Blue Medicare Rx

Independence Blue Cross and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Partner to ...

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 9, 2011 Two of the nation's largest not-for-profit Blue health insurers, Independence Blue Cross (IBC) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), announced this morning that they will be partnering to expand services to Medicaid beneficiaries nationally through the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies, a top-tier, best-in-class Medicaid managed care organization headquartered in Philadelphia.PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 9, 2011 Two of the nation's largest not-for-profit Blue health insurers, Independence Blue Cross (IBC) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), announced this morning that they will be partnering to expand services to Medicaid beneficiaries nationally through the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies, a top-tier, best-in-class Medicaid managed care organization headquartered in Philadelphia.

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IBC is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania with 3.1 million members and BCBSM is the leading health insurer in Michigan with 4.3 million members. IBC has shared equal ownership of AmeriHealth Mercy since 1996 with the area's largest Catholic health system, Mercy Health System. Through the transaction announced today, Mercy Health Plan's (a subsidiary of Mercy Health System) interest in AmeriHealth Mercy will be acquired and IBC and BCBSM will provide additional capital to support AmeriHealth Mercy's expected growth.

AmeriHealth Mercy is one of the country's largest Medicaid companies, serving almost 800,000 members in Medicaid managed care plans in three states. AmeriHealth Mercy also offers other services such as pharmacy benefits management and behavioral health care to an additional 3.2 million Medicaid, Medicare, and SCHIP beneficiaries in 11 states. With the additional resources this transaction will bring, the organization is now better positioned to offer turnkey, cost-effective, comprehensive Medicaid managed care coverage and services to Medicaid consumers nationwide and to the increasingly, financially strapped state governments that provide Medicaid coverage.

This agreement between IBC and BCBSM will also provide an opportunity for Blue health insurers nationwide to expand into the Medicaid market today and to take advantage of the enormous growth expected in Medicaid over the next few years. The 39 independent Blue health insurers in the U.S.

Blue Medicare – Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare: A Guide to BCBS ...

United States citizens 65 years of age and older are eligible to receive Original Medicare (Parts A and B), which is administered by the federal government (through the Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).

Those eligible for Original Medicare have the option of purchasing supplemental insurance coverage from a private insurance company (such as Humana , Aetna , and BCBS, three of the largest private providers in the United States.)

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare plans provide a broad range of Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and supplemental policies. This article presents the spectrum of policies available.

(Note: BCBS offers Medicare through regional companies across the United States. The information in this article comes from BCBS in Florida, and offers representative plans.)

BCBS Medicare Blue – Medicare Advantage Plans

Medicare Advantage plans are essentially enhanced Original Medicare plans sold privately by insurance companies. Such plans provide coverage for Parts A and B as well as additional coverages, including prescription drugs, dental, hearing, vision, and other services.

BCBS offers three Blue Medicare Advantage plans, which are listed below from the most basic to the most advanced:

Blue Medicare HMO – under this plan, beneficiaries are provided with a network of health care providers within which they must find care. There are no copayments for primary care physicians, and low copayments for specialists. Preventative care is free, and emergency coverage is available nationwide; Blue Medicare PPO – under this plan, beneficiaries have the freedom to either access the company's network of health care providers or go outside of the network (though going outside the network incurs greater costs.) There are low copayments for primary care physicians and specialists, and monthly premiums are both predictable and affordable. The plan includes generic drug coverage at little-to-no cost and provides emergency nationwide coverage; Blue Medicare PFFS – under this plan, beneficiaries have no network requirements, and can see any doctor they choose for the same price. While primary care physician copayments are modest, specialist copayments can be more expensive. Beneficiaries can receive coverage at any facility in the United States which accepts Medicare, and there are no deductible payments.

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