BCBS of North Carolina is the No. 11 health insurance company for 2026, with a score of 3.94 out of 5. Rates are lower than some competitors', and the company is backed by the BlueCross BlueShield name.
Scott Nyerges is an insurance expert and managing editor, insurance. Previously, he was a senior insurance editor and content strategist at U.S. News & World Report, and worked for Consumer Reports, MSN and Cheapism.com.
Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance expert and the executive editor of Insurance.com. Before joining QuinStreet, she was managing editor at Quote.com has a decade of experience writing about insurance. She also spent four years in customer service with Farmers Insurance.
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BCBS of North Carolina earns an overall score of 3.94 stars out of 5 in our analysis of the Best Health Insurance Companies of 2026, ranking it No. 11 among insurers we reviewed. It may be suitable for customers who prefer a familiar regional Blue Cross option and are comfortable with a relatively basic healthcare experience. However, its lower survey scores for preferred providers and low deductibles may concern some people.
Below is our review of BCBS of North Carolina. It’s based on third-party metrics and an in-depth survey of insurance customers. Find the full methodology here.
BCBS of North Carolina is a good choice for you if:
It might not be the best choice if:
With the cost of health insurance constantly rising, consumers are paying attention to pricing when shopping for coverage. Among the insurers in our study, BCBS of North Carolina ranked in the lower half for affordability with a score of 3.66 out of 5. Humana earned the best score for pricing (4.07 stars out of 5), while Elevance Health and BCBS of Michigan (Blue Care Network) scored the lowest (3.52 stars).
Below is a look at how BCBS of North Carolina’s rates in North Carolina compare with UnitedHealthcare and Cigna. These are 2026 healthcare exchange rates for a single, 40-year-old man in excellent health with an annual income of $70,000.
In addition to price, consumers also say good customer service is important when choosing insurance. In this regard, BCBS of North Carolina comes up short, with a score of just 69% in our survey. Only Molina Healthcare earned a lower score, 68%. By contrast, Humana earned the top score in this category, 83%.
Good customer service can be gauged by how willing a person is to recommend their health insurer to others. In this category, BCBS of North Carolina’s score of 86% places the insurer in the middle of the pack among carriers we analyzed. No company did better than Horizon BCBS of New Jersey, which earned the only perfect score in this category.
Trustworthiness is another important factor for policyholders. Here, too, BCBS of North Carolina’s score of 86% puts the carrier in the middle of our ratings. Humana dominated this category with a score of 96%.
Willingness to renew coverage is another way of measuring a person’s satisfaction with their insurer. In this category, BCBS of North Carolina also scored 86%, tied for fifth place with four other carriers. BCBS of Florida was the winner here with a 98% survey score.
Although low deductibles can make the cost of health insurance more affordable, our survey found that customers were generally not very satisfied. BCBS of North Carolina’s score of 57% put it in last place; Humana was first with 75%.
Customers also appreciate a robust provider network to make getting the care they need convenient and affordable. Here, too, BCBS of North Carolina scored on the low side (71%); only Molina Healthcare (64%) finished lower. Highmark (BCBS in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia) took first place with 89%.
Given how stressful healthcare can be, a smooth billing process is also a plus. Once again, BCBS of North Carolina finished next to last with a score of 74%, ahead of EmblemHealth at 71%. Humana (88%) dominated this category as well.
BCBS of North Carolina provides a variety of health insurance plans. Plan details and availability vary by state, but include the following:
BCBS of North Carolina also offers the following coverages; availability varies by state and plan:
Policyholders can reach BCBS of North Carolina by email or chat by logging into their online account, or by phone: 1-888-206-4697, Mon. through Fri., 8 AM to 6 PM ET.
Customers interested in purchasing coverage can reach the insurer by phone, Mon. through Thurs., 8 AM to 6 PM ET, and Fri., 8 AM to 5 PM ET:
Methodology
In 2025, Insure.com surveyed more than 2,000 insurance consumers through independent research firm Dynata. Customers named their life insurer and rated it on customer satisfaction, ease of service, policy offerings, billing, and their experience across different applicant types (seniors, middle-aged adults, young adults, people with pre-existing conditions, people who are overweight, and people who prefer no-exam coverage). We also asked whether they planned to keep their policy, would recommend their insurer, and trusted their insurer.
For insurers with enough survey responses, we added:
With guidance from Prof. David Marlett, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center at Appalachian State University, we applied the following weights to determine each company’s final score:
Each insurer received a rating between 0.5 and 5 stars, with 5 stars representing the highest performance.