Step 1 – Review Your Coverage
Look closely at the confirmation statement mailed to you in early December or visit My BMC Compensation and Benefits. Click on the Go to Your Benefits Resources link and from the Health and Insurance tab, select Health and Insurance Summary, then Your New Coverage.
Step 2 – Know What’s Changing
Be sure you understand what benefits are changing on January 1, 2014. Here’s a brief recap:
Medical — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) will be our new administrator for the HSA and PPO medical plans.
If you are involved in long-term treatment (such as chemotherapy or third trimester pregnancy care) as of December 31, 2013 and your current doctor is not in the BCBSTX network, you will need to fill out a transition of benefits form by January 1, 2014, and submit it to BCBSTX for approval of temporary continuation of care.
Some PPO medical plan out-of-pocket costs are changing — Review this summary of out-of-pocket costs — what you pay for health care services — that are changing beginning January 1, 2014.
Prescription drug pre-approvals under HSA and PPO medical plans — To help curb rising prescription drug costs, Express Scripts is adding certain prescription drugs to the list of medications requiring pre-approval before you can buy them. See the list of drugs added for 2014. For questions about drug the pre-approval process, call Express Scripts at 1-866-577-2523.
New telemedicine benefit — BMC is introducing telemedicine through Teladoc — an alternative to urgent care and emergency room visits. Get the details about this cost-effective, convenient service.
Dental — The BMC Dental Plan is moving from Aetna to MetLife. Dental Plan enhancements for 2014 include increases to the annual plan maximum and the lifetime orthodontia maximum from $1,500 to $2,000 (children and adults).
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) — Magellan Health Services will provide EAP services in 2014. If you are mid-way through counseling sessions for an issue on January 1, 2014, your number of visits will reset, making you eligible to receive up to six more visits for that issue in 2014. You can continue seeing your provider if he or she is in the Magellan network. If your provider is not in the Magellan network, you will need to select another provider for your 2014 visits. To see if your provider is in the Magellan network, visit www.magellanassist.com or call 1-800-327-1393.
Find details about 2014 benefit changes in the 2014 U.S. Benefits Guide or call Your Benefits Resources at 1-877-262-4849.
Step 3 – Keep your medical ID with you
For your convenience, your BCBSTX medical ID card includes information about your prescription drug benefits. Beginning January 1, 2014, you’ll use your ID card when you receive medical care or fill a prescription.
If you cover dependents, you will receive two medical ID cards. Remember, only the employee’s name appears on medical ID cards.
Watch for your BCBSTX medical ID card(s) before the end of December. If you don’t receive your card or need extra cards, call BCBSTX Customer Care at 1-800-521-2227 or go online:
- Go to bcbstx.com
- Register on the site
- Log in to Blue Access for Members with your username and password
- Access Quick Links to get a temporary ID card.
Dental and vision ID cards are not required, so you won’t receive one in the mail. Just have your doctor contact MetLife at 1-800-942-0854 or VSP at 1-800-877-7195 when you get care.