By: Rachel Cullor
There are many things that health insurance carriers are doing right now to ensure that their members are well taken care of during this pandemic. The providers in our area include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, Ambetter, and Cigna who are all doing what they can to go above and beyond for their members. Below are some of the things these companies are doing right now to help their members.
Premium payments
Carriers have put policies in place to try to avoid the termination of insurance plans due to non-payment. They were given the green light to allow payments to be late and not automatically trigger the termination of a plan that did not have a payment by the end of the grace period.
*Remember: Grace periods are 30 days for policies that do not have a tax credit, and 90 days for policies that do have a tax credit.
**If you have had an income change, you may now be newly eligible for tax credits, or you may be eligible for additional tax credits which will lower your premium. Call American Exchange, and we can help you submit or update your Marketplace application.
COVID Testing:
Carriers are covering the costs of medically necessary COVID testing. This will include waiving copays, coinsurance, and cost-sharing before deductible is met. This is for diagnostic testing and antibody testing deemed medically necessary and ordered by a licensed health care provider.
Telehealth Services:
While most carriers already offer some version of Telehealth under the plans, the true value of the service is being seen as members have had to find ways to get medical care as in office appointments can be hard to get.
Temporarily Allowing Early Refills on Prescriptions:
Most carriers have implemented this policy to help members adhere to the safer at home policy, and reduce the number of trips to the pharmacy.
With these measures in place, the health insurance carriers are doing their part to help to make sure their members are taken care of. If you have any specific questions about these services, please contact your insurance carrier. If you need help with uploading documents requested by the Health Insurance Marketplace, or have general questions about your coverage, please call American Exchange at 423-424-0586 and a licensed representative will be happy to assist you
