Insurance Basics

Make the most of your health insurance plan by knowing the basics. Understanding your plan can help you find – and use –  your health coverage.

Plan types icon

Type of Plans

You might be wondering what the letters you’ve seen next to some health plans mean, like HMO, PPO and CDHP:

  • 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 consumer directed health plan gives you more control of your health care costs and is most often paired with a health savings account (HSA).
dollar sign icon

Health Insurance Costs

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

Plus, learn how you can take steps to keeping your health care costs low when you need to get care.

Review costs

magnifying glass icon

Health Care Terms

Use our Glossary to look up common terms you might run into while using your New Mexico health insurance plan. 

Search glossary

Cell phone icon

Member Tools

Learn about the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico tools that can help you best use your plan, like:

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 9/23

Last Updated: Oct. 30, 2024