Preparing your health & wallet in the new plan year

Posted on July 25, 2022 | updated: July 25, 2022

The new plan year started July 1! You can expect to receive frequent communications from Blue Cross of Idaho, Navia (if you signed up for Flexible Spending), Office of Group Insurance and your HR office highlighting new and continuing programs and benefits. All communications are intended to promote your “Benefits IQ” and show you how to put your premium dollars to good use.

Check out the FY23 New Plan Year Highlights that includes information about:

Coverage for FDA approved weight loss medications
SmartShopper incentive program
Pharmacist medical services program
Removal of dental waiting periods
Continuing benefits you already have access to
And more…

Keep in mind that if your insurance needs or personal situations change throughout the year, there are mid-year actions you can take to adjust your benefit elections. See the chart below for a very high level overview of acceptable changes. More detailed information can be found throughout the Office of Group Insurance website: https://ogi.idaho.gov

	When can I make changes?	Is this change limited to Open Enrollment?
Medical	You can make mid-year changes your medical/dental elections when you experience a qualifying life event, or during the annual Open Enrollment period each April/May. (Within 30 days of the event, except for marriage, birth/adoption have 60 days.)	Yes, unless you have a qualifying life event.
Dental	You can make mid-year changes your medical/dental elections when you experience a qualifying life event, or during the annual Open Enrollment period each April/May.(Within 30 days of the event, except for marriage, birth/adoption have 60 days.)	Yes, adding previously declined dependent dental is limited to Open Enrollment EXCEPT when you are adding a newly eligible dependent to coverage; in this case previously declined dependents may enroll under a “tag along” provision.
Health Care FSA	You can increase/reduce your contributions after a qualifying life event.	Yes, unless you have a qualifying life event. To continue FSA, you must re-enroll every year during open enrollment.
Day Care FSA	You can enroll/increase/reduce your contributions after a qualifying life event.	Yes, unless you have a qualifying life event. To continue FSA, you must re-enroll every year during open enrollment.
Basic Life	You can change your beneficiaries at any time. Your HR office has the forms and will keep a copy on file.	No
Voluntary Term Life (VTL)	You can enroll/increase/decrease your coverage with a qualifying life event within 31 days of the date of the event. Outside of a life event you will be required to submit proof of insurability to be approved for coverage.	No

Don’t have a Primary Care Physician (PCP) or Dentist? You can find a searchable list of in-network providers on the Blue Cross of Idaho Member Portal, members.bcidaho.com. Keep in mind the provider you select will determine your out of pocket costs. For instance, ChoiceDocs PPO medical providers and PPO dental providers have lower copays and/or co-insurance than other contracting providers.

Haven’t set up your Blue Cross of Idaho member portal account? Have your Member ID handy and visit members.bcidaho.com.

Keep an eye on the Office of Group Insurance website, https://ogi.idaho.gov, for information in the Stay Informed blog, well-being resources in the Get Healthy page, information to navigate Life Events, and more…

You can always ask your agency’s HR office for information about enrolling in the medical and dental benefits if you are not currently enrolled or if you would like to add/delete dependents.

Questions? Contact the Office of Group Insurance in person, by telephone or email.

Shop smarter with SmartShopper and get rewarded

Posted on July 12, 2022 | updated: July 12, 2022

How much time did you spend researching your last car or TV to find the best deal on a quality product? Now ask yourself, how much time did you spend researching your last medical procedure for the best price and quality service? My guess would be that you spent more time on the first question than the second.

Welcome to SmartShopper! Register today and start saving!

We want to change the way you search for medical services and incentivize you for your shopping savvy. Clinics, hospitals and other facilities may have different expenses for the services they offer. Not only do you save on out-of-pocket costs when you choose a cost-efficient location, you get rewarded for being a smart shopper.

Visit bcidaho.com/smartshopper and watch their short video tutorial.

You can shop for routine procedures, preventive exams, imaging scans, and scheduled surgeries. Explore your options that compare both cost and quality using nationally recognized metrics as well as ratings and reviews from other patients. You can explore your options online or call one of the SmartShoppper personal assistants to guide you through the process. Click on the “How to Use SmartShopper” logo to learn more.

To access SmartShopper from the Blue Cross member portal you will need to:

Go to members.bcidaho.com and log in to your member account
Select Find a Doctor
Search for care by selecting Browse by Category or using the search bar
Select Next Page and your search results will show you facility names, locations and the SmartShopper cash reward amount if eligible.

The SmartShopper program is offered by Sapphire Digital, an independent company. Incentives available for select procedures only. Payments are a taxable form of income. Rewards may be delivered by check or an alternative form of payment. Members with primary coverage under Medicaid or Medicare are not eligible to receive incentive rewards under the SmartShopper program.