Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance

Blue Cross Blue Shield comes out on top in an Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance comparison because it offers coverage in all 50 states, while Anthem only operates in 14 states. That said, Anthem is part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), meaning both insurers have access to the same massive network of over 1.7 million providers.

Continue reading to get a better idea of whether Anthem or Blue Cross Blue Shield would be a better fit for your specific health insurance needs.

Key Takeaways Anthem health plans are not accessible to most Americans because the company serves only 14 states, whereas Blue Cross Blue Shield has a presence in all 50 states. Since Anthem is part of the BCBSA, both insurance companies have access to 1.7 million in-network providers — the largest health insurance network in the country. Blue Cross Blue Shield companies have the highest customer satisfaction ratings in nine out of 22 regions in J.D. Power’s most recent study. Due to its excellent reviews, you can expect a pleasant user experience on Anthem’s Sydney Health app, while each BCBSA company generally has its own mobile app.

Anthem History

While it has existed under many different names, Anthem has been providing health insurance coverage in the United States since the 1940s. Anthem Insurance Company merged with WellPoint Health Networks in 2004 to form WellPoint, Inc. However, in 2014, the corporation reverted its name to Anthem, Inc.^[1]

Then, the company changed its name to Elevance Health in 2022, and it has retained this name to this day — although it still sells health plans under the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield trade name.^[2] As of 2019, Anthem is the largest of all the for-profit managed health care companies in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.^[1]

Click here to read our full Anthem review.

Blue Cross Blue Shield History

Blue Cross started at Baylor University’s hospital in Texas in 1929, where hospital administrators aimed to help patients who struggled to afford health care by establishing a prepayment schedule, enabling them to pay 50 cents per month to secure coverage for up to 21 days of hospitalization per year.^[3]

Not long after, Blue Shield sprang up as mining and logging business owners in the Pacific Northwest arranged for their employees to receive medical care for a monthly premium.^[3]

In the 1940s, Blue Cross and Blue Shield established agreements with each other so they could provide more comprehensive major medical coverage for their respective plan members. The two companies formally merged to form the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in 1982.^[3] As of 2024, the BCBSA consists of 33 independent companies.^[4]

Click here to read our full Blue Cross Blue Shield review.

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: Quick Glance

Comparison	Anthem	Blue Cross Blue Shield
Plan Structures	HMO, PPO, EPO, POS, HMO-POS, CDHP,  FSA, HDHP, HSA, Indemnity, Medicaid, Medicare and SNP	HMO, PPO, EPO, POS, HMO-POS, CDHP, FSA, HDHP, HSA, Indemnity, Medicaid, Medicare and SNP
Availability	14 states	50 states, Puerto Rico and D.C.
Coverage Limit	Varies	Varies
Deductible	Varies	Varies
Waiting Period	Varies	Varies
In-Network Providers	1.7 million	1.7 million
Covers Telehealth	Yes	Yes
Policy Management	Phone, mobile app or online account	Phone, mobile app or online account

Anthem Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Second-highest overall market share in the health insurance industry[5]	Available in only 14 states
Highest customer satisfaction ratings in two regions[6]
Access to the BCBSA’s network of 1.7 million providers
Sydney Health app has received excellent reviews

Blue Cross Blue Shield Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Highest customer satisfaction ratings in nine regions (including Anthem companies)[6]	Customer experience may vary from state to state since BCBS companies operate independently
Third-highest market share in the Medicare Advantage industry when counting all BCBSA companies collectively[7]
Network includes 1.7 million providers
Operates throughout the entire United States

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: Plan Structures

Anthem and Blue Cross Blue Shield generally offer the same types of major medical and supplemental health insurance plans, though certain coverage types may be restricted to certain areas. As a result, neither insurer is significantly more appealing than the other if you’re simply looking for a one-stop shop for all of your health insurance needs.

Plan	Anthem	Blue Cross Blue Shield
Individual & Family	✓	✓
Medicare Advantage	✓	✓
Medicaid	✓	✓
Dental	✓	✓
Vision	✓	✓
Employer Group	✓	✓

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: Plan Availability

Blue Cross Blue Shield has a sizeable advantage over Anthem when it comes to availability, as the BCBSA operates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.^[4] In contrast, Anthem only sells coverage in the following 14 states:^[8]

California	Missouri
Colorado	Nevada
Connecticut	New Hampshire
Georgia	New York
Indiana	Ohio
Kentucky	Virginia
Maine	Wisconsin

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: In-Network Providers

Anthem and Blue Cross Blue Shield are on even footing in a comparison of network size; since Anthem is part of the BCBSA, both companies’ policyholders have access to the same lineup of in-network providers. In total, the BCBSA network includes over 1.7 million doctors and hospitals, making it the most expansive health insurance network in the United States as of 2024.^[4]

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: Cost

The average cost of health insurance from Anthem or Blue Cross Blue Shield is hard to pin down, as your premiums will depend on the specific coverage details of your selected plan. That said, the cost of any given plan can only vary from person to person based on the following five factors:^[9]

• Age
• Location
• Tobacco use
• Whether the plan covers one individual or their entire family
• Plan category

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: Policy Management

Regardless of which of these two insurers you choose, you’ll be able to manage the details of your health plan through a phone call, online portal or mobile app. Notably, Anthem’s Sydney Health app has received outstanding reviews on Google Play and the App Store. Some of Blue Cross Blue Shield’s apps have also garnered positive reviews — but, since each BCBS company typically has its own mobile app, the user experience can vary from place to place.

App	Google Play Store Rating	Apple App Store Rating
Sydney Health	4.7/5 stars[10]	4.8/5 stars[11]
Blue Shield of California	3.6/5 stars[12]	4.8/5 stars[13]
Blue Connect Mobile NC	3.1/5 stars[14]	4.3/5 stars[15]

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: Coverage Limits

Neither Anthem nor Blue Cross Blue Shield is legally allowed to set coverage limits on the following essential health benefits:^[16][17]

• Ambulatory patient services
• Emergency services
• Hospitalization
• Pregnancy, maternity and newborn care
• Mental health and substance use disorder services
• Prescription drugs
• Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
• Laboratory services
• Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
• Pediatric services

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: Medical Loss Ratio

Federal law requires health insurance companies to maintain a medical loss ratio (MLR) of 80% or 85% — depending on their market — meaning 80% or 85% of their premium revenues must be spent on paying out claims or otherwise improving patient care for their plan members. Insurance companies that fail to meet this requirement on a three-year rolling average basis must pay out prorated rebates to impacted policyholders.^[18]

Anthem paid out MLR rebates for various markets in 12 states in 2024, but the company has yet to announce whether it will pay out any rebates this year.^[19]

Overall, Elevance Health reported a three-year rolling average MLR of 87.63% at the end of 2024.^[20][21][22] Meanwhile, MLR rebates vary across the BCBSA since each member company is responsible for maintaining federal guidelines and paying out rebates itself. For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts paid out rebates in the individual and small group health insurance markets last year, but not in the large group market.^[23]

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: Enrollment Process

In most states, you can join an individual or family health plan from Anthem or Blue Cross Blue Shield through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace or your state’s equivalent health exchange during open enrollment from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15.^[24] However, Medicare members who want to buy a Medicare Advantage plan from Anthem or Blue Cross Blue Shield should instead keep an eye out for the following Medicare open enrollment dates:^[25]

Enrollment Period	What You Can Do
Three months before your Medicare coverage starts to three months after your Medicare coverage starts	Enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan (as long as you’ve already enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B)
Oct. 15 to Dec. 7	Switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, drop Medicare Advantage and go back to Original Medicare or switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another
Jan. 1 to March 31	Drop Medicare Advantage and go back to Original Medicare or switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another

In addition, you can join a health plan outside of open enrollment by becoming eligible for a special enrollment period (SEP). SEPs are triggered by qualifying life events, like the following:^[26]

• Getting married or divorced
• Giving birth to or adopting a child
• Changing or losing your job
• Moving to a new residence
• Losing your existing health coverage due to the death of a family member
• Becoming a United States citizen
• Leaving prison

Anthem vs. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance: Policyholder Experience

Blue Cross Blue Shield has slightly higher customer satisfaction ratings than Anthem on online review websites, although both companies have received below-average reviews overall. See the following table for an overview of each insurer’s ratings on various platforms:

Review Platform	Anthem Rating	Blue Cross Blue Shield Rating
ConsumerAffairs	1/5 stars[27]	1/5 stars (California only)[28]
Better Business Bureau	1/5 stars[29]	1.14/5 stars[30]
Best Company	1.3/5 stars[31]	2/5 stars[32]

How To File Claims With Anthem and Blue Cross Blue Shield

Normally, an in-network health care provider will file an insurance claim on your behalf when you receive care, so you may not need to worry about filing a health insurance claim yourself. However, both Anthem and Blue Cross Blue Shield allow you to fill out and submit your own claim form if you access out-of-network care.^[33][34]