Morgan Haefner
Wednesday, October 14th, 2020 - Becker's Healthcare
Here are 15 payers that are returning premium revenue to members due to lower healthcare costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Editor's note: Policies vary by insurer. This list will be updated if more announcements are made. Email mhaefner@beckershealthcare.com if your company has implemented similar measures. This article was last updated Oct. 15.
1. Blue Shield of California is providing more than $50 million in premium credits to customers.
2. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is providing about $104 million in premium credits to members with fully insured employer coverage. In addition to the premium credits to members with employer-based coverage, BCBSTX also issued about $250 million in rebates to individuals and small groups this fall.
3. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is sending its members about $108 million in premium credits.
4. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Cigna are issuing rebate checks to Tennessee residents because their healthcare costs were lower than expected.
5. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and Blue Plus will provide more than $38 million in premium relief for thousands of Medicare members, individual and family plan members, and fully insured businesses throughout the state.
6. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is returning $101 million in premium refunds and rebates to members due to lower healthcare costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
7. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island will provide a 25 percent dental premium credit for fully insured customers and is extending teledentistry services with in-network dentists through July 31, 2020. The insurer announced an additional $11 million in medical and dental premium relief Aug. 20.
8. Regence is sending back $35 million to some of its policyholders, according to The Lund Report.
9. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a nonprofit health plan in New England that covers 3 million members, is providing $32 million in premium credits to its customers.
10. Priority Health, a health plan in Michigan, provided premium credits to its members in June and July.
11. Anthem provided $2.5 billion in financial assistance to providers and health plan members, including one-month premium rebates to members.
12. Premera Blue Cross said more than 200,000 of its commercial and individual members will receive up to $65 million in premium relief funds and premium rebates.
13. UnitedHealth Group is providing members more than $1.5 billion in discounts, including premium rebates.
14. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will return more than $21 million in premiums to members.
15. UCare reduced monthly premiums by 20 percent for Medicare members in July, August and October. The insurer provided 20 percent premium reductions to individual and family health plan members in July and August, in addition to a September ACA rebate. The savings were around $15 million, the insurer told Becker's.
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