An individual covered under a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is called a(n)

• A. Policyowner
• B. Enrollee
• C. Subscriber
• D. Member

Answer: (C)

In health insurance practice, the person who has benefits under the plan is the subscriber. This is the individual whose coverage is active under the policy and to whom the insurer issues the ID and benefits. The policyowner is the person who actually owns the contract (often the employer in a group plan or the individual in an individual policy), which is a separate role from the person who is covered. An enrollee is someone enrolled in the plan, which can describe the same person in many contexts but isn’t the term used to identify the covered individual on the policy itself. A member is also a common term in group plans, but the standard designation in this context for the person receiving coverage is subscriber. So the individual covered under a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is the subscriber.