There are many choices relating to Arizona short term health insurance, group health insurance, individual health insurance, and Arizona Medicare supplement policies in Arizona. Which insurance company offers the best coverage for the least cost is priority number one, but determining which company is best can be daunting.
Abraham Lincoln famously remarked: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” For more than 85 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona has provided health coverage. As the state’s biggest local nonprofit health insurer, they’ve held that position for over eight decades. Being a nonprofit means individuals seeking the best-value health plans can trust BCBSAZ. With reserves amounting to several hundred million dollars, they are secure financially. When evaluating health insurance providers, it’s worth heading to the Arizona Department of Insurance site to review each company’s financial health and complaint records. You’ll also find a tool to verify if your agent is licensed and check for any grievances against them. Given that BCBSAZ brings in over $2 billion in annual premiums, their complaint volume is remarkably low. Among Arizona’s health insurers, only one can legitimately boast an average 95% satisfaction score, along with a recent J.D. Power award for top PPO in the area. BCBSAZ is also regularly ranked as the leading PPO in Arizona Business Magazine’s yearly Ranking Arizona feature.
The key question is: How has Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona earned and sustained such an outstanding record among the state’s health insurers for generations? Keeping Lincoln’s words in mind, could it be that the countless Arizonans who’ve rated this company so highly are all mistaken? Absolutely not. The explanation is straightforward: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona delivers on its commitments, at reasonable rates, with plans tailored to Arizonans’ requirements. On pricing, a true side-by-side evaluation shows that a BCBSAZ plan typically saves members money—both on monthly premiums and personal out of pocket costs. Consistently, Blue Cross of Arizona sees much smaller rate hikes than the majority of rivals. Out of all AZ health carriers, BCBSAZ secures the most favorable pre-arranged fees with healthcare providers by a wide margin. This translates to reduced out-of-pocket spending for you, as those savings are extended to members. Opting for a high-deductible option is advisable. It keeps premiums down thanks to the elevated deductible, but if you need care, you’ll only face the discounted, in-network rates rather than full price. Pairing it with an HSA lets you cover many expenses using pretax funds from a Health Savings Account via your bank or a BCBSAZ-affiliated provider. Plus, as a BCBSAZ member, you can research the exact fees that nearby providers charge for common services like an MRI or childbirth. Prepare to be surprised by the price differences for the same treatment across various facilities and clinics. For instance, a left shoulder MRI might run $350 at an independent imaging center, but at a nearby hospital, it could exceed that by at least $1,000!
Health Insurance in Arizona: Politicians have emphasized that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare,” prevents insurers from dropping coverage over high claims or application errors. Were you aware that, in the year prior to the ACA’s full rollout in 2014, out of almost 365,000 individual policies sold by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona, just ONE was terminated for fraud? In 99.9999% of cases where BCBSAZ found an undisclosed pre-existing condition, they simply rejected the claim but kept the policy active. Nowadays, pre-existing conditions aren’t factored in during applications, and coverage can’t be refused because of them. Plans are available on a guaranteed-issue basis during open enrollment periods and qualifying life events.