Anthem Blue Cross - California Health Insurance Plans for Businesses
Anthem Blue Cross Information and Statistics
Anthem Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Association and is the trade name of Blue Cross of California. Anthem Blue Cross provides health care coverage to more than 8.3 million Californians. Its plans are available to individuals, employers of all sizes, senior and MediCal markets. The Anthem Blue Cross network includes 330 hospitals and approximately 52,874 physicians.
Insurance Carrier Overview
Anthem Blue Cross is part of Wellpoint and a regional network of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, offering medical, dental, and vision coverage. Anthem has full and narrow network tiers, and allows only one tier to be selected and any number of plans within the tier. PPO plans provide national coverage through the Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueCard network.
Anthem rates are competitive in most areas of California, especially for lower cost PPO plans on the narrow Select network.
PPO Network Overview
| Network |
Type |
# of California Doctors |
# of California Hospitals |
Cost Savings vs. Full Network |
| Statewide/Prudent Buyer PPO |
PPO |
60,000 |
330 |
- |
| Select PPO |
Narrow PPO |
41,000 |
300 |
0% |
-
Statewide/Prudent Buyer PPO: Full PPO network with access to a very large California doctor network and nationwide coverage through the BlueCard network.
-
Select PPO: Narrow PPO network comprised of medical providers with lower negotiated costs to Anthem, with 33% small network than the full PPO. The narrow network is only ~6% less expensive than the full PPO, so the full network tends to be the better value. The narrow network also provides nationwide coverage through the BlueCard network.
HMO Network Overview
| Network |
Type |
# of California Doctors |
# of California Hospitals |
Cost Savings vs. Full Network |
| CaliforniaCare HMO |
Full HMO |
41,000 |
300 |
- |
| Select HMO |
Narrow HMO |
25,000 |
250 |
23% |
| Priority Select HMO |
Narrow HMO |
25,000 |
250 |
23% |
-
Full HMO: Full HMO network with ~70% of doctors and hospitals of the full PPO network, and comparable to the Select PPO network. Plans are fairly expensive and typically similar in cost to comparable plans on the full PPO network.
-
Select HMO: Narrow network HMO with substantially smaller doctor network than the full HMO. Plans are ~23% less expensive than the full HMO network.
-
Priority Select HMO: Ultra-narrow HMO network, with substantially fewer participating doctors and hospitals. The network is strongest in Southern California and is most suited to companies in that region. Plans are ~27% less expensive than the full HMO network.
Top Anthem Blue Cross Plans in California
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