Aetna vs Blue Cross Blue Shield

aetna vs blue crossThere are several health insurance companies in America among them Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield. These two companies are great competitors in the health industry and both have dependable plans. If you are wondering whether to choose an Aetna health insurance plan or Blue Cross health insurance plan, you need to continue reading this article. We will comprehensively compare the operations and health insurance plans of Aetna and Blue Cross to deduce which one of the two might be the most ideal choice for individual and families.

Network coverage: Aetna vs Blue Cross Blue Shield

Blue Cross Blue Shield is made up of 38 independent health insurance organizations that use the trademark of BCBS after paying a licensing fee. These organizations provide health insurance to approximately 100 million U.S. citizens indirectly or directly under the Blue Cross Umbrella. Blue Cross was created in 1929 while Blue Shield was formed in 1948. The two merged in 1982 and their headquarters are located in Illinois. BCBS is not really a national company as it is made up of small independent companies. This means that there is no uniformity in operations as BCBS in different states are independent.

On the other hand, Aetna health insurance is an American company that provides various health care insurance products. It was founded in 1840 in Hartford, which still remains its headquarters. Aetna has nationwide network coverage as it operates as one universal entity. This gives it an edge as it has national networks of hospitals and doctors.

Scope of services: Aetna vs Blue Cross Blue Shield

Blue Cross Blue Shield are administrators of Medicare in most states in America. They also provide health insurance coverage to federal employees and state government employees under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.

aetna health insuranceAetna offers employees benefits, group life, pharmacy, dental, health care and disability insurance. All these consumer health insurance products and services benefit various customers, such as expatriates, individuals, part time workers, students, government units and employer groups in the 50 states. Aetna has more that eight million pharmacy members, 17 million medical members and 13 million dental members. Aetna boasts of having one million health care professionals in over 5,400 hospitals in the country. This is a clear indication that Aetna provides more health insurance products compared to BCBS and a wide array of services throughout the country.

Cost: Aetna vs Blue Cross Blue Shield

BCBS health plans are more expensive compared to Aetna. They justify this extra by saying it is used to expedite claims handling and customer service. However, Aetna provides a wide array of products and other health related programs for its customers at a lower and more affordable rate. Compare plans from every carrier in the country now by clicking here or the orange get quotes button at the top right of this site.

Conclusion
Although both Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield are both dependable and competitive companies that provide health insurance, Aetna is the ultimate winner. It has excellent health plans that suit the needs of different individuals and a nationwide network. This combination of a wide array of selection and coverage is quite hard to beat by BCBS and any other competitor.

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