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Our take
One of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s key strengths is its high member loyalty, with 95% of customers saying they would stick with the insurer, the highest score among the companies we ranked. The company also received a strong 3.5 out of 5 stars from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. NCQA evaluates healthcare plans on, among other things, member satisfaction.
Overall, it’s fourth on Insure.com’s list of the Best Health Insurance Companies for 2023 with a star rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars.
Anthem is a good choice if you’re looking for a one-stop shop for health insurance, vision, dental, pharmacy and Medicare plans, and when traveling, policyholders have access to the wider Blue Cross Blue Shield network.
In June 2022, Anthem became Elevance Health, although policies continue to be marketed under the Anthem and Blue brands.
Pros and Cons
- Rated high for renewals
- Large provider networks
- Good for people who like a one-stop shop for all their health, dental, vision and pharmacy needs
- Doesn’t have the highest marks for customer satisfaction
- Customers didn’t give its policy offerings the strongest marks
Below is Insure.com’s review of the company. It’s based on third-party metrics and our in-depth survey of insurance customers. Find the full methodology here, including an explanation of our survey scores.
How much does Anthem health insurance cost?
Customers put Anthem in the middle of the pack when it comes to affordability – although its rates do stack up well against competitors in given markets.
| Insurance company | Rank for price/affordability among Insure.com’s top 10 |
|---|---|
| Anthem | 6 |
| Aetna | 1 |
| Cigna, UnitedHealthcare | 2 (tie) |
Below is a look at how Anthem’s rates in California compare with those of Blue Shield of California and Kaiser for a similar plan. These are 2023 healthcare exchange rates for a single, 40-year-old male in excellent health with an annual income of $70,000.
| Insurance company | Rate / Month | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Anthem | $353 | Silver 70 HMO |
| Blue Shield of California | $379 | Silver 70 Trio HMO |
| Kaiser Permanente | $379 | Silver 70 HMO |
How Anthem scores for customer satisfaction
Our survey found that 81% of Anthem’s members think it does a nice job of satisfying customers. While a strong percentage, it placed in the bottom half of our survey. Kaiser is the top-rated company in this category. Kaiser also bested the company when looking at average J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Commercial Member Health Plan Study scores, which measure health plans for overall customer satisfaction.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who are satisfied with their insurance company overall | J.D. Power overall satisfaction score (out of 1,000) |
|---|---|---|
| Anthem | 81% | 726 |
| Kaiser Permanente | 93% | 766 |
| California Blue | 91% | 738 |
How Anthem scores for complaints filed against company
Anthem does a good job at settling complaints before they escalate. The company did better in this category than all the other insurers we ranked. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) compares major providers on how many complaints are filed with state regulators. If a provider has a rate that is equal to its customer base, it receives a 1.0 score. If it has twice as many complaints as its share of the market, it gets a 2.0.
| Insurance company | NAIC Complaint Index |
|---|---|
| Anthem | 0.19 |
How Anthem scores for policy offerings
Anthem offers lots of choices, including plans beyond traditional health insurance. Despite that, customers didn’t give its policy offerings the strongest marks. Kaiser and Blue Shield of California topped this category.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who score their insurance company highly for policy offerings |
|---|---|
| Anthem | 76% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 91% |
| Blue California | 91% |
Would current customers recommend Anthem to others?
Anthem ranked relatively high in this category, with 87% of customers saying they would recommend the company to others. Kaiser had the highest score among the companies we ranked.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who would recommend their health insurance company to others |
|---|---|
| Anthem | 87% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 96% |
| Aetna | 85% |
How trustworthy is Anthem?
The majority of customers trust Anthem. Still, most healthcare insurance companies we ranked didn’t get above a 75% positive response when we asked about trust. Kaiser led this category.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who say they trust their health insurance company |
|---|---|
| Anthem | 71% |
| Kaiser Permanente | 87% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 74% |
Do current Anthem customers plan to renew?
Absolutely. Customers seem to recognize they get good value and coverage for their money, with 95% saying they would renew. That was among the highest responses in this category.
| Insurance company | Percent of customers who plan to renew with their health insurance company |
|---|---|
| Anthem | 95% |
| Aetna | 90% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 89% |
How Anthem scores for low deductibles
Anthem customers ranked the company about average for deductibles.
| Insurance company | Survey score of low deductibles |
|---|---|
| Anthem | 55% |
| Aetna | 55% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 66% |
How Anthem scores for its provider network
A healthcare provider network is a group of doctors, specialists and hospitals that provide services to insured members at a lower cost than providers outside the network. A strong provider network can be a key consideration when shopping for a health plan. Anthem, which has one of the largest networks of doctors, hospitals and healthcare workers, had one of the highest scores in this category.
| Insurance company | Survey score for provider network |
|---|---|
| Anthem | 72% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 53% |
| Aetna | 60% |
Anthem health insurance coverage options
- Insurance for families and individuals
- High deductible plans with health savings accounts
- Medicare plans
- Plans for all sizes of businesses
- Student plans
- Temporary insurance
- Pharmacy plans
Additional Anthem services
- Dental
- Vision
- Travel
States where Anthem offers coverage
Company background
Anthem is one of the largest health insurers in the country, serving 14 states and about 46 million members. Its provider network includes some 1.1 million healthcare workers, which includes doctors, dentists, nurses, technicians and other support workers.
The company has a direct presence in 14 states, with a large concentration in the Midwest, Northeast, Colorado, Nevada and California. It’s headquartered in Indianapolis.
The company dates to 1946 when it was originally called Mutual Hospital Insurance and Mutual Medical Insurance. It grew quickly and by the 1970s had secured 80% of the Indiana market. In 1985, the companies purchased the provider of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Ohio and rebranded itself as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
Meanwhile, WellPoint Health Networks was created by Blue Cross of California. Over the years, WellPoint and Anthem merged with other BCBS affiliates until the two companies came together in 2004. In 2014, WellPoint officially changed its name to Anthem. In 2017 it made a push into the pharmacy business, launching IngenioRx, a pharmacy benefits manager. That company, along with other subsidiaries, are now being folded into a Carelon brand.
Following its rebranding in June of 2022, Anthem became Elevance Health. The company says the change was made to better reflect its evolution to offer policies and products beyond traditional health insurance.
Resources & Methodology
Sources:
Anthem website, Elevance Health corporate information. Accessed November 2022.
