Premera Blue Cross and Aetna Insurance are amongst the biggest healthcare insurance companies in the United States. We often see it as a top choice for many people, and it is easy to confuse them. However, these insurance companies differ in various ways, including cost and coverage.
Everyone would agree that getting healthcare insurance is one of the smartest things to do. It is why we see that people are usually trying to pick one out of these two insurance companies.
This article will give you an overview of the two insurance companies and tell you the differences between both of them. Then, you can go ahead to pick the one you prefer.
Imagine having healthcare insurance that covers both dental and vision insurance and drug prescription. Of course, you know that you cannot get such an offer from all insurance companies. However, you can enjoy such an offer with Premera Blue Cross and Aetna Insurance. Therefore, it is not shocking that they are amongst the top Insurance companies in the United States, and people get confused on which one to pick amongst the both.
Below, you will see some of the parameters that we would use in comparing both insurance companies and what you would get from either of the two.
Differences Between Premera Blue Cross And Aetna Insurance
1. Coverage: Typically, it is nice to know what you can get when you decide to get an insurance policy from any insurance company. It lets you know if there are any limitations, and it can be a deciding factor for many people.
There are insurance plans and packages for Premera Blue Cross and Aetna Insurance. So, you have to pick your preference.
We see that Premera Blue Cross offers different insurance plans and packages. The idea is that a customer has to choose the one they prefer. And, it is also important to note that these plans come at different prices. So, when you look through the packages and what they offer, you can pick the most suitable. However, we also see that Premera Blue Cross coverage limits depend on your resident state. For example, what a person might enjoy in Arizona might be limited in Texas. So, it would be best to visit your state’s Blue Cross website and see the coverage limits.
On the other hand, Aetna’s coverage is not dependent on your resident state. So, for example, what a person in state A enjoys is what someone in state B will also get.
2. Availability: Yes, Blue Cross and Aetna are both healthcare insurance companies in the United States, but are they available in all the states? You will get to see how both insurance companies differ with this question.
Interestingly, you will see that you can access both Blue Cross and Aetna insurance in all the 50 states of the United States. However, as we earlier mentioned, you might not get the same packages and coverage as there could be residency limitations.
For example, you can get employer-based and individual insurance packages from Premera Blue Cross insurance in all the 50 states of the United States. However, you can only get Aetna’s employer-based insurance in 16 states of the United States. And some of these 16 states include Montana, New York, Colorado, Ohio, and Texas.
In addition, one can purchase individual plans for Premera Blue Cross insurance through healthcare.gov, state exchanges, or the insurance company. But the contrary is the case with Aetna insurance. Aetna Insurance does not let people get individual plans through healthcare.gov or state exchanges.
3. Policies: Every organization tends to have policies that guide its operations, and these insurance companies are not any different. We see that some of their policies are similar while others differ.
We see Premera Blue Cross and Aetna Insurance being alike in the plans they offer to their users. Therefore, you would see that both companies offer HMO, PPO, HAS, POS, FSA, etc.
We earlier mentioned that both companies also offer dental and vision insurance, which you cannot get from some other healthcare insurance companies. So, it is safe to say that they have similar policies in this aspect. However, the operations of dental insurance differ.
One would have to wait for some time to access Premera Blue Cross dental insurance, but it also offers more dental insurance packages than Aetna Insurance.
However, there is no waiting time for Aetna dental insurance, but it has lesser packages than that of Premera Blue Cross.
Asides from dental insurance packages, you would see that you can enjoy more packages when you use Premera Blue Cross. However, Aetna insurance is limited as it sells government-funded and group insurance plans.
Therefore, you now understand how and why you cannot get individual plans from Aetna Insurance, but you can get individual insurance plans when you use Premera Blue Cross.
4. Policy Management: So, you may be wondering how both insurance companies manage and regulate their policies and also keep in touch with their customers. And, you might also be curious to know if there are differences in this factor.
Therefore, allow us to tell you that customers can reach out to both insurance companies through their website, mobile apps, and customer services agents. However, none of these insurance companies offer a 24/7 support service.
The only difference between both insurance companies, in this case, is that Premera Blue Cross has different websites for each state. However, Aetna insurance has one website for all states.
Below is a table giving a quick summary of the similarities and differences between Premera Blue Cross and Aetna Insurance so you can understand better.
| Differences/Similarities | Blue Cross | Aetna Insurance |
| Plan structures | HMO, POS, FSA, etc. | HMO, POS, FSA, etc. |
| Availability | All states | Limited to some states |
| Providers In-Network | 1.7 million | 1.2 million |
| Telehealth | Available | Available |
| Policy Management | Website, mobile app, and phone | Website, mobile app, and phone |
FAQs
Below are some of the frequently asked questions about both insurance companies
Is Blue Cross Premera Good?
Yes, Premera Blue Cross insurance company offers exceptional services to its customers and has an array of insurance plans. It is why the company is one of the top healthcare insurance companies in the United States.
Is Aetna Good Medical Insurance?
Yes, Aetna is a good medical insurance company and stands as one of the top healthcare insurance companies in the United States. However, it has lesser insurance plans and packages compared to Blue Cross.
Are Aetna And Blue Cross The Same Company?
No, Aetna and Blue Cross are different healthcare insurance companies.
Summary
Irrespective of whatever insurance company you pick between these two, you are sure to enjoy incredible services.
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