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December 21, 2020

Comparing health insurance companies: Independence Blue Cross vs. Oscar and AmBetter

Health Insurance Open Enrollment

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The 2021 Open Enrollment Period runs through Friday, January 15, 2021. If you’re currently in the market for a plan, Independence Blue Cross offers a wide range of affordable health plans with comprehensive coverage and access to the most doctors and hospitals in the region.

Independence Blue Cross has served the Philadelphia region for more than 80 years, and we’re proud to be the only health insurance company that has been in the Health Insurance Marketplace in Pennsylvania since it opened in 2013.

What are you looking for in a health plan?

Looking for a health plan that offers full network access with ways to save money? We’ve got that.

Want high-quality, no-deductible health plans? We’ve got that, too.

How about a health plan that covers telemedicine at no cost to you, with 24/7 access to care from board-certified doctors? We’ve got you covered there, too. In fact, all our individual and family health plans cover virtual care visits from MDLIVE® at $0.*

Choosing health insurance is about more than your premium

Health insurance is about your total cost of health care. As you shop for a health plan during Open Enrollment this year, consider what makes up your total cost of health care:

  1. Monthly premium. Your premium is the cost to buy your health insurance plan. This is the amount you pay each month to keep your health care coverage active.
  2. Out-of-pocket costs. This is what you pay when you use your health plan, like going to the doctor or hospital. These costs may include cost-sharing (a flat fee you pay when you receive health care services), co-insurance (a percentage of the costs that you may pay for certain types of health care), or a deductible (the amount you pay each year for care before your health plan starts to share the costs).

Comparing Independence Blue Cross vs. Oscar and Ambetter

You may be trying to decide what health plan is right for you and your family. Here’s a look at how two of our Keystone HMO Silver Proactive health plans compare with Silver individual and family consumer health plans from Oscar and AmBetter.

Limited - Insurance comparison chart IBX

If you compare total cost of health care between health plans, wouldn’t it make more sense to pay slightly more each year for your premium and save $4,000 to $6,500 in deductibles?

You may qualify for financial assistance

Sometimes called a tax credit or subsidy, financial assistance is available for those who qualify to help pay for health insurance costs. You may qualify for:

• Lower monthly premiums
• Lower monthly premiums and lower out-of-pocket costs for health care

Your household income, household size, and where you live determine if you are eligible for a tax credit. If you think you may qualify, use our online tax credit calculator.

If you are eligible for a tax credit, you will need to enroll at pennie.com.

Don’t miss your chance for health insurance in 2021

Open Enrollment for 2021 individual and family health insurance plans ends January 15, 2021.

Your health care coverage will start February 1, 2021 if you enroll between December 16 – January 15.

Shop for a plan that works for you.

About Paula Sunshine

As SVP and Chief Marketing Executive at Independence Blue Cross, Paula Sunshine is accountable for the Individual Under-65 market segment. In this capacity, she is directly responsible for developing and executing all direct-to-consumer marketing and sales capabilities. In addition, Ms. Sunshine is accountable for insuring the delivery of market-competitive products and pricing as well as operational readiness for the Consumer market.


*1 insurance.pa.gov/Consumers/Pages/ACA-Rate-Filings.aspx
*2 45-year-old non-smoker
*3 More than 50 percent of our network providers are in Tier 1
*Catastrophic plans are excluded.

MDLIVE is an independent company providing telemedicine, teledermatology, and telebehavioral health services for Independence Blue Cross members.

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