Insured for the Future

The coronavirus pandemic changed a lot in society, including some insurance policies

By Andrew Weeks

Like other companies in the upper Midwest and across the country, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota sent most of its workers home in March soon after the increasing spread of COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.

The company did this “so we can keep our operations running,” said Dr. Greg Glasner, chief medical officer in Fargo, N.D. It was to protect employees, customers, and to ensure “our members can get the service they need.”

But the insurance company, like many others, was affected by the pandemic in several other ways as well. Glasner said he saw changes he hadn’t even considered previously.

“It’s a very fluid environment,” he said in mid-March, “and things change, quite literally, from morning to afternoon.”

Something he never saw coming: Health and Human Services at the federal level waived penalties on consumer communication apps for connecting with providers during the emergency.

That meant health care now had the ability to use non-public-facing audio and video applications – such as Apple FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts and Skype – during the public health emergency.

“This is unprecedented, a most unprecedented move for the federal government,” he said. “For the HIPAA watchdog to relax those penalties so that people can connect from home and not have to come in (to the office), that one I think even caught Blue Cross off guard.”

It was one of the big changes, but Glasner knew it probably would not be the only one.

“As a disclaimer,” he said, “you’re going to see a whole lot of parts in motion that have never been done before.”

Changes for unprecedented times

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota in early March developed an action plan to continue to provide quality service to its members while protecting the health of its employees. Some of the changes it made was waiving any cost-sharing, including co-pays, deductibles and coinsurance for CDC-recommended laboratory testing of COVID-19. Glasner said BCBS didn’t want those items to be a barrier in getting testing done for patients who needed it.

“We’re here for the members and we’re here to serve the members,” he said.

“Most of the changes that we’ve made initially are to take down barriers so that no one feels they should wait, or avoid getting tested for the coronavirus.”

In addition, BCBSND waived cost-sharing for an in-network provider office visit, urgent care center and emergency room visit when testing for COVID-19, the disease that causes the respiratory illness. Waiving cost-shares may be done on a retrospective case-by-case basis; and subsequent hospital stays associated with COVID-19 will be covered in accordance with the member’s current health benefit plan. Further, BCBSND extended customers’ premium payment deadlines from 31 days to 62 days for all members with individual plans or small group coverage -- businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

For larger businesses with more than 50 employees, Glasner said BCBSND representatives will work with them directly on a case-bycase basis to determine alternative payment plans.

“In support of our communities and the impact this pandemic is having on our economy, we encourage all members and employer groups to pay their premiums as best they can,” President and CEO Dan Conrad said in a statement. “However, we recognize that we need to do all we can to support our members and ensure we remove the financial barriers they may have in getting care. We care deeply about the health and wellbeing of our members and are confident we’ll get through this crisis together.”

As businesses around the country are forced to reduce hours or lay off employees, BCBSND is also allowing greater flexibility in eligibility requirements:

· As long as premiums are paid, BCBSND will work with employers to keep employees on their health plan, even when their hours fall below current eligibility guidelines;

· BCBSND will also soon accept credit card payments from small group employers to aide in their ability to make premium payments;

· BCBSND will allow employers to remove or reduce current probationary periods for new employees, thereby allowing new employees access to their health plan sooner.

Glasner said the coronavirus issue remains a fluid issue and that the insurance company would continue to monitor and follow directions from the CDC, as well as state and federal recommendations.

For those who may still have problems making their premiums after the 62 days, Glaser said the member should contact blue cross to work out a payment plan.

“I think they just have to contact Blue Cross if they’re having trouble paying their premiums,” he said. “This could extend several months, and if (the government) shuts down a community, people still have to pay rent, they have to pay for groceries, they have to pay for their insurance, they have to make their car payment. So there’s going to be a reality to the economic downturn to this; it’s going to affect everybody.” continued on page 18