What You Need to Know About Subrogation

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is always on the lookout for ways to help control the rising costs of health care. It’s important that we do so for our members — and our company. So, from time to time, we may look a little bit more deeply into a medical claim you filed. Often, we start by sending a subrogation letter.

What Is Subrogation?

If this is the first time you’ve heard of subrogation, you’re not alone. Chances are you’re wondering what it means. The Legal Information Institute  at Cornell University explains subrogation this way: “One party takes on the rights of another.” In the case of a health insurance claim, these letters help us gather facts.

We Have Questions, You Have Answers

BCBSIL has partnered with Equian to find answers. You may have received a letter from Equian asking about details of a particular claim. It might have been about care you received for a job-related injury. Or care following a car wreck you were involved in. 

We use this information to see if an employer, another individual or insurance company other than BCBSIL should pay the claim. If there is, we can ask for repayment from the responsible party.

Please Reply to Our Letter

If you receive a letter from Equian asking for details about a claim, please answer the letter right away. The information you give us can help us recover money for medical care that should have rightly been paid by someone else.

You can call the number listed on the letter, or go to Equian  to answer the questions.

By working together, we can help keep health care costs in check.