New Member

Congratulations on purchasing your new health insurance plan! If you’re wondering when you can start using your plan or when you can expect your member ID card, then read on:

Q. Has my coverage started? Can I use my health plan?
A. Your very first premium payment will activate your coverage, so you can begin using your health plan within 1 to 2 days after that, depending on how you’ve paid.

After you've made your first payment and your coverage is activated, you can have health care expenses during that coverage gap applied to your deductible, or even get paid back for some services. In this case, the coverage gap is the time between your requested effective date and the date you make your first payment.

Q. I need to get a prescription filled but don't have my ID card yet. What can I do?
A. You should’ve received a new member welcome letter within days of your enrollment being completed. Your member identification and group number listed on your welcome letter can be used by the pharmacy to verify your benefits. Remember, you’ll need to pay your first premium payment before you can start using your prescription benefits. Using the same information from your welcome letter, you can also register for Blue Access for Members^SM (BAM ) and print a temporary ID card to carry with you. You can also download the BCBSIL app to have your ID card placed in your Passbook.

Q. I applied on the Health Insurance Marketplace, but haven't heard if my application has been received and accepted. Did my coverage start on the effective date I requested?
A. We receive new applications from the Marketplace every day. If you applied through the Marketplace, it will take a few days for processing through the Marketplace before they are sent to us. It then takes us about 5–10 business days to process your enrollment in the BCBSIL system.

If you just applied recently, we encourage you to wait to see if you receive your membership information soon. If you applied weeks ago and still haven’t received anything from us, your application may need additional information.

If you applied on the Health Insurance Marketplace or with BCBSIL online and you haven’t received information from us after a few weeks, call our Customer Service Center at 1-877-731-4649 and we can look up the status of your application.

Q. When will I get my member ID cards, and how many will I get?
A. You should get your member ID cards in the mail soon after your application is approved. Individual and family PPO members will receive no more than 2 membership ID cards. Please note that all member ID cards will have only the subscriber name on it, but can be used by all of the dependents enrolled under the policy. HMO Individual and family plans will get a card for each member enrolled.

You can print a temporary ID card and request additional cards  through your BAM account. You’ll need your member identification number and group number to register for BAM. These numbers can be found on the new member welcome letter you’ll receive within days of enrolling.

Q. I received my ID cards in the mail but they only have my name on them and not my spouse's. Can I get another ID card with their name on it?
A. No need! Your member ID cards will only have the primary subscriber's name on them, but they can be used by all of the dependents (in this case your spouse) enrolled under your policy.

If you still have questions, we have answers! Ask us your question here!