Bright HealthCare Review

Bright HealthCare Ratings at a Glance

Bright HealthCare is an option that should be considered if it’s available in your area. Whether you choose a budget plan or one with more robust coverage, being a Bright HealthCare customer will give you access to great benefits such as telehealth services. 

There are some areas where this company is lacking. The fact that it only works with a select network can be good or bad, depending on what you’re looking for. Some people may find it difficult to get coverage if there is a lack of participating providers in the area. Unfortunately, the lack of a current mobile app also means it’s more difficult to find information about participating providers on-the-go. 

Finally, Bright HealthCare’s high number of customer complaints may make some people understandably wary of purchasing a plan from this company.

The Bright HealthCare website asks you to complete a short questionnaire to match you with plans that you may be eligible for. The plans available in your area may vary based on your age, gender, location and household income.

For a 30-year-old female in Orlando, Florida, with a household income of $36,000, Bright HealthCare offers 10 individual & family plans:

• Bronze 8550 - EPO
• Bronze $0 Primary Care - EPO
• Bronze 5900 - EPO
• Bronze $0 Medical Deductible - EPO
• Bronze 7000 HSA - EPO
• Silver 5000 - EPO
• Silver $0 Primary Care - EPO
• Silver 3000 - EPO
• Silver $0 Deductible - EPO
• Gold 1000 - EPO

The Bronze $0 Medical Deductible - EPO plan in particular stands out among these coverage options. The monthly premium quoted for a 30-year-old female is only $112 per month. When you combine that with a $0 deductible, it makes this plan the most affordable coverage available. 

Bright HealthCare also offers 4 Medicare Advantage plans: 

• Bright Advantage Health Dollars Plan (HMO)
• Bright Advantage Part B Savings Plan (HMO)
• Bright Advantage Health Dollars Plan (PPO)
• Bright Advantage Part B Savings Plan (PPO)

For small businesses, Bright HealthCare offers both fully-insured and self-funded employee benefit plans. 

On the Bright HealthCare website, the contact button is a small phone icon at the top of the page. However, during the few days over which this article was researched and written, the contact page had a 502 error or 404 error. 

In the footer of the website, there are phone numbers that customers can call Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. for assistance. However, it’s unclear if there are email, live chat or other options.

According to the National Complaint Index Report, Bright Health Insurance Company has a customer complaint index of 7.51. This is much higher than the expected complaint index of 1.0. 

The variety of Bright HealthCare plans provide customers with several pricing options to choose from. Its individual and family plans have metal levels to help you easily identify the plans that will best fit your needs.

• Bronze plans have the lowest monthly premium and are best for people who don’t anticipate needing much medical care. The downside of Bronze plans is that it has the highest out-of-pocket costs for medical care.
• Silver plans might be a more comfortable option for those who feel uneasy about the high out-of-pocket costs of Bronze plans. They have a slightly higher monthly premium, but lower out-of-pocket costs for medical care.
• Gold plans have low out-of-pocket costs and high monthly premiums.
• Platinum plans are best for people who anticipate needing medical care frequently throughout the year. These plans have the lowest out-of-pocket costs for medical care and the highest monthly premiums.

The numbers in the examples below may vary based on your circumstances but can give you a general idea of the costs for some of the metal tiers. 

Bronze: The Bronze 8550 - EPO plan has a low monthly premium of $66 per month. However, there is an $8,550 deductible, and the out-of-pocket maximum is also $8,550. So while the premium is low, you would have to pay over $8,000 out-of-pocket for medical care before meeting your deductible. There are a few things that the insurance plan will cover before you meet your deductible. Annual preventative care visits and well baby care visits are free. It also only charges $50 for urgent care visits and $25 for generic prescription drugs.

Silver: The Silver 5000 - EPO plan’s monthly premium is higher at $173 per month. The deductible is lower at $5,000, though the out-of-pocket maximum is the same as the Bronze example at $8,550. Compared to the Bronze plan, this plan offers more benefits before the deductible has been met. This includes $40 primary care visits and $80 specialist visits, $40 for mental health and substance abuse outpatient services, $100 for X-rays, $50 for bloodwork and more prescription drug coverage.

Gold: The Gold 1000 - EPO plan comes with a monthly premium of $250 per month and a lower deductible at only $1,000. The out-of-pocket maximum is still $8,550. With this plan, primary care visits are free, and specialist visits are only $40. Prescription drugs are significantly less expensive, with generic drugs costing only $15 and brand drugs costing $50. Mental health and substance abuse outpatient services cost $20 and emergency room visits cost $500. 

It seems that Bright HealthCare launched a mobile app called Bright Health in 2016. However, it no longer appears to be available in the App Store.

Though the markets are limited, if you do live in an area where Bright HealthCare is available, several benefits make these plans a good value. Some of the greatest benefits are:

• Telehealth services
• Free annual preventative care visits
• Affordable mental health coverage with most plans

As great as these benefits are, keep in mind that Bright HealthCare’s EPO plans can be very limiting as far as covered providers go. These plans will only cover services that are performed by providers within its network. This can make it tricky to find somewhere to get medical care, especially in an emergency.

Bright HealthCare’s website makes it relatively easy to find and review health care plans. If plans are available in your ZIP code, all you need to do is enter your age, sex, and household information. You’ll also be asked to disclose whether you’re pregnant or a tobacco user during the quote process. If it’s a special enrollment period, you’ll need to select the qualifying life event that has you looking for a new health insurance plan. 

After this initial information, Bright HealthCare asks you to estimate how much healthcare you think you’ll need within the year. You don’t need to get very specific — you can select between low, medium or high amounts. This information will be used to show you plans that are recommended to give you the best value. You can also provide the information for your preferred providers and current prescription drugs to make sure the plans will cover these for you.

Each plan offers detailed information about its coverage and pricing, making it easy to understand and compare each option. 

Bright HealthCare vs. Competitors

Bright HealthCare’s health insurance plans tend to be more affordable than comparable plans from its competitors. The plans also come with benefits that can be hard to find, like telehealth coverage and $0 deductibles.

Get Started with Bright HealthCare

Interested in exploring your options from Bright HealthCare? It’s easy to get a free health insurance quote from this company and many others. See what plan is best for you today. 

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