Information About Medical Insurance

(There’s|There is) uncertainty in life and insurance is designed to lessen the burden of this uncertainty. The principle of operation is simple, the insurer (that’s Blue Cross Insurance business or Blue Shield in this case) pays the medical expenses  of the insured (you) if the insured becomes sick due to covered causes like disease, disability, accident etc.

In return the insured (you) pays a monthly or annual premium (a monetary amount normally around 200 dollars a month, however the exact amount varies according to the insurance program purchased) to the insurer. As a general rule, the largernumber of individuals in the insurance group, the lesser is the premium. That is due to the distribution of expenses .

Blue Cross Insurance is an insurance carrier providing health care insurance in the U.S. and Canada. Blue Cross Insurance was started by a university president Justin Ford Kimball. It started out in a very humble way as hospital care for school teachers in Dallas in 1929. The premium was only 6 dollars a year! Within 10 years of its formation the Blue Cross symbol was adapted by the U.S. Hospital Association. Presently one of every three U.S. is covered by Blue Shield or Blue Cross making them the largest heathcare provider in the  U.S..

Presently Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a trade organization linking 38 independent regional health care insurance companies in the  U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. It achieved its present form in 1982 after the merger of Blue Cross association and the national association of Blue Shield plans.

Blue Cross Blue Shield plans are very closely linked to managed heathcare in the  U.S.. The association is also the administrator for Social Security in a large number of states. Traditionally Blue Cross provides hospital coverage and Blue Shield provides medical coverage.

In different states Blue Cross Blue Shield companies have different names. The names of the companies are Wellpoint, Carefirst, Medical Careservice corporation, Highmark, Premera, The Regence Group, Wellmark, Blue Cross Blue Shield of various states, La Cruz Azul de Puerto Rico, Triple-S (in Puerto Rico) and The Canadian Association of Blue cross Plans ( In Canada).

It’s very critical to read all the fine print of the insurance plans as health care insurance is normally necessary in cases of emergencies like accidents or during illness. During such a situation it would come as a nasty surprise if you find out a specific clause which denies insurance. Also the critical phone numbers should be noted down for such emergencies.