you qualify for Medicare. During these seven months, you can also enroll in the original prescription if you have already enrolled in the medical prescription drug plan.
The following are the available plans offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare program:
- Medicare Parts A & B (Original Medicare)
- Medicare Advantage (Part C)
- Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D)
- Medigap (Medicare Supplement)
Healthcare Plans for Employers
Blue Cross Blue Shield knows your employees’ needs better than any other health insurance company. They care for your employees, offering many healthcare insurance plans for small and large-scale businesses. In addition, their specially designed healthcare plans will deliver your employees the right benefits they need for medical coverage.
Do Medicare Advantage Plans Have Extra Benefits?
Many Medicare Advantage plans have provided some extra benefits like –
- Routine dental care
- Prescription drug coverage
- Routine hearing care
How to know if I am eligible for short-term health insurance?
You are eligible for short-term health insurance if you:
- Change jobs
- Lose employer-sponsored coverage
- Are you waiting for the annual Open Enrolment Period
- Attend out-of-state college
- Other specific instances.
Harvard Pilgrim and Blue Cross Blue Shield offer their customers a wide variety of healthcare insurance plans. In addition, members get almost similar benefits from both insurance companies. For more information regarding their insurance plans, visit https://www.harvardpilgrim.org and https://www.bcbs.com.
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