Insurance Basics

Understanding the basics of health insurance can help you and your family find, and understand, your health care options.

Plan types

Type of Plans

When looking for the right health plan for you, you may come across several different options like:

  • HMO: A Health Maintenance Organization is designed to keep costs low and predictable.
  • PPO: A Participating Provider Organization lets you choose where you go for care without needing to rely on referrals or in-network providers. 
  • CDHP: A gives you more control of your health care costs and is most often paired with a health savings account.

Health Insurance Costs

Learn what premiums, deductibles, copayments and coinsurance are and how they work together for your coverage.

Review costs

Health Care Terms

Look up common terms in our glossary.

Search glossary

Member Tools

Learn about the BCBSNM tools that can help you best use your plan, like Provider Finder, Form Finder and Blue Access for MembersSM.

We're Here to Help You

Send us a question or request more information by reaching out to our customer service team.

BCBSNM policies have exclusions, limitations and terms under which the policy may be continued in force or discontinued. For costs and complete details of the coverage, call BCBSNM at 1-866-445-1396 or contact your independent, authorized broker.

P2017 Rev 9/22

Last Updated: May 23, 2023