Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to offer Individual Plans statewide in 2020

Portfolio of Blue Plus plans marks a "Blue" presence in all 87 counties for first time in four years

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Oct 01, 2019, 11:20 ET

EAGAN, Minn., Oct. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) and Blue Plus will once again have true statewide options for Minnesotans looking to purchase their own health insurance policy. Effective January 1, 2020, Blue Cross— through its Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Blue Plus— will have Individual and Family plans available in all 87 Minnesota counties. Enrollment in these plans can be purchased directly from Blue Cross; through an agent or broker; or MNsure. This marks the first time since 2016 that every county in Minnesota county will have a "Blue" option for Individual enrollment.

In January 2017, Blue Cross transitioned its entire Individual portfolio to Blue Plus. Individual coverage began to be offered through a series of Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) products, with each featuring a different network built around a regional health care system: Sanford (Blue Plus Western MN); St. Luke's (Blue Plus Northeast MN); Allina Health (Blue Plus Metro MN), Fairview and North Memorial Health (Blue Plus Strive – Metro Region), and Mayo Clinic (Blue Plus Southeast MN).

The combined service areas of the five Blue Plus ACOs cover most Minnesotans across 77 of the state's 87 counties. The five ACOs will remain in 2020, with the coverage gap being filled by the new Blue Plus Minnesota Value product, which offers Individual and Family coverage and a focused network of providers in 15 counties: Benton, Brown, Crow Wing, Kanabec, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Roseau, Sibley, Stearns, Todd and Wright.

More than 10,000 primary care and 26,000 specialty care providers are part of the Minnesota Value Network, with in-network locations throughout the state. Major regional providers include CentraCare in Central Minnesota, the Altru Health System in Northwestern Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis.

"Blue Cross wants to be the first choice for all Minnesotans, which is why we're so excited to once again have Individual offerings in every county in the state," said Dr. Craig Samitt, president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. "After years of volatility and unpredictability, the Individual market has shown encouraging signs of stability. More than ever, we're focused on empowering Minnesotans who shop on their own to receive high-quality care that's close to home."

Individual plans are available to Minnesotans without an option to enroll in an employer sponsored health plan and do not qualify for coverage through state public health plan. The Individual market is separate and unrelated to Medicare. This announcement does not apply to seniors enrolled in our Cost, Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement plans. Individual enrollment for 2020 coverage opens on November 1. Benefit and premium details are available now at bluecrossmn.com.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota's first health plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, more economical and timely availability of health services for the people of Minnesota. A nonprofit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest health plan based in Minnesota, covering 2.9 million members in Minnesota and nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliated companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago.