CHICAGO, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The Consumer Markets Division of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) announced today in conjunction with Cover the Uninsured Week that it is reaffirming its commitment to offering affordable and flexible products to address the growing number of uninsured residents in Illinois.
Cover the Uninsured Week is a series of events held nationally from May 1-8, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to raise awareness about the increasing numbers of Americans without health insurance. Over 45 million Americans lack health insurance, including 8.4 million children. In Illinois, approximately 16% of the population is uninsured. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois believes that the well-being of Illinois residents is a top priority, and is committed to addressing this concern by bringing products to market that fit a range of budgets and health care needs.
“As a market leader, and the oldest and most trusted health insurance company in the state, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois takes pride in the fact that we respond to the needs of our customers,” said Peter Rodes, divisional vice president, Consumer Markets, BCBSIL. “With fewer employers offering health care coverage to their employees or extending coverage to dependents, many individuals and families seek to purchase their own coverage. We are committed to providing Illinois residents with health care products that deliver choice and financial control.”
As a member of the Gilead Outreach & Referral Center, BCSBIL understands the complex issues leading to the increase in the number of uninsured. According to Gilead, these include: a stagnant economy, increasing health care costs, and individuals bearing a greater share of health care expenses which they cannot afford. Additionally, Gilead has identified the uninsured as a diverse population: the working uninsured, individuals who are between jobs, recent college graduates, those who are not eligible for government assistance, and those who are simply unaware of their options. In response to these factors, BCBSIL has developed products at lower price points and is looking to work in conjunction with local and state governments to increase access to affordable health care while offering consumers options that suit their budget and health care needs. For instance, last fall BCBSIL introduced four lower-cost health plans designed to provide individuals and families who purchase their own insurance with more affordable and flexible products. The recent “Choice” and “Advantage” product additions offer a range of premiums combined with reliable benefits.
The Consumer Markets Division of BCBSIL also plans to extend its children’s policy product line later this year in order to provide a more diverse set of benefits that offer consumers options at a variety of price points and take advantage of both hospital and physician network discounts. With the product extension, the policies will offer coverage beyond catastrophic and major medical care. Children’s policies will be available across a spectrum of current products for children ages one to eighteen.
Additionally, BCBSIL’s HSA-compatible health plans, the BlueEdge(SM) Individual HSA and BlueEdge(SM) Individual HSA 5000, offer consumers a low-premium health plan combined with the control and tax-savings advantages of an HSA. These plans allow consumers to manage their health care costs and realize tax savings with the addition of an HSA to pay for qualified medical expenses.
For more information about BCBSIL products or to request a price quote, please go to http://www.bcbsil.com/.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, a Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company (HCSC), is the oldest and largest health insurance company in the state. Currently, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois provides health insurance coverage for more than 6.5 million people. HCSC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
CONTACT: Genia Kaplan-Quinn, +1-818-610-0270,genia@scottpublicrelations.com, for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
Web site: http://www.bcbsil.com/
