Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Expedites Access to Care for Members Affected by California Wildfires

BOSTON, /PRNewswire/ -- As deadly wildfires continue to burn in California, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) is expediting access to care for its members who live in the affected areas.

Through our national Blue Card plan, we provide health care coverage for Massachusetts-based companies whose employees live in other states. Blue Cross has just under 16,000 members living in California counties affected by the fires. We are working to ensure those members can access medical and pharmacy services quickly and in locations convenient to them. Effectively immediately, for members living in impacted areas we are:

• Allowing early refills of prescription medications.
• Offering medical and behavioral health visits through Well Connection, our telehealth platform, free of cost, including copayments and deductibles – affected members should call member service for details.

In addition, we have waived referral, authorization and pre-certification requirements for medical and pharmacy services in areas that have been declared federal disaster zones.

“We’re deeply concerned for everyone affected by these devastating fires and will do everything we can to ensure continuity of care for all our members who may be affected,” said Andrew Dreyfus, president & CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. “Our member service team is available to help members get the care they need when they need it, even if they’ve been displaced.”

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not–for–profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We’re the trusted health plan for more than 25,000 Massachusetts employers and are committed to working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate promise to always put our 2.8 million members first, we’re rated among the nation’s best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts