Making Critical Illness Easier to Sell and Manage 

Aug. 12, 2026

Applies to Large Groups and National Accounts

We’re updating our Critical Illness product to make it simpler for you to sell, set up and service employer groups. 

What’s changing: New Critical Illness proposals for medical groups with 151+ enrolled employees starting with Nov. 1 effective dates will include: 

• A four-tier billing structure for all new Critical Illness plans 
  (Employee Only; Employee + Spouse; Employee + Child; Employee + Family) 
• A billing structure that aligns with Medical, Dental and Vision 
• Simpler spouse and child benefit options 
• Benefits that no longer reduce due to age  

All Ancillary products will now have this same four-tier structure. 

Why this matters:

• Easier to sell with Medical: The Critical Illness billing structure now looks and feels like Medical, making it easier to include in a bundled benefits discussion. 
• Clearer employer conversations: Having fewer plan variations and no age-based benefit drops mean less explanation and fewer questions. 
• Less administrative hassle: A consistent setup across benefits helps streamline enrollment, billing and ongoing service. 
• Better system alignment: Supplemental Health products (Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity) will be able to run through the same 834 file feed used for Medical, Dental and Vision. This enhancement is available for new medical groups that have 151+ enrolled employees and Ancillary coverage with effective dates of Nov. 1 or later. 

These updates modernize how our Supplemental Health products are managed and will make it easier to connect with future integrations. They also help ensure our Ancillary products are intuitive, connected and easier to manage, so employers can focus on what matters most: supporting their employees. 

Questions? Contact your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Ancillary Sales Representative. 

Insurance products issued by Dearborn Life Insurance Company, 701 E. 22nd St. Suite 300, Lombard, IL 60148. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is the trade name of Dearborn Life Insurance Company, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.