BATON ROUGE – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana will now cover telehealth visits with in-network providers who offer these services at no out-of-pocket cost to members through May 31, 2020.
Blue Cross had previously waived cost-sharing for medical or behavioral health online visits with BlueCare, the insurer’s telehealth platform through May 31, 2020.
Now, in addition to BlueCare, members can have $0 telehealth visits, online or by phone, with in-network doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered dietitians, dentists and chiropractors. Members can also have online visits with in-network physical, occupational or speech therapists. Members should check with their regular healthcare providers to see if they offer telehealth visits.
"There is a bigger demand for telehealth because people are complying with the statewide stay-at-home order and practicing social distancing," said Thomas Diller, M.D., Blue Cross vice president for Population Health and Quality Transformation. “Expanding telehealth options with our network providers gives members more options to get care for routine illnesses or ongoing health needs without having to go somewhere for care. And, this gives providers a way to keep working with their patients while limiting foot traffic in their offices."
Telehealth visits are a good option to treat non-emergency health needs like cough, cold, pink eye, mild stomach viruses, bladder infections, rashes and more. Telehealth is also effective to get care for behavioral health needs.
These changes apply to members who buy their own healthcare coverage (individual members) and many of those who are members of employer groups. Members who get their insurance through an employer should check to see if $0 telehealth visits are covered on their group plans. You can check with your employer or call Blue Cross Customer Service at the number on your member ID card for more information. Medicare customers should contact Customer Service at the number on their member ID cards to find out how telehealth is covered on their plans.
In addition to covering telehealth visits on BlueCare and with in-network providers at no out-of-pocket cost to members, Blue Cross has waived cost-sharing for COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment.
If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, contact your regular healthcare provider, who can work with you to determine if you need to be seen for testing. If you don’t have a regular healthcare provider, please call 211 to reach the Louisiana statewide information network for assistance.
You can visit the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana YouTube page to see short videos with the clinical team and others discussing COVID-19, how to prevent spreading illnesses and more. Subscribe to know when new videos are added. You can also connect with Blue Cross on social media for regular updates on COVID-19 and other health topics.
For information on what Blue Cross is doing for members during the COVID-19 situation, visit www.bcbsla.com/covid19.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying nonprofit health insurer with offices in every major region to serve our customers. We were recognized in 2019 as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in United States.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at www.bcbsla.com or talk to us on social media.
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