In health insurance terminology, what term is typically used for a person covered under a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan?

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

Answer: (A)

In health insurance terms, the person who holds the policy and is responsible for the contract with the insurer is the subscriber. Blue Cross Blue Shield materials typically use this term to label the policyholder—the individual whose name appears on the policy and who generally pays the premiums. The subscriber is effectively the insured under the contract, and any dependents covered under the policy are additional enrollees or dependents, not the contract holder themselves.

Enrollee is a broader term for anyone who is enrolled in the plan, which can include dependents or others covered under the policy, but the standard reference for the person who owns and is financially linked to the policy is the subscriber. Policyowner describes who owns the contract and may be the same as the subscriber, but not always. Member is a more general term used in some plans to refer to people enrolled in the plan, rather than specifically identifying the contract holder.