Federal Health Care Reform and Your Group Renewal

What You Should Know

By Beth Esmond

In our summer edition of Blue Compass, we gave an overview of some of the upcoming changes employers will see as a result of the Affordable Care Act (also known as the ACA, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or PPACA), which President Obama signed into law in late March. Since many of its provisions become effective upon renewals of health plans six months from its passage, your group plan will likely see some changes on your next plan anniversary.  Read more

Introducing Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont’s Online Member Resource Center

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is proud to announce the launch of our new Member Resource Center, bringing even more online capabilities and resources than ever before to your employees. The Member Resource Center is available through our member website at www.bcbsvt.com/member. First-time users must register for online access by choosing the “Login or Register” option, then providing their member ID number, last name and date of birth.   Read more
  

New Consumer-Directed Health Plan Options to Help Employers Save Money

In response to a growing market need for more flexible consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) is happy to announce several new plan designs now available to help you save money. For several years now, BCBSVT has offered HSA- or HRA-compatible plan designs with coinsurance of 50 to 90 percent on both medical and pharmacy benefits. These plans will continue to be offered in addition to several new plan designs. Thanks to these new designs, employers now have the flexibility to choose whether their employees have a co-payment arrangement or a coinsurance arrangement once the deductible is met.

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BCBSVT Unveils New Options for Wellness Drug Coverage

At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT), we believe strongly in the power of prevention and understand that some wellness-related drugs can play a large part in preventing serious diseases and other health problems. As a result, beginning with January 1, 2011 renewals, BCBSVT is proud to offer employers like you the option of wellness drug coverage for your employees. Our new Wellness Drug Rider is paired with a high-deductible health plan to allow coverage before the deductible is satisfied.  Read more

A New Approach to Disease Management: Total Population Health

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont’s (BCBSVT) approach to disease management is evolving to provide a very personalized approach to care for our members. This new strategy, known as total population health management, includes a broad range of illnesses and helps pinpoint those individuals who can benefit from an intervention at the most opportune time. Read more