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More ways coming to
help you see your way Blue
03/18/05
The Blues are backing up their commitment to meeting the needs
of groups like yours with a number of big ideas for 2005.
How
are they doing that? With greater flexibility, more competitive
rates and more choices than ever before.
For
instance, if your group of two or more is looking for a PPO
plan that demands less from your bottom line, but is easy
for members to understand and use, then you should consider
Healthy Blue 70 PPOSM and Healthy Blue 80 PPOSM.
Groups with 100 or more enrolled members can also choose Healthy
Blue 90 PPOSM, which features a similar plan design.
With
these new, innovative PPO options, members receive the same
covered benefits whether they're in- or out-of-network. They
simply pay a higher percentage copayment for services received
out-of-network. With Healthy Blue PPO, there's no deductible,
and best of all, there's no need for a referral, making the
Healthy Blue PPO plans among the Blues' easiest-to-use.
How do the Healthy Blue PPO plans work? If you have Healthy
Blue 80, for instance, your plan pays 80 percent for all in-network
services in all categories with no deductible. With Healthy
Blue 70, the plan pays 70 percent in-network and the deductible's
30 percent.
For
out-of-network services, the member pays an additional 20
percent with Healthy Blue 70 and an additional 10 percent
for Healthy Blue 80. The out-of-network copayment is based
on a percentage of the approved amount for Blues participating
providers, which may be higher than the amount charged by
Blue PPO providers. If a member sees a non-Blue provider,
he or she is responsible for paying any charges above the
approved amount.
The
benefit is always the same and there's no need to wonder what
your deductible is or what your copayment is; it's always
20 or 30 percent in-network, depending on which Healthy Blue
you choose. In addition, Healthy Blue PPO plans carry our
Community Blue Plan benefits, but with additional benefits
such as colonoscopy, adult immunizations and, of course, no
caps on the wellness benefits, all covered at the same copayment.
If
you're looking for the tax advantages and ease of use of the
new Health Savings Accounts, the Blues are offering Blue HSASM
, which allows you to take advantage of the portability, rollover
and tax-exempt provisions built into them under a new federal
law. You can find the right fit for your finances in the range
of options and deductibles being offered, including five qualified
Blue HSA high-deductible health plans with Jan.1, 2005, effective
dates.
Perhaps you're a group with 50 to 99 employees and your goal
is to gain more control over your health care financing while
providing a broader array of choices for your employees. That's
where Blue FlexSM, a self-insured plan for groups
your size with the kinds of features you'll welcome, comes
in. Under this option, you can choose from any of the Blues'
available benefit plans to create a self-insured arrangement
formerly available only to the Blues' largest customers.
And,
perhaps best of all, all of these various plan options all
come with access to BlueHealthConnection®, the
Blues' award-winning care management program that's designed
to deliver the right care to the right people at the right
time. With a 24-hour nurse help line, outreach programs to
members with specific chronic diseases, care management tailored
to individual needs and much more, BlueHealthConnection helps
you make the most of your health care dollars.
In
addition, for 2005, the Blues are also responding to feedback
you gave us with:
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New, innovative drug plan designs
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A new partner for managing your pharmacy benefits
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A refined process for taking into account your type of business
in developing small group rates
More
choices in more combinations. Cost-smart medical plans. Innovation
in financial arrangements. A fresh approach to offering drug
benefits. Who but the Blues could bring all that for 2005?
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