Employer, Family & Individual Plan Members
Your Health Plan
We’ll cover at-home tests that diagnose a current infection if authorized by a network provider. Many at-home tests marketed have proved ineffective, so we’ll cover just those the FDA has approved or given emergency use authorization for. If you pay for a test up front without having approval from a network provider, you may have out-of-pocket costs.
COVID-19 and Fraud
Moms and Babies
There’s not a lot of data on this just yet, but pregnant women are considered to have an increased risk for COVID-19 complications. Women with higher-risk pregnancies may be more at risk. Continue your prenatal appointments so your provider can manage any symptoms you may have.
However, looking at past viruses, like the flu and SARS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that pregnant women who contract COVID-19 could be more likely to have severe respiratory problems, like pneumonia. This is because pregnant women already have increased heart rates and diminished lung capacity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you may have a higher risk of miscarriage or premature delivery if you contract COVID-19.
It’s not clear yet whether cases of newborns with COVID-19 are born infected, or are becoming infected after birth. It’s likely that if you’re infected with COVID-19, your baby will be placed in isolation after birth to prevent the disease from passing from you to them.
There’s not enough data to confirm whether breast milk from an infected mother poses a direct threat. However, the CDC recommends caution when breastfeeding your newborn. Your delivery nurses will be the best resource for deciding how you’ll handle feeding and/or pumping breast milk.
Be prepared as the hospital may transfer your baby to another room and ask you to pump breast milk instead, if you have COVID-19. If you and your medical team decide breastfeeding directly is the best option for you, it’s extremely important that you wash your hands just before breastfeeding, and often throughout the day. You’ll need to wear a mask to protect your baby. Because we’re still learning about this situation, the recommendations of the CDC are subject to change.
Some BlueCross members may have benefits for a home birth with a certified nurse midwife. Home births are recommended only for low-risk pregnancies, and you must have a detailed birthing plan that includes a hospital and doctor, in case of complications. If you’re unsure if your plan covers home births, call us at the Member Services number on the back of your Member ID card.
It’s important to note that licensed and accredited hospitals and birth centers are still safe places to deliver your baby. If you’ve already chosen your delivery provider, talk with them about your concerns to ensure you’re making the right birth choice for you and your family.
In a newborn, a fever of 100.4° F is considered high enough to seek medical treatment in the first two months of your child’s life. As always, double-check the environment to make sure your baby’s temperature is accurate. Wearing extra warm clothes or being bundled in blankets, as well as being in a very warm room or in a hot car, could make their temperature reading higher.
If you’re worried about your baby’s temperature, your safest bet is always to call your pediatrician for advice on next steps.
COVID-19 and Enrolling in a Health Plan
In many cases, yes. If you get your insurance through your employer, new rules give you more time to elect COBRA and pay COBRA premiums during the COVID-19 national emergency.
You usually have 60 days to elect COBRA from the day you lose your insurance. Once you elect COBRA, you normally have 45 days to pay the initial premium and 30 days after that to pay monthly premium. The new rule lets you “pause” these deadlines during the outbreak period and start counting again when it’s over. So you get the full amount of time to elect COBRA and/or pay premiums, plus however long the outbreak period lasts. But it’s important to know that, if you get behind on premium payments at any point and lose your COBRA coverage, we won’t be able to pay any claims unless you pay premiums on time and your COBRA coverage is reinstated.
The outbreak period started on March 1, 2020, and will end 60 days after the end of the COVID-19 national emergency, or a date that will be decided by the Department of Labor.
If your insurance is from a state or local governmental plan, you may not be eligible for extra time. If you have questions about this and we administer your COBRA benefits, please call us at 1-800-364-6121 to check. You can also ask your employer.
In many cases, yes. If you’re eligible for insurance through your employer, new rules give you more time to enroll if you have certain life-events during the COVID-19 national emergency.
You usually have 30 days to request a special enrollment if you lose other coverage, get married, have a baby or adopt a child, including a child being placed for adoption. You usually have 60 days to request a special enrollment if you or an eligible dependent lose your Medicaid or CHIP coverage. The new rule lets you “pause” the deadline during the outbreak period and start counting again when it’s over. So you get the full amount of time to request a special enrollment, plus however long the outbreak period lasts.
The outbreak period started on March 1, 2020, and will end 60 days after the end of the COVID-19 national emergency, or a date that will be decided by the Department of Labor.
Please contact your employer if you have questions. Your employer will be able to tell you more about the extra time you may have to enroll, what your effective date of coverage will be and any premiums you may be responsible for. If your employer’s plan is a state or local governmental plan, you may not be eligible for extra time.
COVID-19 and Health Accounts
Your Health
The first step is to stay home and separate yourself from other people or animals as much as possible. That’ll help keep germs from spreading until you can get tested and advice from a doctor.
Next, see if your city or county has a free testing site set up. If so, schedule with them to get a test. You can also call your provider’s office and tell them your symptoms. If they think you need to be tested, they can give you instructions on where to go and what to do if you’re unable to get tested through your health department.
Other than for testing, please stay at home, wear a mask and isolate yourself from others in your home, if possible.
The first step is to stay home and separate yourself from other people or animals as much as possible. That’ll help keep germs from spreading until you can get advice from a doctor.
Next, see if your city or county has a free testing site set up. If so, schedule with them to get a test. You can also call your provider’s office and tell them your symptoms. If they think you need to be tested, they can give you instructions on where to go and what to do if you’re unable to get tested through your health department.
Other than for testing, please stay at home, wear a mask and isolate yourself from others in your home, if possible.
The latest guidance from the CDC says if you’ve had a mild case, you may leave self-isolation if it’s been 10 days since your symptoms started, you’ve been without a fever for 24 hours and haven’t used a fever reducer, and your other symptoms are improving. If you’ve had a moderate or severe case of COVID-19 or are immune-compromised, you’ll need to isolate for 20 days. In these cases, you’ll need to talk with your doctor about when it’s OK for you to leave isolation.
The CDC has also released new guidance for household family members of someone who tests positive.
If you live with others, they’ll also need to quarantine during the time you’re in isolation. They should also quarantine for an additional 14 days starting the last day they had contact with you or the day you’re no longer in isolation. However, the CDC says that period could shorten if the person has no symptoms after 10 days. Additionally, if they’re tested five days after their last exposure and test negative, then their quarantine could end after seven days.
Yes. Many providers are slowly reopening their practices to see our members in person. They’ll be following some safety social distancing guidelines, so be sure to call their office before your appointment to know what extra safety steps they’ll want you to follow when you get there. You also should take some personal safety measures, including wearing a cloth mask while in public and making sure you don’t have a fever or any signs of COVID-19 before going in person. If you have any symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you’ll need to reschedule your appointment.
If you have health issues that put you at higher risk of COVID-19 complications or simply don’t feel comfortable going out in person, many providers are still offering telehealth appointments.
Protecting Yourself and Others
Social distancing is the best way to protect yourself. That means staying home other than for necessary groceries or medicine.
Wear a face covering when going out in public. The CDC recommends everyone, except children under age 2 or people who have trouble breathing or are incapacitated and unable to remove a mask, wear a cloth face covering to help slow the spread of the virus. Your mask should cover your nose and mouth, be secured under your chin, and rest snugly against the sides of your face. Make sure you can breathe easily through it, and always wash your hands before putting on or taking off your mask. You can find expert guidance about face coverings here.
Wash your hands with soap and water frequently, especially if you’re out of your home. Hand sanitizer can help when soap and water are unavailable.
Clean all frequently touched surfaces in your home, car and workspace, if you’re still going in to work.
Cover your coughs and sneezes, and immediately throw away the used tissues.
If someone in your house is sick or has symptoms, have them self-isolate away from others in the house. Call their provider for instructions on what to do next.