Product Update - Blue Selections
More Choices with Blue Selections
Blue Selections -- Is your one-stop shop at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) and CareFirst BlueChoice (BlueChoice). Under Blue Selections, your clients can create their own benefit packages by combining various medical options with pharmacy, dental, vision, voluntary insurance plans and pre-tax services to provide an array of choices to meet individual financial' and health care needs.
Blue Selections allows 51+ groups to combine up to four regional health plan options and the 1-50 groups to combine up to three options from a list of thirty different plans. All groups will have the ability to select up to two drug options with a dual combination and up to three drug options with triple and quadruple combinations to assign to a medical product.
Your clients can also reduce taxes for themselves and their employees with Premium Only Plans and Flexible Spending Accounts. The Premium Only Plan (POP) is offered at no cost to CareFirst customers and helps employers and employees lower their taxable income by paying for their premiums on a pre-tax basis. A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) coupled with a high deductible PPO, is a great way for employees to offset their out-of-pocket costs. FSAs are normally funded by the employee, but can be funded by the employer as well.
Blue Selections brings greater choice, flexibility, control and more value to the small group market. Selections can consist of any BlueChoice HMO, BlueChoice Opt-Out Open Access, BlueChoice Opt-Out Plus or BluePreferred PPO plan option - or a combination of these products.
An HMO and PPO product combination through Blue Selections allows:
- Flexibility - Choose from a list of 30 different plans to create a combination of 2, 3 or 4 plans for your clients to offer their employees. In addition, your clients may also select up to 3 drug options.
- Administrative Ease - On medical products, accounts receive one blended group rate, and in many cases, just one bill.
- Employee Choice - A variety of flexible product choices with low, medium and high cost options.
- Simplicity - One-stop-shopping for medical, dental, vision, life and voluntary group products.
- Tax Savings - Our Flexible Spending Accounts and Premium Only Plans offer employers a way to reduce taxes for both themselves and their employees.
Your
Choice of Health Plans
BlueChoice
Provides the cost savings of an HMO and offers a large regional network of providers.
BlueChoice Opt-Out Open Access
Offers the cost savings of an HMO and adds the flexibility to seek out-of-network care for covered services from any provider. Also, gives the freedom of direct access to innetwork specialists without a PCP referral.
BlueChoice Opt-Out Plus
Offers the cost savings of an HMO and adds the flexibility to seek out-of-network care for covered services in the CareFirst participating network.
| All three BlueChoice plans include: - First Help, our 24 hour nurse line |
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Maternity and well-child care - Women's and men's health |
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Predictable copays for PCP and specialist office visits and emergency room care |
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17,000 doctors, specialists and hospitals serving Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia |
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Out of area coverage for emergencies |
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Guest Membership coverage when you are out of the area for more than 90 consecutive days |
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BluePreferred
PPO plan, offers members the flexibility to choose any doctor or hospital, while still controlling costs.
| BluePreferred Offers: |
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Freedom to see any doctor |
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No requirement to select a PCP |
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See specialists without a referral |
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Large provider network |
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Coverage for maternity, well-child, men's and women's health |
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No claims or paperwork when care is received by a network doctor |
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Coverage when you travel |
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All of the Blue Selections combinations offer expanded, regional provider networks so that your employees have an even greater choice of doctors and specialists.
Prescription Drug Program
Accounts can choose up to 2 drug options with a dual combination and up to 3 drug options with a triple and quadruple combination. The drug options are selected by the account and assigned to a medical product before the member's selection.
Our prescription drug program is administered by AdvancePCS, the largest Pharmacy Benefits Manager in the country. There are no claims to file when using one of the network pharmacies.
You can locate a network pharmacy and check to see if a drug is on our preferred drug list (formulary) by visiting our prescription drug database. Even if a certain drug is not on our preferred drug list, you still have coverage but pay a higher co-payment.
Vision Care
Vision plans marketed by CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield make a difference in your employees' health care benefit package. They offer easy access to vision care, providing discounts on eyeglasses and contact lenses and encouraging participants to follow a routine of preventive care for their eyes. Each of the Blue Selections health plans has a core vision plan.
Dental
CareFirst offers a range of dental plans to meet the needs of your accounts. Depending on the health plan selected, you may have a choice of traditional, fee-for-service dental, preferred dental or dental HMO plans. All plans are designed to cover a range of dental services including regular exams and cleanings, x-rays, dental surgery and more. Orthodontia coverage is available with many of the traditional and preferred plans and is included in the Dental HMO plan. Product choice may vary by service area.
Options
CareFirst members automatically have access to our Options program, providing discounts on alternative therapies and wellness services such as:
- Acupuncture
- Weight Watchers Online
- Chiropractic
- Eldercare Services
- Massage Therapy
- Hearing Care Services
- Fitness Centers
- Laser Vision Correction
- Mail Order Contacts
Blue Selections Pre-Tax Benefit Choices
Premium Only Plan
Premium Only Plan (POP) allows employees to pay for their portion of the employer-provided health, dental, disability and certain life insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis, giving them more disposable income and giving the employer a tax break.
CareFirst's Premium Only Plan offers small businesses the opportunity to realize immediate and significant tax savings.
- Employees can designate their monthly health, dental and vision premiums as "pre-tax"
- The plan is simple to set up and requires very little administration
- Reduces the employer and employees' FICA withholdings
- Simply converts after-tax contributions to pre-tax contributions
Flexible Spending Accounts
CareFirst's flexible spending accounts (FSAs) allow members the option to be reimbursed for certain insurance premiums, unreimbursed medical expenses and child/dependent care expenses from an account funded with their own pre-tax contributions. With an FSA, employers are able to:
- Contain benefit costs
- Effectively manage compensation
- Reduce payroll taxes and
- Attract/retain employees who appreciate their benefits
Voluntary Group Benefits
Voluntary Group Benefits are underwritten by Medical Life Insurance. The following products are not underwritten by CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.
- Voluntary Life
- Dependent Child Life
- Long Term Disability
- AD&D
- Short Term Disability
- Long Term Care
- Critical Illness
These offerings are fully insured plans that are underwritten by Medical Life. The low participation requirements make these programs attractive to the small business owner who is interested in developing a comprehensive employee benefit package without incurring additional costs or hassles.
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