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Wellness
Staying at the top of your game
In this game, it’s important to stay in good shape. Use your health plans wisely – they’ll help you stay healthy. They offer wellness exams, screenings, immunizations, information and management resources that cost you little or nothing. Did you know your health plan provides a $0 copayment for well-man and well-woman screenings? Or that the DHMO and the Dental Indemnity plans offer preventive dental services for $0 copayment?
In addition to these health-plan features, the city offers lots of access to wellness activities.
Blue Access:
This provides online access at www.bcbstx.com to important information for health-plan members about their coverage and access to the Personal Health Manager and its wellness advice for you and your family.
Personal Health Manager:
It’s like having your own personal trainer and nutritionist to specifically design a healthier lifestyle for you. Online resources personalize a program for you. Log on through Blue Access and click on “Personal Health Manager” to start making some winning choices.
Special Beginnings:
A prenatal education program to help expectant mothers better understand and manage their pregnancy. An introductory video is available in English and Spanish. To enroll, call 800-462-3275.
24/7 Nurseline:
HMO members call 800-581-0353, and PPO members call 800-581-0368 for health issues that come up when you can’t reach your doctor.
Wellness leave:
The Compensable Sick Plan gives eight hours of paid time off per benefit year for preventative wellness activities. Activities include dental, vision, well-woman, well-man and physical exams, as well as other wellness-related doctor visits. Classified police officers have paid time off and do not have CSL wellness hours. Contact your benefits liaison for information.
50 free fitness facilities:
You don’t have to pay your way to fitness. The city offers free memberships to city fitness facilities all over Houston. You can ride stationary bikes, lift weights, swim, play basketball or play tennis. To find locations, visit www.houstontx.gov/parks/fitnesscenters.html.
BlueExtras:
A discount program that provides you and your dependents access to discounted health-care products and services, such as alternative medicine and weight management programs. There is no additional fee, no required referrals or pre-authorizations, and no limits to how many times you and your covered dependents can use the discounts. Visit www.bcbstx.com to learn more.
Fitness program membership:
This program offers access to a nationwide network of independent fitness centers for a low one-time $29 enrollment fee and $29 monthly fee, plus taxes, available exclusively to BlueCross BlueShield of Texas members and their covered dependents, 18 years or older. Visit www.bcbstx.com to learn more.
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Mental Health Parity
The Federal Mental Health Parity and Equity Act requires HMO plans to remove time limitations from treatment of mental health and substance abuse. Starting May 1, out-patient and in-patient services will be treated like any other medical condition.
HMO
- The 30-day in-patient limitation for mental illness will be removed.
- The three series of treatments of chemical dependency will be removed.
- The 20 office visits per calendar year limitation will be removed.
Copayments, including those for PCPs and specialists, remain the same: out-patient copayment is $25 per visit; in-patient coinsurance is 20 percent of the cost.
PPO
- The 30 outpatient visits per calendar year will be removed.
- The three series of treatments of chemical dependency will be removed.
- The 30-day in-patient limitation for mental illness will be removed.
Copayments, coinsurance and the plan’s deductable will remain the same: out-patient is the office copayment plus 20 percent; in-patient is $500 plus 20 percent.
In June 2010, you should expect to receive a new benefits summary that will provide details of these improved benefits.
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