PITTSBURGH, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Highmark Blue Shield and Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield announced today that they have received federal government approval to offer Medicare-approved prescription drug coverage options, effective Jan. 1, 2006. Created by the Medicare Modernization Act, the new benefit offers Medicare beneficiaries two ways to get comprehensive prescription drug coverage, either through a stand-alone prescription drug plan or through a Medicare Advantage product.
Through Highmark Senior Resources, a Highmark subsidiary, Highmark Blue Shield will offer BlueRx, the only regional Medicare-approved stand-alone prescription drug coverage option that carries the Blue brand throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield through its new Medicare PPO, FreedomBlue, will also offer Medicare-approved prescription drug coverage.
BlueRx is a good option for people with Medicare who don’t want a managed care product, but do want comprehensive prescription drug coverage, noted Cynthia Dellecker, Highmark’s senior vice president of Senior Products. “Through BlueRx, Medicare beneficiaries receive the security of a Blue Shield product with different options to meet their prescription drug needs,” she said.
“More than 360,000 Medicare beneficiaries in West Virginia will have two ways to receive the new Medicare prescription drug coverage,” said Gregory K. Smith, Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield’s president and CEO. “They can either receive it through our new FreedomBlue product or through Highmark’s stand-alone product, BlueRx.”
Monthly premiums for BlueRx will range from $26.55 to $47.46 depending on the level of coverage selected. None of the three options will have an upfront deductible, so prescription drug coverage will begin as soon as the new benefit takes effect.
Mountain State recently received federal government approval to offer FreedomBlue, a Medicare PPO, throughout West Virginia. FreedomBlue monthly premiums will range from $0 to $75 and some will include such additional benefits as prescription drug, hearing coverage and vision coverage. Three different options are available to give Medicare beneficiaries choices that meet their health insurance needs. Mountain State will incorporate Medicare- approved prescription drug coverage into its FreedomBlue benefits Jan. 1.
About Highmark Blue Shield
With more than 70 years of community involvement, Highmark Blue Shield helps members live longer, healthier lives by ensuring access to affordable, high quality health insurance and services. Employing more than 5,000 people in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, Highmark insures more than 700,000 people in the region. More than 450,000 Medicare beneficiaries are covered through Highmark products.
Highmark Blue Shield and Highmark Senior Resources are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. For more information about Highmark Blue Shield, visit www.highmark.com.
About Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield
Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Mountain State provides or administers coverage to more than 400,000 West Virginians and has over 800 employees in Parkersburg, Charleston, Wheeling and Weirton. To learn more about Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield, please visit www.msbcbs.com.
Highmark Blue Shield; Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield
CONTACT: Denise Grabner of Highmark Blue Shield, +1-412-544-7488, ordenise.grabner@highmark.com; or Fred Earley of Mountain State Blue CrossBlue Shield, +1-304-424-7798, or fred.earley@msbcbs.com
