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FAQ: Managing your health plan

If you want to choose a new health plan or add a dependent, you must do so during the Open Enrollment period. If you are currently enrolled in an Independence Blue Cross health plan and want to make demographic changes (such as email address, mailing address, date of birth), cancel your coverage, or remove a dependent from your plan, you may do so at any time by by calling us at 1-800-ASK-BLUE (or 1-800-275-2583) (TTY: 711). Please note that if you applied for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, you will need to visit Pennie.com to make changes to your health plan.

To update/change your name, please call customer service at the number on the back of your ID card. You can also find our hours of operation on the back on your ID card.

If your ID card is not available, try one of the below options:

  • For coverage through an employer or union: 1-800-ASK-BLUE (1-800-275-2583) (TTY: 711)
  • For coverage through Pennie or Independence Blue Cross: 1-844-BLUE-4ME (1-844-258-3463) (TTY: 711)
  • For coverage through Medicare: 1-800-645-3965 (TTY/TDD: 711)

If you have coverage through your employer, contact your employer’s benefit administrator to change your address.

For members who purchased coverage through Pennie, your address must be changed through the exchange. Visit https://pennie.com to update.

If you purchased coverage directly from Independence Blue Cross, login at https://ibx.w3ll.com/qhp to update your address.

For health plans purchased on healthcare.gov, the government will automatically update your subsidy. If your income has changed since your last tax filing, visit Pennie.com or contact PennieTM at 1-844-844-8040. It is important that you confirm your subsidy amount with the Marketplace to ensure you are not subject to a tax penalty at the end of the year for a subsidy that was too large and/or to ensure you receive the full amount of financial assistance to which you are entitled.

The Resource Center on ibx.com provides the educational information and forms you need. Whether you’re looking for a form to submit a claim or educational guides and tip sheets for our health plan programs, the Resource Center provides that information to you in one central location.

To access forms and educational resources, log in to our member site at www.ibx.com/login and click the Resource Center link in the drop-down menu at the top next to your name.

Note: The forms and educational materials that appear in the Resource Center are specific to your plan benefits.

We encourage you to log in to your account to view your renewal information first. If you enrolled directly with Independence Blue Cross and would like assistance from one of our agents, please call 1-888-475-6206 (TTY: 711). Our licensed agents can assist you with instructions on how to renew your health insurance. If you enrolled through the Health Insurance Marketplace and will be renewing your subsidy, our licensed agents can help you renew your health plan and help you update your subsidy, if necessary.

No. Because vision and dental policies can be purchased all year outside of the Open Enrollment period, they need to be handled independently from the medical plan renewal. All medical plans renew on January 1 each year, while dental and vision coverage is renewed on a contract year, or one year from the date you purchased the plan. For example, if you have a medical plan with a January 1, 2024, effective date and purchased a dental plan with a February 1, 2024, effective date, you will need to renew your medical plan by December 15, 2023 for a January 1, 2024 effective date, and actively renew your dental plan independently from your medical plan by January 1, 2024, for dental coverage to take effect on February 1, 2024.

If your plan is no longer available, we will send you detailed information on renewing your coverage that includes recommended options to replace your plan with a similar offering. If you have any questions, call us directly at 1-888-475-6206 (TTY: 711), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

The Affordable Care Act only allows you to stay on your parents’ health plan until age 26. You will be able to apply for health insurance as part of the Special Enrollment period. This Special Enrollment period only lasts for 60 days before and after your 26th birthday. Visit ibx.com/26 to learn more.

At the beginning of each calendar year, you should receive an IRS 1095 tax form in the mail to verify that you had minimum essential health care coverage during the previous calendar year. You will receive this form from the federal government, your health insurance provider, or your employer, depending on whether you purchased health insurance individually through the Health Insurance Marketplace, directly from an insurer, or through an employer-sponsored group health plan.

For more information about proof of insurance forms, including where to find a replacement copy, read IRS 1095 Tax Forms: What You Need to Know and IRS 1095 Tax Forms: Frequently Asked Questions.

The process for submitting a claim for services will depend on the type of plan you have and whether the provider is participating or not. Providers that are in-network should submit the claim on your behalf. For out-of-network claims or other reimbursement forms, you can obtain a claim form by logging into our member site at www.ibx.com/login and accessing the Resource Center by clicking on Resource Center at the top of the Home page next to your name.

You can view the status of your claims, on ibx.com/login under the Claims and Spending tab. The standard timeframe for a claim to process is 4 – 6 weeks once received by the health plan. To access your claims, click the Claims and Spending tab. Then click My Claims Overview.

To verify the status of your claim, look at the “Status” column. Your claim can show one of the following:

  • Paid or Approved: Your claim has been processed and payment submitted to the provider
  • Pending: Means that your claim has been received but processing has not been finalized
  • Denied: Means your claim has been processed but not approves for payment
  • In Process: Which means your claim has been received and is being processed

If you do not find your claim on the list, check with your provider to make sure the claim was submitted.

An appeal is a request for your health insurer or plan to review a decision or a grievance again. A grievance is a complaint that you communicate to your health insurer or plan. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a claim or process of the insurance plan, you can contact Customer Service at the number on the back of your ID card.

You can submit an appeal in writing. If you, or someone on your behalf, wish to file an appeal, you can mail it to:

Member Appeals Department
P.O. Box 41820
Philadelphia, PA 19101-1820

To know your rights on how or when you can file an appeal, review the Member Services: How to Raise Questions or Concerns section of your Explanation of Benefits for the claim in question.

To get up-to-date information about your claims and coverage and manage your benefits, register or log in to the member portal at ibx.com/login. To register, you will create a user ID and a password, and will need your member ID and an email address.

Members are able to register up to 30 days prior to their effective date.

If you are having problems setting up your account on our member portal at ibx.com/login, please make sure your name, date of birth, and ZIP code matches exactly as enrolled. We also suggest leaving out the first three characters of your member ID (usually letters).

If you are still having issues, please call us at the number on the back of your ID card.

If your ID card is not available, try one of the below options:

To reach a customer service representative best equipped to handle your question, call customer service at the number on the back of your ID card. You can also find our hours of operation on the back on your ID card.

If your ID card is not available, try one of the below options:

You can also visit our Contact Us page for more information.

Independence Blue Cross offers a Language Line Service in order to assist members who speak any language other than English. Please call us at 1-844-BLUE-4ME (1-844-258-3463) (TTY: 711).