Horizon BCBS of New Jersey health insurance ratings and review 2026

Horizon BCBS of New Jersey is the No. 3 health insurance company for 2026, with a score of 4.16 out of 5 stars.

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Our Take

Horizon BCBS of New Jersey is the No. 3 in our Best Health Insurance Companies of 2026 rating with an overall score of 4.16 stars out of 5. It’s an excellent option for shoppers who value plan flexibility and strong member sentiment, but are willing to pay more for coverage.

  • Horizon’s strongest suit is its customer recommendations. Policyholders gave the insurer the single best survey result in our entire study — a perfect 100%. 
  • Horizon also excels in terms of choice, earning the highest score in our survey for policy offerings. This matters if you’re looking for plans tailored to specific medical needs or budget priorities.
  • Pricing, meanwhile, is neither a standout strength nor a red flag. Its price/affordability rating places it squarely in the middle. 
  • The biggest drawback is low deductibles: Horizon finished last in this survey category, meaning some members may face higher out-of-pocket costs before coverage kicks in.

Below is our full review of Horizon BCBS of New Jersey. It’s based on third-party metrics and our in-depth survey of health insurance customers. Find the full methodology here.

3
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey
4.16 Insure.com Score
Price/Affordability
Customer Survey
NCQA
AM Best Rating
NR
Pros and cons
Pros:
  • Best-in-class plan variety: Horizon leads our survey for policy offerings (90%), giving members more ways to match coverage to their needs
  • Unmatched customer advocacy: Its 100% recommendation score is the top result in any category across all insurers we reviewed
  • Strong member loyalty: With a good customer satisfaction score and relatively high trust/renewal results, Horizon demonstrates staying power with policyholders
Cons:
  • Low deductibles are a weak spot: Horizon ranked last in this category (60%), which can mean higher upfront costs for care
  • Affordability could be better: Only 65% of customers are satisfied with the cost of insurance
  • Midpack digital and billing experience: Website/app usability and ease of payments are not category-leading

Who should buy Horizon BCBS of New Jersey health insurance?

Horizon BCBS of New Jersey is a good choice for you if:

  • Value a wide variety of policy offerings in an insurer
  • Place a priority on customer satisfaction

It might not be the best choice if:

  • You need a policy with a variety of low deductibles
  • Low cost is your biggest priority

How much Horizon BCBS of New Jersey health insurance costs

Cost is the most critical factor for many when it comes to choosing health insurance. Based on our analysis, Horizon BCBS of New Jersey earns a score of 3.70 stars out of 5 for its rates, ranking it approximately in the middle of our list. 

Humana earned the top spot for price with a score of 4.07 stars, while Elevance Health and BCBS of Michigan (Blue Care Network) ranked last with a score of 3.52 stars.

CompanyPrice/affordability stars
Humana4.07
EmblemHealth4.06
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey3.70
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Below is a comparison of Horizon BCBS of New Jersey’s rates in New Jersey with those of UnitedHealthcare. These are 2026 healthcare exchange rates for a single, 40-year-old man in excellent health with an annual income of $70,000.

CompanyRate/MonthPlan
UnitedHealthcare$669.01UHC ‘Metal’ Advantage ($0 Virtual Urgent Care, $8 Tier 2 Rx, No Referrals)
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey$788.78OMNA ‘Metal’ ($0 Horizon CareOnline Virtual Care, $0 Select Insulin, No Referrals)
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How Horizon BCBS of New Jersey scores for customer service, digital experience, and policy offerings 

Policyholders consistently cite customer service as one of the most important criteria when selecting a health insurer. In this category, Horizon BCBS of New Jersey’s survey score of 80% was good for second place, tied with BCBS of Michigan (Blue Care Network), Highmark (BCBS in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia), BCBS of Florida and Cigna. Humana (83%) took the top honors.

A seamless digital experience, whether on the web or app, is also important. Here, Horizon BCBS of New Jersey placed midpack with a score of 79%. Molina Healthcare took first place with 94%, its best showing in any category.

A variety of policy options matters as well, especially if you have special health or financial needs. In this category, Horizon BCBS of New Jersey took the top spot with a survey score of 90%. 

CompanyCustomer serviceDigital experiencePolicy offerings
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey80%79%90%
BCBS of Michigan (Blue Care Network)80%78%83%
Highmark (BCBS in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia)80%83%78%
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How Horizon BCBS of New Jersey scores on customer recommendations, trust and renewals

Willingness to recommend an insurer is another way to judge a health insurance company’s performance. In this category, Horizon BCBS of New Jersey earned a perfect survey score of 100%, the best showing among all carriers in any category.

Survey respondents also say the insurer is trustworthy. Its 90% score put the carrier in third place in this category behind BCBS of Florida (93%) and Humana (96%).

Horizon BCBS of New Jersey also did well in the renewals category. Its score of 95% put it in fourth place, tied with Kaiser Permanente, BCBS of Michigan (Blue Care Network), and Cigna. Humana (97%) took top honors here.

CompanyCustomer recommendationsTrustRenewals
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey100%90%95%
BCBS of Michigan (Blue Care Network)89%88%95%
Highmark (BCBS in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia)93%87%96%
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How Horizon BCBS of New Jersey scores on low deductibles, its provider network, and ease of payment

One way to keep healthcare affordable is to find a policy with a low deductible. This was the one category where no insurer did exceptionally well. With a survey score of 60%, Horizon BCBS of New Jersey placed last in this category. Humana (75%) was first.

A strong provider network is also essential for many policyholders. In this category, Horizon BCBS of New Jersey finished about in the middle of our rankings with a score of 80%. In this category, Highmark (BCBS in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia) did best with a survey score of 89%

The less painful the payment process, the better. In this category, Horizon’s score of 80% was again in the middle among the insurers we analyzed. Once again, Humana (88%) placed first.

CompanyLow deductiblesProvider networkEase of making payments (billing process)
Horizon BCBS of New Jersey60%80%80%
BCBS of Michigan (Blue Care Network)62%84%83%
Highmark (BCBS in Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia)65%89%87%
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Types of health insurance offered by Horizon BCBS of New Jersey

Horizon BCBS provides a variety of health insurance plans. Plan details and availability vary, but include the following:

  • Insurance for individuals and families
    • BlueCard PPO: A nationwide Blue Cross/Blue Shield preferred provider network.
    • EPO (Exclusive Provider Organization): In-network-only coverage through the national BlueCard PPO network.
      Horizon Direct Access: A direct-access plan that lets you choose your care freely.
    • Horizon HMO: Lower out-of-pocket costs when you use your Primary Care Physician (PCP) for care.
    • Horizon POS (Point of Service): Flexible plan that allows choice in where and how you get care.
    • OMNIA Health Plans: Lower premiums, no referrals, and extra savings when using select NJ providers in a large network.
    • Traditional Indemnity: Fee-for-service plan with the freedom to use any doctor or hospital.
  • Health insurance through employers
  • Medicare and Medicaid plans
  • Prescription plans
  • International plans

Other Horizon BCBS of New Jersey services 

Horizon BCBS also offers the following coverages; availability varies by plan:

  • Dental 
  • Vision
  • Mental health
  • Health and fitness coaching
  • Wellness incentives

States where Horizon BCBS of New Jersey offers coverage

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Table

States where Horizon BCBS of New Jersey offers coverage
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
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AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Available
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How to reach Horizon BCBS of New Jersey 

Policyholders can reach Horizon BCBS of New Jersey by email or chat by logging into their online account. The insurer can also be reached by phone; hours vary.

Horizon BCBS of New Jersey
  • General questions: 1-800-355-BLUE (2583)
  • Horizon NJ Health members: 1-800-682-9090
  • Medicare, sales: 1-877-234-1240
  • Medicare, members: 1-800-365-2223
  • Individual and Family Medical, Dental and Vision Plans: 1-800-224-1234

Resources and Methodology

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:

  • AM Best financial strength ratings, which measure a company’s ability to meet long-term obligations
  • NAIC complaint index scores, calculated using weighted complaint data based on each company’s annual written premium
  • Life insurance rate data from Compulife to assess overall pricing competitiveness, though this wasn’t included in the final score

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:

  • Customer survey: 60%
    • 10% customer satisfaction
    • 10% ease of service
    • 10% policy offerings
    • 10% likelihood to recommend
    • 10% likelihood to renew
    • 10% trust
  • AM Best: 25%
  • NAIC complaints: 15%

Each insurer received a rating between 0.5 and 5 stars, with 5 stars representing the highest performance.

author image
Scott Nyerges
Managing Editor

 
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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.

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