SAN FRANCISCO, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California today announced that it has received authorization from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to offer Medicare-approved prescription drug discount cards for eligible Californians. The cards become effective on June 1.
Blue Shield of California will enroll its Medicare+Choice members in the Medicare-approved prescription drug discount card program automatically with no annual fee. Blue Shield of California's Medicare+Choice members, who receive prescription drug coverage as part of their Medicare+Choice plans, will be able to purchase brand name prescription drugs at a discount with the Medicare-approved prescription drug discount card.
In addition, a general discount card will be available through Argus Health Systems Inc. to Blue Shield's Medicare Supplement plan members and all other Medicare beneficiaries in California for an annual fee of $20. Enrollment begins in May.
All major drugstore chains and many independent pharmacies will honor the Medicare-approved prescription drug discount cards offered by Blue Shield of California. The card designed for Blue Shield's Medicare+Choice membership also can be used for mail order prescription drug purchases.
"As a company that has served California's Medicare-eligible population for more than two decades, Blue Shield is pleased to be in a position to offer this additional discount on prescription drugs to our Medicare+Choice members," said Lisa Rubino, senior vice president and chief executive of Blue Shield of California's Individual and Government Business Unit. "We are also very pleased to collaborate with Argus to offer a discount card to all of California's Medicare beneficiaries at a very reasonable annual fee of $20."
The prescription drug discount card is an interim program that will be in effect until Dec. 31, 2005. The full prescription drug benefit, authorized by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2006.
More information about Blue Shield of California's Medicare-approved prescription drug discount program is available online at http://www.mylifepath.com/ and at http://www.medicare.gov/ .
Founded in 1939, Blue Shield of California is one of the state's leading healthcare companies. Headquartered in San Francisco, the not-for-profit corporation has more than 2.7 million members, 4,200 employees and more than 20 office locations throughout California. For more information on Blue Shield, visit the company's website at http://www.mylifepath.com/ .
Argus Health Systems is the leading independent provider of claims processing, information services and administrative support for pharmacy program management. Since its founding in 1983, Argus has grown from processing 1 million claims to processing more than 186 million claims for 24 million members. Argus offers full disclosure, a fully auditable rebate process and a broad range of products and services to satisfy customer needs.
For further information, please contact Elise Anderson of Blue Shield of California, +1-310-568-2866, elise.anderson@blueshieldca.com.
Blue Shield of CaliforniaCONTACT: Elise Anderson of Blue Shield of California, +1-310-568-2866,elise.anderson@blueshieldca.com
