What's new, what's changed

Here’s what CareFirst is introducing and updating in the new plan year, 2024.

Your Congressional Benefits Book

We know health coverage is one of the most important decisions you make. To help simplify the process, we created two smaller guides focused on helping you navigate specific aspects of your healthcare journey.

  1. Choosing a Plan— your new Health Insurance Rates Guide is designed to help you focus on selecting and enrolling in a plan that best meets your health and budget needs.
  2. Using Your Plan— the Health Plan Guide is designed to help you better understand what’s included in your plan (much at no extra cost) and how to get the most out of it.

CareFirst Plans

As a reminder, CareFirst reviews each Congress plan annually. As a result, certain changes may be made to your coverage each year. These changes could involve plan benefits or adjustments to deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums or other limits. Not all changes will necessarily apply to your CareFirst plan.

In addition, we optimized our plan options and removed three Gold plans from our list of offerings. Notification of this change was sent to impacted members in September 2023.

  • If this change affects you, please remember, you may choose any CareFirst plan that best suits your needs. However, we have provided the following plan recommendations for your convenience.

If you had this NATIONAL plan … … you might like this plan.
BluePreferred PPO Gold 1100 90%/70% BluePreferred PPO Gold 1000 Ded
BlueChoice Advantage HSA/HRA Gold 1500 90 BlueChoice Advantage HSA/HRA Gold 1600 Ded


If you had this REGIONAL plan … … you might like this plan.
BlueChoice HMO HSA/HRA Gold 1500 90 BlueChoice HMO HSA/HRA Gold 1600 Ded

(Please note, if you have one of the three plans that are no longer available and do not re-enroll in a new CareFirst plan, you will be automatically enrolled in the recommended plan.)

CareFirst WellBeingSM

CareFirst has introduced two new weight management programs to our well-being collection:

  • Noom—join the millions of Americans already using the Noom app to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Noom’s psychology-based techniques can help you better understand your relationship with food.
  • Eat Right Now—adopt new healthy habits using proven techniques and science-based tools to identify eating triggers and ride out cravings to change eating patterns.
If eligible,1 you can choose either program to help you reach your wellness goals—at no cost to you.

CloseKnit & Video Visit

To better meet your needs, CareFirst is simplifying its virtual care offerings. Please note: CareFirst Video Visit will no longer be available after December 31, 2023.

Starting January 1, 2024:

  • Primary care will be available to CloseKnit members and dependents ages 18+
  • Urgent care will be available to members and dependents ages 2+. You do not need to be a CloseKnit primary care patient to access urgent care services.
  • If you’re enrolled in a CareFirst Virtual Connect Plan, you’re eligible for the $0 copay benefit for primary care and mental health visits. Even if your plan does not include "Virtual Connect," you may still choose CloseKnit as your primary care practice.

1 Members need to meet clinical eligibility criteria through an online assessment.

Eat Right Now is administered by Sharecare, Inc. and Noom is administered by Noom, Inc., independent companies that provide health improvement management services to CareFirst members. Sharecare, Inc. and Noom do not provide CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield products or services and are solely responsible for the health improvement management services they provide.

CloseKnit is a registered trademark owned by, and is the trade name of, Atlas Health, LLC. Atlas Health, LLC d/b/a CloseKnit does not provide Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield products or services and is providing telehealth services to CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield members.