All Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Gold plans offer the same set of health benefits, quality and amount of care. Your Gold plan options are different in how much you’ll pay each month, how much of your health care bill is covered for things like hospital visits and prescriptions and how much your out-of-pocket costs are:
- When you visit your primary care doctor, you'll pay less with a Gold plan than you will with Silver or Bronze plans.
- Gold plans have the lowest deductible, meaning you'll have less to pay before your plan starts to cover health care costs.
- With a higher premium for lower out-of-pocket costs, Gold plans might be a good fit if you have health concerns
- In most cases, Gold plans cover 80% of costs while you cover 20%
Pay Less When You Need Health Care
A Gold plan may be for you if you:
- Have more medical needs than most, like a chronic health condition
- Have a spouse and/or children on your plan, or want to grow your family soon
- Prefer to pay more each month but have lower out-of-pocket expenses
Your Other Metallic Plan Options
Find out if Silver or Bronze plan options are a better fit for your budget and coverage needs.
Silver
Frequently Asked Questions
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What are my Gold plan options?
There are 8 Gold level plans you might be able to choose from:
- Blue FocusCareSM offers 1 Gold plan.
Blue FocusCare plans are lower-cost HMO plans available to Cook County residents. Thes plans includes a network of over 20 hospitals and over 3500 doctors.
- BlueCare DirectSM offers 2 Gold plans.
BlueCare Direct is offered in Cook, DuPage, Kane and Lake counties. These plans are in collaboration with Advocate Health Care. You’ll have access to a large local network and quick, often same-day appointments with your primary care doctor.
- Blue Precision HMOSM offers 3 Gold plans.
Blue Precision HMO plans are available if you live in the Chicago area, Rockford or Peoria. Like all HMOs, these plans help to keep your costs low and predictable.
- Blue Choice Preferred PPOSM offers 2 Gold plans.
Blue Choice Preferred PPO plans are available in all counties and offer the largest number of in-network doctors. This means you’ll have more flexibility when choosing your care and services.
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How can I find different plans and how much they cost?
When you’re looking for a new health plan, you’ll normally be able to find all available plans and their monthly bill on the shopping platform you’re using. The plans you can enroll in are determined by your ZIP code.
With BCBSIL, you can find available plans and their costs by adding your information, like name and ZIP code, to the online shopping platform.
Understand other health plan costs, like deductibles and premiums, and how they work together
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Am I able to change my health plan?
There are two “seasons” for Individual and Family health insurance, each with different guidelines for enrolling in a new health plan.
Open Enrollment Period: During Open Enrollment, you’re free to pick a new Individual and Family plan. You don’t have to go through any life changes like you do during Special Enrollment. Open Enrollment starts November 1st and typically lasts just over 2 months, ending January 16th.
Special Enrollment Period: During Special Enrollment, you can choose a new health plan if you’ve gone through certain life changes that affect your coverage. Some of the more common events are losing or changing jobs, getting married, having or adopting a child or moving. Learn more about the Special Enrollment period.
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How can I find my health plan’s benefits?
Most of your plan’s benefits can be found in your Summary of Benefits. There, you’ll find a brief breakdown of your plan’s costs, covered services, benefits, and more.
As a BCBSIL member, you’ll have more than just the benefits covered in your plan – you’ll get savings on health and wellness costs with Blue365®, guidance for your health journey through the Well OnTarget® portal and more.