(There’s|There is) uncertainty in life and insurance is designed to lessen the burden of this uncertainty. The principle of operation is simple, the insurance company (that is Blue Cross Insurance corporation or Blue Shield in this case) pays the medical expenses  of the insured (you) if the insured becomes sick due to covered causes like disease, disability, accident etc.

In return the insured (you) pays a monthly or annual premium (a monetary amount usually around 200 dollars a month, however the exact amount varies according to the insurance plan purchased) to the insurer. As a general rule, the biggernumber of people in the insurance group, the lesser is the premium. That is due to the distribution of expenses .

Blue Cross Insurance is an insurance company providing medical insurance in the American and Canada. Blue Cross Insurance was started by a university president Justin Ford Kimball. It started out in a very humble way as hospital care for school teachers in Dallas in 1929. The premium was only 6 dollars a year! Within ten years of its formation the Blue Cross symbol was adapted by the American Hospital Association. At present one of every three American is covered by Blue Shield or Blue Cross making them the largest medical provider in the  American.

At present BC/BS Association is a trade organization linking 38 independent regional medical insurance corporations in the  American, Puerto Rico and Canada. It achieved its present form in 1982 after the merger of Blue Cross association and the national association of Blue Shield plans.

BC/BS plans are very closely linked to managed medical in the  American. The association is also the administrator for Social Security in a large number of states. Traditionally Blue Cross provides hospital coverage and Blue Shield provides medical coverage.

In different states BC/BS corporations have different names. The names of the corporations are Wellpoint, Carefirst, Healthcareservice corporation, Highmark, Premera, The Regence Group, Wellmark, BC/BS of various states, La Cruz Azul de Puerto Rico, Triple-S (in Puerto Rico) and The Canadian Association of Blue cross Plans ( In Canada).

It is very vital to read all the fine print of the insurance plans as medical insurance is usually required in cases of emergencies like accidents or during illness. During such a situation it would come as a nasty surprise if you find out a specific clause which denies insurance. Also the vital phone numbers should be noted down for such emergencies.