RELEASE
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to Extend No-Cost Benefits for COVID-19 Treatment Through Year’s End
Meghan O'Brien
| 2 min read
DETROIT, June 9, 2020 – Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network will provide their members no-cost treatment for COVID-19 disease through Dec. 31, 2020. Members have not had to pay cost sharing for treatment – in the form of copays, deductibles and coinsurance – since March and now will have the security of no-cost treatment through the end of the year. “Thanks to the valiant efforts of our front-line health workers, our health systems and our governmental leaders, Michigan has flattened the coronavirus curve. Still, the virus remains in our communities and many people continue to suffer,” said BCBSM President & CEO Daniel J. Loepp. “Blue Cross wants our members in Michigan and across the nation to rest assured that, should they contract the COVID-19 disease, they won’t have to worry about the financial cost of fighting it.” The cost share waivers apply to members in fully insured commercial PPO and HMO plans, as well as individuals in fully insured Medicare Advantage plans. BCBSM will work with employer group customers that are self-insured to make decisions regarding their own benefits. BCBSM estimates that it will spend between $23 million to $43 million in providing these additional benefits – bringing the company’s total investment in additional benefits for members to nearly $150 million during the pandemic. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.5 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies who reside outside the state. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com and MiBluesPerspectives.com.
