Our health insurance clients ask us, on a daily basis, what the difference is between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and United HealthCare (known as Golden Rule Insurance Company here in Arizona).
Both Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and United HealthCare are very strong companies financially. Both have a huge nationwide network of doctors, hospitals and other providers from which to choose. They each medically underwrite the health insurance policies they sell, so if you have medical conditions that would make Blue Cross turn you down, United HealthCare would probably decline you, too.
So it’s not uncommon for someone shopping for a health insurance plan to be confused, wondering which plan would be better for them. Blue Cross or United HealthCare? United HealthCare or Blue Cross? Should you just flip a coin and if heads comes up go with United HealthCare?
Let’s compare the Health Savings Account-compatible (also known as HSA-compatible) plans from both companies. For a 32-year-old male living in Tucson, the monthly premium costs are almost identical.
The Arizona Blue Cross Blue Portfolio HSA plan with a deductible of $3000 has a monthly premium of $88. The United HealthCare $3000 deductible HSA 100 plan has a monthly premium of $87. They both have the same $3000 deductible, and they both pay 100% of your medical bills after you meet the deductible. So how would you decide which plan is better for you? Would you select one over the other because you like their television commercial?
There are a few subtle differences between the two plans, and a professional health insurance agent should know what those differences are and be able to explain those nuances to you. Here are a few of those differences:
• Blue Cross pays a lifetime maximum benefit of $5,000,000, while United HealthCare pays a lifetime maximum benefit of $3,000,000. You can raise that to five million dollars for an additional monthly premium, which will make United HealthCare cost more than Blue Cross)
• Blue Cross has no annual limit on what they will pay toward your prescriptions. United HealthCare has an annual maximum benefit of $3000 for prescriptions, which means that once they spend $3000 for your prescriptions, they won’t pay for any more. You can eliminate the $3000 cap by paying United HealthCare an additional amount each month, raising your United HealthCare monthly premium even higher.
• Under the Blue Cross plan, you get routine preventative care at no cost to you. Under the United HealthCare plan, you get the same preventative care, but you have a 90 day waiting period before you are covered- and it’s not free – you have to pay $35 a visit.
[You should also be aware that there are certain Arizona United HealthCare policies, that when compared side-by-side with the Arizona Blue Cross comparable policy, are a better option than the Blue Cross plan. We'll explain those United HealthCare policies in an upcoming blog soon.]
There are many other variations between Blue Cross, United HealthCare, and other AZ health insurance plans, and we would be happy to help steer you to the right plan for your needs.
Ask us how we can help lower your Arizona health insurance costs. Call us toll free at (800) 600-9663, or click here for a detailed health insurance quote.
