Blue Cross keeps big edge in state benefit plan

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia will again have a dominant share of members and dependents in Georgia’s state employee and teacher health plan in 2016.

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The state’s largest health insurer will serve more than 75 percent of State Health Benefit Plan members next year with its various health plans.

This year, Blue Cross also served three in four members.

The State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) covers more than 630,000 state employees, teachers, other school personnel, retirees and dependents.

The state Department of Community Health released the enrollment figures recently.

The Blue Cross Bronze plan collected the most 2016 enrollees, at 167,223.

UnitedHealthcare’s two Medicare plans will offer services to more than 109,000 members.

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Kaiser Permanente’s SHBP membership in its HMO increased to nearly 20,000, up from 14,114 this year.

Clyde Reese, Community Health’s commissioner, said the recently completed open enrollment period for SHBP went smoothly, without glitches. The members’ health plan options remained the same for 2016 as they were this year.