Claims and Coverage Frequently Asked Questions

To see your claims online, log in to your Blue Access for Members℠ account or use the BCBSIL Mobile App. After you log in, click on "Claims" to view your claims. Using this feature, you can:

• Access up to 18 months of claims.
• Use filters to find the information you need. You can filter information by member, claim type, claim status and provider.  
• ​Download or print claim information.

​Want a quick guide to help you better understand your claims information? Each claim comes with an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement. Your EOB will break down the services you received, the cost of the services and what you might have to pay. ​

Most often, your provider will submit a claim for reimbursement on your behalf. If your provider does not send the claim for you, you can file it yourself.  

To submit a claim for reimbursement, you can fill out or download a Medical Claim Form from Form Finder. You can also log into BAM to download this form from the “Forms and Documents” link. Then, fill out the form completely.

To submit your completed form, you can:

• Go to the BAM Message Center. Create a new message. Attach the form and the original bill issued by the provider to the message. Select “Claims Submission Attachments” in the subject dropdown. Then, click Send.
• Mail the form and the original bill from your provider to the address at the top of the claim form.

To check the status of a claim, you can log in to your BAM account and check the “Claims” section. You can also sign up to get alerts about your claims in BAM.

Note that BAM and Customer Service agents will not have updates on your claim until it is submitted and processed.

There are only a handful of reasons a health care service may not get approved or a claim may not be paid. 

Most often, the reasons may be:

• The claim has errors.
• You used a provider not in your health plan’s network (an out-of-network provider). 
• Your care needed approval ahead of time.
• You got care that is not covered by your plan.
• The claim was filed with the wrong insurance company.

You have the right to know why a claim was denied. You can always check your EOB statement for why your claim was denied and to make sure your claim information is correct. If a claim is denied, a reason for the denial will be listed at the end of your EOB.

 Learn more about claim denials.   

Review your EOB first to find out why the claim was denied. If a simple mistake was made on the claim, like the wrong birth date or a different home address, you can give Customer Service a call to easily correct it. 

You can also check with your provider. They will have been notified that the claim was denied and may know what mistake needs to be fixed so they can submit it again.

If your claim was denied for another reason, you may need to ask BCBSIL to review the claim. This is called appealing a claim. 

You always have the right to know why a claim was denied and to appeal it. Every EOB has instructions on what to do if a claim has been denied. It is also explained in your benefit booklet. You may get your EOB in the mail. If you signed up for online access to your account, you can log in to BAM to see your EOB and any information related to the denial.

While some appeals are quicker to review, a standard appeal takes about 30 days. Some appeals may take up to 60 days to review.

If your life or health could be at risk by waiting, you can ask for an urgent appeal. If you qualify, the review will be handled within 72 hours. You and your provider will get a phone call from BCBSIL explaining the decision and next steps.

Learn what to do about denied claims.

You can find the claim form on our website and email it to us. If you also have health insurance with us, we can combine claims to make things easier. Talk to your employer to learn more.*

*Does not include spouse or dependents

A new Illinois law under the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act (NATA) allows a person to apply for reimbursement of food, lodging and travel expenses if a member is granted an exception to travel outside their residential area to seek timely treatment for behavioral health or drug issues. 

The reimbursement allowed amounts will be based on what is allowed by Federal General Services and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines.   

Who can claim it?

BCBSIL members can make a reimbursement claim if they received a waiver to see a Behavioral Health provider (either In or Out-of-Network) located outside of their residential area.  Reasonable reimbursement for food, lodging and travel is allowed if seeing that provider requires a long-distance travel and overnight stay.

• You must submit a completed Behavioral Health Access Travel Reimbursement Request Form with itemized receipts for food, lodging, or travel expenses you wish reimbursed.   

How does it work?

Step 1:  You receive a waiver from BCBSIL allowing you to visit an Illinois Behavioral Health provider (either In or Out-of-Network) which requires overnight travel from your residence.   

Step 2:  You visit the Behavioral Health provider

Step 3: Review the submission instructions and submit the completed Behavioral Health Access Travel Reimbursement Request Form with itemized receipts for food, lodging and travel mileage during the trip. 

Step 4: BCBSIL will review your claim and determine if the expenses are allowed.   

Step 5: BCBSIL will provide a reimbursement check for the allowed expense amount based on IRS guidelines.   

How do I submit a claim?

You can do it online by logging into your account  or mail the completed form with the items from Step 3 above to:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
P.O. Box 660603
Dallas, TX 75266-0603

What if I have questions?

For help with this form – or any question including appeals for any denials – you can call the Customer Service number on your ID card.

Not all plans are the same. And there are also different types of plans, like medical, dental, vision and prescription. To find out what is covered under your specific plans, view your benefits booklet. It can be found in the “Coverage and Benefits” section of BAM. You’ll need to be logged in to BAM to see your plan’s details.

You will have up to 60 days to add your infant to your coverage. The plan will be retroactive. This means it will cover your baby’s care going back to birth. Refer to your benefits booklet, which can be found in the “Coverage and Benefits” section of BAM, for more details.

Your benefit booklet explains what is covered under your specific health, dental, vision and prescription plans.

You will receive your benefit booklet in the mail shortly after you enroll in a health plan. A digital version of your benefit booklet can also be found in the “Coverage and Benefits” section of BAM. You need to be logged in to BAM to see your plan’s details.

Learn more about benefit booklets.

When you get care from a provider who files a claim on your behalf, we’ll take the information and create an Explanation of Benefit (EOB) statement for you. An EOB shows costs from your provider and if the claim was approved or denied. Costs vary based on what your plan covers and what services you receive. If you have a deductible or coinsurance, the EOB will explain how much of the bill your plan covered and how much you may be responsible for due to a deductible or coinsurance.

Learn more about EOBs.

An SBC is a summary of all the benefits that are covered under your health plan. You can find the SBC for your health plan on BAM. You need to be logged in to BAM to see your document.

If you prefer to get a paper EOB, it will be mailed to you after your claim is finalized. If you are signed up for paperless statements, you will get an email or text when your EOB and benefit booklet are ready to view in your BAM account.

When you have a routine visit – also known as preventive care – with an in-network provider, only certain services are 100% covered. If you ask for or choose to have other services performed, or to talk with the provider about other issues that are not routine, you may be charged for them.

Most often, you may be sent a bill after a routine or diagnostic visit because:

• You may have seen an out-of-network provider.
• You may have had lab work done that was sent to an out-of-network provider.
• You may have asked for additional services that were not routine. These services may be considered medical care.

Learn about the difference between preventive care and medical care.   

When you visit an in-network provider, only certain services are 100% covered. Due to this, your health plan may have only covered part of your total bill.

First, double check your EOB to make sure all the services you received were covered. If you believe you were billed for a service that was covered, call your provider. If you are still having issues, call the customer service number listed on your BCBSIL member ID card.

When you get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing. In these cases, you shouldn’t be charged more than your plan’s copay, coinsurance and/or deductible.

If you’re covered by two health plans, your doctor may file a claim with both. Insurance companies then decide which plan covers which costs. This is called Coordination of Benefits (COB).

You may get a COB questionnaire from your insurer to set up the COB so claims get paid correctly. If you do, be sure to fill it out, even if you do not have other coverage. You may also want to document other coverage you have when your plan renews each year.

Learn more about COB.

Sometimes, you may need care due to an accident that happened at work, while on vacation, or just driving around town. If that happens, BCBSIL will need to determine if you should have to pay the medical bills, or if someone else is responsible. This process is called subrogation. We may send you a subrogation questionnaire to get more details about the accident. But don’t worry, BCBSIL will handle subrogation on your behalf. 

Learn more about subrogation.

No. Services covered under your Dental plan do not require preauthorization. For services that may be covered under either a Dental plan or a medical plan, your provider can submit a predetermination request. This can help determine patient share and coverage details, but it’s not required.