Seamless experience when changing plans

For patients dealing with a health condition, their focus should be on their health— not navigating a complicated health system.

To ensure patient care isn’t interrupted, patients who change coverage with an approved prior authorization will see it carry over to a new insurance plan for 90 days for benefit-equivalent, in-network services. This improvement supports care coordination between plans on behalf of patients through data sharing, dedicated transitions and trained customer service teams that proactively address member and provider inquiries.

Here's how BCBS companies are leading the way:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Account managers at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) are getting positive feedback on an automated system offered to employers as they begin their partnership with BCBSM.

In 2025, BCBSM expanded a process to all employers and products that immediately captures services with prior authorization approvals from an employer’s previous health plan. It’s offered to all new commercial enrollees – tens of thousands of members each year.

Through this system, BCBSM can seamlessly honor those authorizations from the first day of coverage for new employees, avoiding disruptions in care. The program is available regardless of whether members use it, and it reduces the need for providers to reach out to BCBSM on behalf of their patients.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina

Switching insurance when you have a chronic condition can be stressful, but Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) made it much easier for new members who are managing diabetes. In 2026, the health plan’s Transition of Care initiative expanded its focus to people with diabetes who purchased coverage through the individual marketplace. Blue Cross NC team members reach out to these new members to help them transition medical services from the previous insurer.

“We know some new members are facing significant medical issues and we want them to avoid any delays that could cause them to miss a treatment,” said Ginny Brosnan, Associate Vice President of Clinical Commercial Operations at Blue Cross NC.

Since the start of the year, 1,800 members with diabetes have benefited from this effort.

Beyond the individual marketplace, members can request continuity of care through a simple online form or by phone, with trained staff coordinating directly with providers on members’ behalf. Requests are reviewed and resolved within no more than three days.

This expansion builds on a proven continuity of care model that supported more than 16,000 members across 12 self-funded employer groups in 2025.

Learn how BCBS companies are making prior authorization faster and more seamless for patients and providers.