Know Your Health Insurance Plan

• Where You Go Matters
  The emergency room is the best option for some situations, while others may call for convenient care or an office visit to your primary care provider. You will also want to check if your provider facility is in the BCBS network. If not, you will pay significantly more for care and services.

• For example, Christie Convenient Care clinics are in the BCBSIL network while other convenient care clinics in the Champaign-Urbana area are not. Log into your Blue Access for Members (BAM) account to find in-network providers and pharmacies.

 

Prescription Drugs

• Ask for Generic Drugs: the main difference between a brand name drug and its generic equivalent is that the generic often costs much less. Both brand name drugs and generic drugs go through an approval process by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and must meet similar standards of effectiveness and chemical make-up as branded drugs.

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• If your doctor writes a prescription for a brand drug that does not have a generic equivalent, consider asking if an appropriate generic alternative is available. As a patient, you can tell your pharmacist you are interested in generics. In many situations, your pharmacist can substitute a generic equivalent for its brand counterpart without a new prescription from your doctor. For more information on generics, visit BCBSIL's FAQ page on generic prescriptions. 

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• Check Prices: a number of pharmacies offer free or greatly reduced prices on commonly prescribed medication. You can also use a website or an app, such as GoodRx, RxSaver, WellRx, or a similar service to help you find the lowest cost for a prescription as well as coupons for discounts and savings.  

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• Manufacturers’ Discounts: manufacturers of some prescription drugs offer discount programs and coupons with significant cost savings. Ask your doctor the manufacturer has such a program available.

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• Ask if a 90-Day Option is Available: you can often save money by refilling your prescription for 90 days instead of 30 days. Ask your doctor if this is an option, then check Prime Therapeutics to see if a 90-day prescription will offer you a cost savings. For example, a 30-day supply of a non-specialty prescription drug may cost $40 at a retail pharmacy, while a 90-day supply of that same drug using home delivery through Prime Therapeutics would cost $80. 

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Survivor Benefits

• If you have recently had a significant life event such as a marriage, birth of a child, or divorce, did you change your beneficiary information on your life insurance? Even if your will states a specific beneficiary, you need to designate these with your plan(s) as well. 

 

*Examples provided are meant only as illustrative examples and do not represent an endorsement of a particular product or service.