Sansum & Blue Shield

Good news for nearly 7,000 Sansum Clinic patients from Santa Barbara and Montecito; this week, Sansum and Blue Shield of California announced a contract has been secured for individual health insurance plans offered through Covered California. As of January 1, 2018, Anthem Blue Cross will no longer offer individual health plans in Santa Barbara County through Covered California and many other counties; the new contract means that Sansum Clinic should be an in-Network provider for plans sold by Blue Shield for individuals through Covered California. “Anthem Blue Cross was previously the only plan we contracted with for individual plans obtained through Covered California,” said Jill Fonte, Public Information officer for Sansum Clinic.

Last summer, Anthem Blue Cross decided to pull out of the individual plan market in most of California. “Therefore, people who had Anthem plans need to buy Blue Shield if they want to be covered with an individual plan; the only problem was, we didn’t have a contract with Blue Shield, which means they wouldn’t have been able to continue with us as an in-network provider,” Fonte explained. “It is always a good idea to confirm with your insurance broker or with Blue Shield that the plan you choose will include Sansum Clinic, as those plans will be available.” Fonte said the contract affects those in our area with individual health plans, small-business owners, and others who are not eligible for group health insurance. “It’s really good news for those people,” she said.

Blue Shield of California is the only insurance company offering individual plans to people who live and work in Santa Barbara County. Sansum Clinic is encouraging everyone who is able to obtain individual insurance to sign up with Blue Shield during open enrollment, between November 1 and January 31. 

To shop individual Blue Shield health plans, visit www.blueshieldca.com.