Regence Offers Antidote to High Prescription Costs with New Medicare Plans
(Salt Lake City) – When enrollment opens for Medicare Part D on Nov. 15, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and its subsidiary, Regence Life and Health, will offer two of the prescription drug options available in Utah.
The new Medicare Part D plans are expected to help alleviate the pressure of high prescription drug costs on people who are eligible for Medicare and typically living on fixed incomes. The plans are effective Jan. 1, 2006.
“Through our award-winning pharmacy program, Regence has proven that consumers can receive safe and effective medications at a reasonable cost,” said David Clark, vice president of Pharmacy Services. “Medicare Part D brings these savings to those in our communities who often have the greatest need for pharmacy services.”
Regence members who enroll in the new prescription drug plan will receive all the benefits mandated by the federal legislation, plus several features unique to the Regence plan. These include access to special network prices and low co-pays for generic and preferred brand-name drugs available at 2,500 contracted Medicare pharmacies across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah.
In addition, members have direct access to hospital ratings, doctors’ profiles and cost breakdowns as well as health-related news and details on community events through the Regence Engine, a members-only Web site (www.myregence.com). And, they are eligible for discounts on health club memberships, vision and hearing aids through the Regence Advantages program.
“Pharmacy coverage has been at the top of the wish list for our Medicare members for years,” said Scott Ideson, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah president. “We are very pleased to bring even more value to our members by participating in the new Part D program. We encourage Medicare-eligible consumers to learn more about the new pharmacy coverage by attending an educational seminar or reading about the options online.”
Both the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and health plans are offering seminars and have posted information on their Web sites. Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah is offering seminars in communities around Utah in October. Details are available at www.ut.regence.com/needCoverage/medicare/seminar.html.
In Utah, Regence is offering both a stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) and a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan (MA-PD).
· Stand-alone PDP: Regence Life and Health Medicare Script TM - Monthly premium: $27.03 - Annual deductible: $250 - $5 co-pay for generic medications - $18 co-pay for preferred brand-name medications - The plan is offered through Regence Life and Health, a Regence subsidiary, and is available to Utah and Idaho residents.
· MA-PD: Regence MedAdvantage + Rx - The plan adds prescription drug coverage to Regence MedAdvantage, a Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah PPO plan for Medicare-eligible consumers. - Monthly premium: $72* - Annual pharmacy deductible: $250 - $5 co-pay for generic medications - $18 co-pay for preferred brand-name medications - $5 co-pay for most in-network medical services - Available in the following counties: Davis, Salt Lake, Summit, Utah and Weber.
Along with Medicare Part D, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah offers a suite of other Medicare supplement plans. For detailed information on these plans, please visit www.ut.regence.com/needCoverage/medicare/index.html or call 1 (800) 633-4227. * Compared to $50 for Regence MedAdvantage without pharmacy coverage.
Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, established in 1942 as Utah’s first health insurance carrier, provides benefits to more than 400,000 Utahns. The company is a member of The Regence Group, an affiliation of four BlueCross BlueShield companies in Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Together, Regence companies ensure more than 3 million members and are the largest health insurance carriers in the Intermountain West and the Northwest.
For Immediate Release October 10, 2005
Contact: J. Kevin Bischoff (801) 333-5285 kbischoff@regence.com