BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee accounted for an estimated 86 percent of plans sold on the Marketplace for individual coverage, attracting more than 31,000 of the 36,000 Tennesseans who enrolled last year.
Of the total number of BlueCross enrollees, 30 percent were from the Nashville Marketplace region, followed by the Knoxville region with 18 percent, and Chattanooga and Memphis regions with 12 percent each.
The estimated enrollment figures represent the period of Oct. 1 through Dec. 28, 2013 by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), which reported that 36,250 Tennesseans signed up for a Marketplace plan. Nationally, enrollees for the same period stood at 2.2 million Americans, according to HHS. Enrollment for the Marketplace continues through March 31, 2014.
“We’re proud to be the insurer of choice on the Marketplace in Tennessee,” said Henry Smith, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for BlueCross. “We worked hard to provide the most plan options of any carrier, with multiple networks and a range of pricing to meet the needs of individuals seeking coverage.”
Tennessee enrollees in BlueCross plans closely mirror those signed up for coverage across the country. Age distributions are very similar, with almost one in every four individuals falling between ages 18 and 34. And, 55 percent of purchases were made by females versus 45 percent bought by males. (See chart below.)
Compared to national results, BlueCross members are more likely to have a silver plan (67% vs. 60%). HHS reports that nationally, 79 percent of individuals with a Marketplace plan receive financial assistance in the form of a tax credit or cost share reduction, while in Tennessee 75 percent of Marketplace members receive financial assistance. In comparison, BlueCross data show that 73 percent of BlueCross subscribers receive financial assistance, which closely aligns with the Tennessee data reported by HHS.
In addition to the demographic figures, BlueCross reports that approximately 50 percent of its plans selected by individuals use Blue Network E, BlueCross’ new high-value network created for the Marketplace. Blue Network E is available only in the Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis sales regions, where BlueCross partners with leading health systems to provide access to quality providers at affordable rates.
For more information on BlueCross plans sold on the Marketplace, visit bcbst.com.