Covered Services
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
In network |
Out-of-network |
|
|
Outpatient hospital services |
90%
|
80%
|
| Doctor's visits |
90%
|
70%
|
Mammograms are covered based on the following schedule:
one baseline x-ray for women from age 35
through 39; and
one a year for women age 40 and older.
Benefits will be provided for one routine pap smear test per calendar year. The cost of the office visit for a routine pap smear is not covered.
The City's Medical Advisor Review Program is designed to review certain medical care you receive to determine if it is medically necessary and appropriate, as defined by the plan. The review program is a valuable resource and can help you maximize your plan benefits.
The medical advisor will review the medical information provided and will discuss the options available. If your doctor recommends an inpatient procedure, for example, the advisor may suggest that you or your covered dependent can safely receive treatment on an outpatient basis instead.
To make sure that certain treatments and hospital stays are appropriate and eligible for maximum coverage, you or someone else on your behalf must contact the medical advisor in the event of:
ambulance transportation from one hospital
to another;
home health care;
hospice care;
treatment for infertility;
an inpatient hospital stay;
inpatient surgery;
inpatient or outpatient mental health
and/or substance abuse treatment;
outpatient speech or occupational therapy;
pregnancy; and
skilled nursing home care.
The medical advisor works with the City's plan to provide medical review services. You can call an advisor toll-free 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-373-3727.
If you or a covered dependent is admitted to the hospital on an emergency basis, you or someone else on your behalf must call the medical advisor within two business days of the admission. Only the days that are certified by the medical advisor will be paid by the plan. So, it's in your best interest to call as soon as possible after your emergency admission.
Refer to the Medical Advisor Review Program chart on page PPOM-1B for a summary of when to call the medical advisor and what happens to your benefits if you don't call when required.
Information You'll Need to Provide
When you call the medical advisor (see the Important Numbers and Web Sites section of this handbook for the toll-free telephone number), you will need to provide the following information:
your name and the patient's name;
the name of the hospital where the
admission is scheduled;
the scheduled admission date;
the name and telephone number of the
admitting doctor; and
the preliminary diagnosis or reason for
the admission.
If You Don't Contact the Medical Advisor
The final decision about your health care treatment is up to you and your doctor. However, if you don't call the medical advisor when required, you will have to pay $1,000 of covered medical or hospital expenses and all other expenses determined not medically necessary. This penalty amount will not count toward the deductible or out-of-pocket limit.
Case Management
The plan provides a case management program to assist you in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury or certain complex medical cases. Cases which may be referred to the medical advisor case management unit for review are, for example:
multiple hospital admissions;
complex treatments, such as treatments for
cancer, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), cardiac
surgery or liver disease; and
post-hospital treatments, such as nursing
or other home care services.
Ambulance Transportation
If you require long-distance transportation by ambulance from one hospital to another hospital, you or someone else on your behalf must call the medical advisor for approval.
This type of transportation may be required if you or a dependent is admitted to a hospital and then it is determined by the medical advisor that you would receive the best treatment in another hospital that can provide special treatment for the illness, injury or mental condition.
You must contact the medical advisor for approval before being transported. If the transportation is approved by the medical advisor, the plan will pay 90%, after the deductible, for the cost of the ambulance.
Also, medically necessary railroad or commercial airline transportation to, but not from, a hospital equipped to provide special treatment that cannot be obtained within the PPO network is covered at 90%, after the deductible.
If You Don't Call - If you or someone else on your behalf doesn't call the medical advisor for advance approval, the plan will not pay for the transportation charge.
High-risk Pregnancy Screening Program
The high-risk pregnancy screening program provides information to expectant mothers and helps identify possible high-risk pregnancies. When you learn that you or a covered dependent is pregnant, you are encouraged to contact the medical advisor before the end of the first trimester. See the Important Numbers and Web Sites section of this handbook for the medical advisor toll-free telephone number.
If the pregnancy is not considered high risk, educational material will be provided and the medical advisor will follow up during the second and third trimesters, if appropriate.
If the pregnancy is considered high risk, the medical advisor will work with your doctor and continue to monitor your progress throughout the course of the pregnancy.
Home Health Care
Home health care is covered at 90%, after the deductible. You must obtain advance approval through the medical advisor review program for benefits to be paid at 90%.
Services include full or part-time medical care provided by a registered or practical nurse that you receive at home rather than in a hospital. Home health care programs will be eligible for coverage based on your doctor's recommendation and the medical advisor's approval.
If You Don't Call - If you or someone else on your behalf doesn't get advance approval for home health care, benefits will not be paid.
Hospice Care
Hospice care is covered at 90%, after the deductible, if you obtain advance approval through the medical advisor review program.
Hospice care is designed to meet the needs of the terminally ill and their families. Hospice care programs will be eligible for coverage based on your doctor's recommendation and the medical advisor's approval.
If You Don't Call - If you or someone else on your behalf doesn't get advance approval for hospice care, benefits will not be paid.
Infertility Treatment
As of January 1, 1998, the plan provides coverage for the diagnosis and/or treatment of infertility. Services must conform to the guidelines of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology or according to the Standards of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
When you or a covered dependent are scheduled to begin services for the treatment of infertility, you are encouraged to contact the medical advisor.
Infertility is defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy after twelve months of unprotected intercourse despite purposeful attempts at pregnancy. The inability to sustain a successful pregnancy is defined as either the third miscarriage occurring before 12 weeks of gestation or the first spontaneous pregnancy loss occurring after 12 weeks of gestational age.
The evaluation and treatment of infertility may include, but are not limited to the following:
Diagnostic procedures;
Prescription Drugs;
Artificial Insemination;
Conventional treatment of uterine
anomalies;
Conventional treatment of male factors,
such as varicocele;
Medical cost of oocyte or invasive sperm
retrieval and medical costs of egg or sperm donation.
Benefits will be provided if a total of four completed oocyte
or invasive sperm retrievals have not been conducted upon the
covered individual or upon an egg or sperm donor in lieu of
the covered individual. However, if a live birth follows a
completed oocyte or invasive sperm retrieval, four additional
medically necessary oocyte or invasive sperm retrievals will
be covered for infertility services following each live
birth. The total number of invasive retrievals from both a
donor in lieu of a covered individual and from the covered
individual shall be considered when determining if the limit
of four retrievals has been reached.
Various assistive reproductive procedures,
which include but are not limited to the following:
a) embryo transfer;
b) gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT);
c) zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT);
d) in vitro fertilization (IVF);
e) low tubal ovum transfer;
f) assisted hatching;
g) intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI);
h) frozen tubal embryo transfer;
i) donor egg and donor embryo transfer;
j) zona dissection; and,
k) subzonal insertion of sperm.
The following services are excluded:
a) Services rendered to a surrogate for purposes of child birth;
b) Non-medical costs of an egg or sperm donor;
c) Travel costs;
d) Costs associated with cryopreservation and storage of egg, sperm or embryo;
e) Experimental treatments, services or supplies;
f) Drugs, devices, or treatments which are not Medically Necessary;
g) Fertility services to a person who has undergone a voluntary sterilization procedure; and
h) Surgical procedures to reverse voluntary sterilization.
All other provisions and exclusions of the Plan apply to these benefits. Benefits for covered services will be provided at 90% for PPO providers and 70% for non-PPO providers after the applicable deductible has been met. Prescription drugs will be provided in accordance with the terms of the Prescription Drug Program.
Consult the Medical Advisor Review Program requirements of the Plan before receiving services to determine whether any services are subject to the review requirements of the Medical Advisor Review Program. Failure to comply with the requirements of the Medical Advisor Review Program may result in penalties or denial of benefits. Even if prior approval is not otherwise required under the Medical Advisor Review Program it is recommended that fertility services be reviewed prior to receiving services to determine if services are eligible for coverage.
Inpatient Hospital Stays
Any inpatient stay in the hospital must be approved by the medical advisor. If approved, inpatient hospital services will be covered as follows, after the deductible is met:
90%, for an approved stay
in a PPO network hospital, or
60%, for an approved stay
in a hospital that is outside the PPO network.
During the course of your hospital stay, the medical advisor will contact your doctor and/or the hospital to discuss possible alternatives to an extended hospital stay and determine if the extended stay is medically necessary. Certification of medical necessity by the medical advisor is not a guarantee that you have coverage under which benefits will be paid.
You must contact the medical advisor at least 24 hours before a non-emergency admission or within two business days of an emergency admission.
If You Don't Call - If you or someone else on your behalf doesn't contact the medical advisor, you will have to pay $1,000 of covered expenses for the hospital stay and all other expenses determined not medically necessary, and your hospital stay will be reviewed for medical necessity. The penalty amount will not count toward the deductible or out-of-pocket limit.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment
To receive full benefits, you must contact the medical advisor:
at least 24 hours before a non-emergency
admission (or within two business days of an emergency
admission) for inpatient mental health or substance abuse
treatment, and
before the eighth session of outpatient
mental health treatment.
See the information below for more details on how benefits are paid.
If You Don't Call - If you or someone else on your behalf doesn't contact the medical advisor:
you will have to pay
$1,000 of covered inpatient mental health or
substance abuse treatment and all other expenses determined
not medically necessary, and
the plan will not pay
benefits beyond the first seven sessions for outpatient
mental health or substance abuse treatment expenses.
The penalty amount will not count toward the deductible or out-of-pocket limit.
Skilled Nursing Home Care
If you or a dependent requires care in a skilled nursing home, you or someone else on your behalf must obtain advance approval from the medical advisor for benefits to be paid at 90%, after the deductible.
If You Don't Call - If you or someone else on your behalf doesn't obtain the medical advisor's approval for skilled nursing home care, benefits will not be paid.
To receive full benefits, you must contact the medical advisors. See the Important Numbers and Web Sites section of this handbook for the toll-free number.
before receiving inpatient mental health
or substance abuse treatment, and
before the eighth session of outpatient
mental health treatment.
Inpatient Mental Health Treatment
Benefits for inpatient treatment of mental health will be paid at:
90%, after the
deductible, if you go to a PPO network provider; or
60%, after the
deductible, if you go to a non-PPO network provider.
If you go to a non-PPO network provider, both the calendar year ($150 for an individual or $250 for a family) and out-of-network deductible ($300 for each admission) will apply.
Remember, you or someone else on your behalf must contact the medical advisor to receive maximum benefits.
Inpatient Substance Abuse Treatment
The plan will pay benefits for inpatient substance abuse treatment at the rates described in the chart below. A new course of treatment begins when 30 or more days have passed during which no treatment was received.
|
Course of Treatment |
In-network |
Out-of-network |
|
First |
90% |
75% |
|
Second |
80% |
60% |
|
Subsequent |
50% |
0% |
Courses of treatment and the benefits that are paid are determined over the entire period of time you are covered by the plan, not a calendar year. For example, let's assume you begin a course of treatment in October that lasts for two months. Then, you stop treatment for three months and you begin again in March. Since there was a period of more than 30 days that you did not have treatment, the treatment that begins in March is considered your second course of treatment.
As you can see, the plan pays a greater benefit for treatment received in an in-network hospital rather than an out-of-network hospital. For example, if your first treatment is obtained through the PPO network, expenses would be paid at 90%. However, if the second treatment is received at a facility outside the PPO network, those services would be covered at only 60%, after the out-of-network deductible is met. Co-payments after the first course of in-network treatment and all out-of-network treatments will not count toward any out-of-pocket limit.
The first course of treatment obtained at a free-standing substance abuse facility will be paid at 90%, after the deductible, if your stay is approved by the medical advisor. This will be considered in-network treatment and your co-payment will count toward the out-of-pocket limit.
Alternatives to Inpatient Treatment
There are certain alternatives to inpatient mental health and substance abuse treatments, such as:
residential treatment,
partial hospitalization, and
structured outpatient treatment.
Benefits will only be paid if your alternative treatment is approved by the medical advisor.
Benefits for eligible alternative treatments will be paid as follows:
90%, after the deductible, for in-network
treatment, or
60%, after the deductible, for
out-of-network treatment.
Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment
Eligible expenses for the first seven sessions of outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment will be paid at 80%, after the deductible. The first seven sessions of outpatient mental health treatment per calendar year do not require advance approval from the medical advisor. However, you must obtain advance approval from the medical advisor before the eighth session of outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment. If you do not obtain approval from the medical advisor, the plan will only cover up to seven sessions per calendar year.
The maximum covered expense is $100 for each session. For example, if your bill for one session of treatment is $200, the most the plan will pay is 80% of $100, or $80. The maximum covered expense is $5,000 a year for each individual.
Benefits are only paid for a primary DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition) diagnosis or a diagnosis under a subsequent revision of the manual.
Inpatient Speech Therapy
Inpatient treatment by a qualified speech therapist to restore speech loss resulting from an injury or illness is covered at 90%, after the deductible, if you or your dependent use a PPO Hospital. If you do not use a network provider, benefits will be paid at 70%.
Outpatient Speech Therapy
Outpatient speech therapy by a qualified speech therapist to restore speech loss resulting from an injury or illness is covered at 90%, after the deductible has been met if you or your dependent use a network provider. If you do not use a network provider, benefits will be paid at 70%.
Speech Therapy to acquire function or to maintain a level of functioning for a covered person who has not previously reached the level of intellectual, speech, motor or physical development normally expected for the covered person's age is not covered.
Outpatient speech therapy will only be covered if it restores function previously present in a person who had fully developed skills that were lost due to an injury or an illness. For restoration of function only, up to ten (10) sessions in a calendar year are covered without prior approval from the Medical Advisor program if they are medically necessary as determined by the plan administrator.
Sessions in excess of ten must be approved by the medical advisor program in advance. If prior approval is not obtained, the sessions will not be covered.
If You Don't Call - If you or someone else on your behalf doesn't contact the medical advisor, the plan will not pay benefits beyond the first ten sessions for outpatient speech therapy. However, calling is not a guarantee of benefit payment.
Inpatient Occupational Therapy
Inpatient occupational therapy is covered at 90% after the deductible, if you or your dependent use a PPO Hospital. If you do not use a network provider, benefits will be paid at 70%.
Outpatient Occupational Therapy
Outpatient occupational therapy is covered at 90%, after the deductible has been met, if you or your dependent use a network provider. If you do not use a network provider, benefits will be paid at 70%.
Occupational Therapy to acquire function or to maintain a level of functioning for a covered person who has not previously reached the level of intellectual, speech, motor or physical development normally expected for the covered person's age is not covered.
Outpatient occupational therapy will only be covered if it restores function previously present in a person who had fully developed skills that were lost due to an injury or an illness. For restoration of function only, up to ten (10) sessions in a calendar year are covered without prior approval from the Medical Advisor program if they are medically necessary as determined by the plan administrator. Sessions in excess of ten must be approved by the medical advisor program in advance. If prior approval is not obtained, the sessions will not be covered.
If You Don't Call - If you or someone else on your behalf doesn't contact the medical advisor, the plan will not pay benefits beyond the first ten sessions for outpatient occupational therapy. However, calling is not a guarantee of benefit payments.
Physical Therapy
Outpatient and inpatient physical therapy provided by a licensed qualified physical therapist to restore loss of function resulting from an injury or an illness is covered at 90%, after the deductible has been met if you or your dependent use a network provider. If you do not use a network provider, benefits will be paid at 70%.
Cardiac Rehabilitation Services
Benefits will be provided for cardiac rehabilitation services only in programs approved by the claim administrator, when these services are rendered to you within a six month period following an eligible Inpatient Hospital admission for either myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.
Prosthetic appliances, such as artificial limbs, eyes or other medically necessary prosthetic devices, are covered at 90%, after the deductible is met.
Certain replacement prosthetics are not covered. However, the plan will cover certain medically necessary prosthetic replacements inserted in the inner body, such as knee, hip, elbow and ankle replacements, heart valves and pacemakers, and penile implants.
Replacement of external prosthetic appliances is not covered unless the replacement is necessary due to physiological changes and only if the expense is incurred by a dependent child up to age 19, or age 22 if a full-time student.
Preferred Drug List
The prescription drug program includes a list of preferred drugs, which are referred to as formulary. Drugs not on the preferred drug list are referred to as non-formulary. You will pay a higher co-payment if your prescription is filled with a drug that is not on the preferred drug list. You will also pay more if you buy a brand-name drug when it is available in generic form.
Participating Pharmacy
The plan pays a higher benefit for drugs you purchase at a participating pharmacy rather than at a non-participating pharmacy. A participating pharmacy is one that accepts your prescription drug program card.
When you obtain prescriptions from a participating pharmacy, your quantity is limited for each prescription to a 34-day supply or 100 units (whichever is less).
For generic drugs your cost will be:
effective 1/1/01 $8 co-pay for each
prescription
effective 1/1/02 $9 co-pay for each
prescription
effective 1/1/03 $10 co-pay for each
prescription
For Preferred Drug List (formulary) drugs your cost will be:
effective 1/1/01
- $20 co-pay for each prescription for brand-name drugs
- $8 co-pay for each prescription plus the cost difference between the brand name and generic drug if you choose to purchase a brand-name drug when there is a generic equivalent available.
effective 1/1/02
- $20 for each prescription for brand-name drugs
- $9 for each prescription plus the cost difference between the brand name and generic drug if you choose to purchase a brand-name drug when there is a generic equivalent available.
effective 1/1/03
- $20 for each prescription for brand-name drugs
- $10 for each prescription plus the cost difference between the brand name and generic drug if you choose to purchase a brand-name drug when there is a generic equivalent available.
For drugs not on the Preferred Drug List (non-formulary) your cost will be:
effective 1/1/01
- $33 co-pay for each prescription for brand-name drugs
- $8 co-pay for each prescription plus the cost difference between the brand name and generic drug if you choose to purchase a brand-name drug when there is a generic equivalent available.
effective 1/1/02
- $34 for each prescription for brand-name drugs
- $9 for each prescription plus the cost difference between the brand name and generic drug if you choose to purchase a brand-name drug when there is a generic equivalent available.
effective 1/1/03
- $35 for each prescription for brand-name drugs
- $10 for each prescription plus the cost difference between the brand name and generic drug if you choose to purchase a brand-name drug when there is a generic equivalent available.
Non-participating Pharmacy
If you obtain prescriptions from a non-participating pharmacy, benefits will be paid at:
60%, after the medical
plan deductible, of the cost for generic drugs and for
brand-name drugs when a generic equivalent is not available,
and
60%, after the medical
plan deductible, of the generic drug cost if you get a
brand-name drug that has a generic equivalent available.
Emergency Prescriptions
If you are traveling away from home and need an emergency prescription, the plan will reimburse the prescription cost at:
90%, after the medical
plan deductible, for generic drugs and for brand-name drugs
when no generic drug is available, and
90%, after the medical
plan deductible, of the generic drug cost if you get a
brand-name drug that has a generic equivalent.
Mail Order Drugs
If you take certain maintenance prescription drugs on an ongoing basis, you may be able to save money by ordering them through the mail. Maintenance drugs are used to treat chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
If you use the mail order feature of the plan, your co-payment for each prescription for up to a 90-day supply will be:
For drugs on the preferred drug list your cost will be:
$5 per prescription for generic drugs
$15 per prescription for brand-name drugs
when a generic drug is not available, and
$5 per prescription plus
the cost difference between the brand-name and generic drug
if you choose to purchase a brand-name drug when there is a
generic equivalent available.
For drugs not on the preferred drug list your cost will be:
$10 per prescription for generic drugs
$20 per prescription for brand-name drugs
when a generic drug is not available,
and $10 per prescription
plus the cost difference between the
brand-name and generic drug if you choose to purchase a
brand-name drug when there is a generic equivalent available.
Prescription drugs that are needed immediately and for short term use are not covered by the mail order feature of the plan. Penicillin, or other antibiotics for an infection, for example, should be obtained from your local network pharmacy, instead of through the mail.
Class 2 drugs (narcotics) are not available through the mail order program and may be obtained from your local network pharmacy. If you have any questions regarding your mail order prescription drugs, call the mail order prescription provider. See the Important Telephone Numbers and Web Sites section of this handbook for more provider information.
November 2002