spring 2009
Corporate Wellness Challenge
You’re invited to join our 2009 campaign for workplace health.
B
lue Cross of Idaho wants to
reward employers for focusing
on healthy living. With that
in mind, we designed the Corporate
Wellness Challenge to be a fun
way for large groups (over 50
employees) to promote employee
wellness using the programs and
benefits included in their Blue
Cross of Idaho coverage.
After wrapping up the 2008
challenge, we launched our 2009
campaign and invited all large
groups to participate. We give
participating companies a report of
past participation and a mid-year
statement showing where they
stand so groups can take action
to increase participation. We also
provide regular communication
with valuable information on the
reasons for, and benefit of, using
our well-being tools and preventive
care benefits. At the end of the
campaign, Blue Cross of Idaho
awards prizes to top performers
based on five categories of employee
participation.
Groups with less than 50
employees can also use materials
created for the Corporate Wellness
F If your company has fewer
than 50 employees and you
are interested in starting a
wellness program, contact
your local district office
or account manager for
materials. Use the materials
to remind employees about
the importance of preventive
screening, and encourage a
healthier workplace.
Challenge to promote wellness
in the workplace. We created
messaging on payroll stuffers and
8½" by 11" posters that encourage
employees to:
- Go online and take a health
and well-being assessment
- Get screening mammography
one one
TO
for employers
- Have a Pap smear
- Receive a PSA/DRE screening
- Get a colorectal screening
The best part is all these tools and
preventive tests are included as part
of your Blue Cross of Idaho group
health coverage; all you have to do
is get your employees to use them.
Walking
Does Work
Get up and moving with the help
of the WalkingWorks program.
Walking is one of the easiest, yet
most beneficial, forms of exercise.
A swift-paced stroll does wonders
for the cardiovascular system,
increases energy levels, boosts
metabolism and aids weight loss.
Blue Cross of Idaho designed its
10-week WalkingWorks program
to get you and your employees up
and moving during the workweek.
Beginning May 1, 2009, your
employees can register online
at bcidaho.com making it easier
than ever to introduce a walking
program at your workplace. To
members who register online, we
provide participant and nutrition
guides, weekly emails with health
advice and access to an online
journal to record walking times.
If you want to organize a
WalkingWorks campaign in your
workplace, please contact your
local district office or account
manager. We can provide you with
all of the materials you need to
launch your walking initiative.
As a bonus, we enter all
participants who sign up during
a given month in a drawing for a
free 8 GB iPod Nano—even more
incentive for your employees to
sign up for the WalkingWorks
program!
[ BLUE EXTRAS! ]
as fitness center memberships,
Idaho Athletic Club, TruHearing,
LASIK (laser vision correction),
HearPO, TruVision, Clearly Lasik
Do your employees know their
hearing aids, vision services and
and Orthodontic Values.
Blue Cross of Idaho coverage
supplies, over-the-counter drug
can also help them save money?
store items, massage therapy,
discounts, visit the Blue Cross of
BlueExras! is a free, value-added
childproofing products, nursery
Idaho Web site bcidaho.com and
program for all blue Cross of
items and orthodontia services.
select ‘Discount Services’ under
Idaho members with discounts
Some reputable partnering
the Health & Wellness option in
on products and services such
businesses include Gold’s Gym,
For a complete list of
the top menu bar.
Legislative Updates
Take note of these bills related to health insurance.
Several issues are under consideration
during this 2009 legislative session.
Funding for transportation projects
is still a hot topic, but the economic
downturn has cast a pall over
the entire session with legislators
struggling to balance the state budget.
Idaho’s portion of the federal stimulus
money will factor into the decisionmaking process with the Joint Finance
and Appropriations Committee
making those difficult decisions.
On the health insurance side, there
are several bills under consideration:
1
Mandatory External Review: Idaho
health plans worked closely with
the Department of Insurance to
create legislation that would allow
a person to request an independent
medical review of a claim denied by a
health plan under medical necessity
or investigational grounds after the
person had exhausted all internal
appeals of the health plan. The
decision of the third-party external
review organization would be binding
on both the health plan and the
member; although, members covered
under an ERISA plan would still have
other remedies available to them.
2
Coverage for dependent children:
While this law is currently in place
with insurance coverage to age 23
or to age 25 for full-time students,
House Minority Leader John Rusche
introduced legislation to eliminate the
student requirement so all dependents
receiving more than 50 percent
support from their parents are eligible
for coverage to the age of 25. This
would be applicable to all insured
policies, as it is now.
3
Any Willing Provider: Representative
Bob Nonini of Post Falls introduced
legislation to expand Idaho’s Any
Willing Provider law that states a health
insurance company must contract with
all providers willing to meet the terms
and conditions of the health plan’s
contract. The law currently applies only
to insurers. Nonini’s legislation would
expand the law and apply to provider
networks. This is the first time the
Idaho legislature reopened the issue for
discussion since the law passed in the
mid 1990s.
4
Mandatory Coverage of Amino-Acid
Based Elemental Formula: This
legislation sponsored by Senator Steve
Bair of Blackfoot and House Minority
Leader John Rusche of Lewiston
would mandate that insurers cover
amino-acid based elemental formulas
for children under the age of 18 years
with certain diagnosed severe food
allergies if prescribed by a physician
and deemed medically necessary.
5
Coverage for orally administered
cancer drugs: Senator Joyce
Broadsword of Sagle introduced
legislation that would mandate that
insurance companies provide parity of
coverage for orally administered cancer
drugs under a prescription drug benefit
to the same level as intravenously
administered cancer drugs provided
under the plan’s medical benefit.
The only other big healthcare
related issue this session is one that
Senator Dean Cameron is studying.
He brought together a work group
to study county indigent and state
catastrophic healthcare programs to
determine if they need revision to
be more effective and efficient. As
of the writing of this article, we are
anticipating that Senator Cameron
will sponsor legislation.
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Published by McMurry. © 2009. All rights reserved. No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the
publisher. The information in this publication is intended to complement—not take the place of—the recommendations of your healthcare provider. Consult your physician
before making major changes in your lifestyle or healthcare regimen. McMurry makes no endorsements or warranties regarding any of the products and services included in this
publication or its articles.
= coverage away from home
The BlueCard Program
Blue Cross of Idaho has the largest provider network of
physicians and hospitals in Idaho, but with vacation season rapidly approaching, we want to make sure you and
your employees are familiar with the BlueCard Program.
Blue Cross of Idaho members take their healthcare benefits with them when they travel across the country and
around the world. The BlueCard program allows members
to access doctors and hospitals almost anywhere, giving
your employees the peace of mind that they’ll be able
to find the healthcare provider they need when away
from home. It’s a terrific resource for members living or
traveling outside the state.
In most cases, when you travel or live outside the
Blue Cross of Idaho service area, you can take advantage
of savings the local Blue Plan negotiates with the doctors
and hospitals in that area. This means not paying more
than the negotiated rates or any applicable out-of-pocket
expenses for covered services.
With the BlueCard program, your employees can locate
doctors and hospitals quickly and easily before they travel.
All they need to do is grab their Blue Cross of Idaho ID
card and follow these steps:
- Visit the ‘BlueCard Doctor and Hospital Finder’ at
BCBS.com to locate doctors and hospitals, along with
maps and directions to find them.
-OR- Call BlueCard Access at
800-810-2583 for the names and
addresses of doctors and hospitals
in the area where you or a covered
dependent need care.
To learn more about the
BlueCard Program, call your
independent broker or visit
BCBS.com.