Whether you are a new member or have made updates to your plan, is it important to understand your health care. Taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with your coverage ensures you are making the most of what’s available to you. Here are five simple steps that will provide peace of mind and savings when it comes to your health:
- Actually read your welcome kit. When you receive your kit in the mail, don’t put it in the “I’ll look at it someday” pile. Inside is information that will help you understand your 2016 plan completely and provide helpful tips for using it. Double-check specifics like what your deductible is (you don’t want to assume you know and find out later you were wrong) and bookmark important information such as phone numbers and how to submit claims.
- Be aware of what your plan offers. You can do this by reading through welcome materials, digging into how your plan works (do you understand if you have a HMO or PPO?) and discovering what preventive benefits are included in your plan, such as screenings for certain cancers, blood pressure and cholesterol level checks, mammograms and more. For a full list of preventive services provided by Blue Cross, please visit our website.
- Set your 2016 health goals now. Make an attempt to end the year a little healthier than you began it. Maybe you want to do what you can to prevent serious health conditions down the road, so you set up an annual skin cancer screening or colonoscopy. Another option is to sign up for #HealthyMe, an online community that’s all about reaching goals. Add the above to-dos to your profile (and some new ones like training for your first 5k race), give yourself a deadline and know you’re doing all you need to stay on top of your health.
- Boost your health care smarts. Don’t spend another year being confused about health insurance. A good place to start is to read this guide that spells out the most common terms that are used when talking about your plan. After that, find out when and where to go for health care services, get the gist on health care reform, understand the different types of health spending accounts and use the resources available to you when you have questions, such as our Customer Action Center and walk-in customer service centers.
- Learn about all the perks! This is the fun item on your to-do list. As a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan or Blue Care Network member, you have access to exclusive member discounts on lots of healthy products and services around Michigan and online. You can save money on fresh produce, gym memberships, sporting goods and more. Visit bcbsm.com/xtras for more details.
To learn more about your plan and what it has to offer, or for more resources and information on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s insurance plans, check out our website. And for more on getting the most out of your plan, check out these other blogs:
