Anthem Blue Cross: California's Largest Private Health Insurer
Anthem Blue Cross is California's largest private health insurer with over 4 million individual and group members. Anthem is a subsidiary of Elevance Health (formerly Anthem Inc.), one of the nation's largest health insurance holding companies. For California employers, Anthem offers the broadest PPO network in the state: 57,000+ providers, 340+ hospitals, and independent physician associations covering every county.
Anthem's California group products include: Select HMO (gated, medical group model), PPO (Anthem's flagship — largest network), EPO (no referrals, in-network only), and HDHP-compatible plans for HSA pairing. For small groups (2–100 employees), Anthem's Simplicity plans streamline administration. For large groups (100+), Anthem offers National Accounts with stop-loss and self-funded options.
Blue Card: National and International Coverage
One of Anthem's strongest advantages is the Blue Card program — the national Blue Cross Blue Shield reciprocal coverage network. Employees traveling or living outside California can access in-network providers in all 50 states and 190+ countries through the Blue Card program. This makes Anthem PPO particularly valuable for businesses with remote employees, frequent travelers, or multi-state operations.
Employer Tools and Technology
Anthem's employer portal (Employer Access) allows online enrollment, plan management, billing, and reporting. The Sydney Health mobile app for employees provides ID cards, claims status, provider search, and telehealth access. LiveHealth Online provides virtual urgent care 24/7. Anthem's EAP and employee wellness programs are included with group plans.
Best Fit for California Employers
Anthem Blue Cross is an excellent choice for businesses that want the broadest network coverage, have employees spread across multiple CA counties, or have employees who travel frequently. Anthem tends to be price-competitive in Southern California; slightly less so in Northern CA where Kaiser dominates. Get a current quote to compare Anthem against other carriers for your specific zip code and employee demographics.