March 26, 2020

BCBSWy Updated Response to COVID-19

We know how important it is that your employees continue to be able to get the health care they need whether it’s related to COVID-19 or not. The contagious nature of this disease has caused it to be more difficult to visit a doctor’s office or clinic for regular, scheduled care.

As a result, BCBSWY is taking the following steps to make sure that our members and your employees will continue to have access for their health care needs more easily and with respect to social distancing recommendations through the expanded use of telemedicine:

• Telemedicine encounters by phone or video will be covered.
• Cost-share requirements for services provided through telemedicine by phone, video or other means will be waived.
• BCBSWY is encouraging providers to increase their telemedicine efforts as long as the services provided are medically necessary, appropriate to be delivered via telemedicine or phone, and allowed under the providers scope of practice.
• Members are encouraged to call their health care provider, clinic or hospital first for any medical service, including COVID-19, to avoid highly contagious spaces.
• This expansion of telemedicine services will be in effect for 90 days.

We hope these expanded telemedicine options will help make sure that your employees will continue to get the health care services they may need.

• Per requirements of new federal legislation and CDC guidance and protocols, we are also doing the following:
  • Covering COVID-19 testing and related materials with no cost share and no PA requirements
  • Covering related testing procedures at no cost share (flu panel, respiratory panels, RSV)
  • Waiving the cost share for office visit, urgent care or ER visit necessary to conduct the COVID-19 testing
  • Covering COVID-19 treatment as allowed under the member’s benefit with no PA requirements
• BCBSWY has waived the early refill limitation for prescription drugs and waived the PA requirement for refill.
• We will implement phone recording messages that direct members to use secure email messaging through their online account when contacting us if phone contact is slow.

We appreciate your partnership during this unprecedented time.

BCBSWy