Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans in Minnesota

Original Medicare typically covers 80 percent of most medical expenses, but many needed benefits still have to be paid out of pocket. With your choice of Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans, you can choose additional benefits to help reduce your medical expenses. You are eligible for Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans if you have Part A and Part B Medicare coverage and live within the service area.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans offer Special Needs Plans (SNP) to people in several categories including:

• People living in institutions such as nursing homes or requiring in-home nursing care
• People who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid
• People with chronic disabling medical conditions such as End-Stage Renal Disease, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, dementia, chronic heart failure

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans are popular in Minnesota, but not all residents are now eligible. Medicare recipients in 21 counties can purchase Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans to meet their unique medical needs. The counties where Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans with prescription drug coverage are available are:

• Aitkin
• Carlton
• Cook
• Goodhue
• Itasca
• Kanabec
• Koochichin
• Lane
• Le Sueur
• McLeod
• Meeker
• Mille Lacs
• Pine
• Pipestone
• Rice
• Rock
• Sibley
• St. Louis
• Stevens
• Traverse
• Yellow Medicine

Compare the Three Levels of Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans

Blue Cross Platinum Blue (Cost) plans are available with three different levels of cost-sharing and coverage. The amount paid by each Platinum Blue plan is determined by the frequency of doctor and pharmacy visits. Another factor to consider when choosing the right Platinum Blue coverage is whether you would rather pay a higher monthly premium and less when you see the doctor or vice versa.

Each of these three Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans can be purchased as a medical-only plan or a Platinum Blue Rx plan with prescription drug benefits. The Platinum Blue Rx plan is a 2020 Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan and is a type of Health Maintenance Organization or HMO with a cost-reimbursement contract. Much like a fee for service plan, if you go to a provider out of network, the cost will be paid by Original Medicare if accepted by the provider.

Blue Cross Core Option

If you only go to the doctor or pharmacy occasionally, the Platinum Blue CORE OPTION might be a good choice. With this option, you will be eligible for a lower premium with somewhat higher out-of-pocket costs at the time of service.

Blue Cross Choice Option

The Platinum Blue CHOICE OPTION is designed for those who are uncertain of how often they will go to the doctor or pharmacy. This option is set up so that you will have a balance between the amount of the monthly premium and the amount you pay at the doctor’s office or pharmacy.

Blue Cross Complete Option

The Platinum Blue COMPLETE OPTION is good for Medicare recipients who need more coverage because they go to the doctor and pharmacy often. It has an advantage over some other health plans because it involves a higher monthly premium with lower costs when getting care or purchasing prescriptions.

All of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans are served by more than 60,000 network pharmacies. These include:

• CVS
• Target
• Hy-Vee
• Walmart
• Sams Pharmacy
• Fairview
• Thrifty White Drug
• Walgreens
• Cub

Overview of What Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans in Minnesota Cover

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans in Minnesota can be purchased from an insurance company or added to Original Medicare. When Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans are added to Medicare Part A and Part B Coverage, they are designed to cover things that Original Medicare does not cover.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans in Minnesota offer additional coverage for quality medical care. Additional benefits include:

• Nurse Line: Access a registered nurse 24/7 for answers to questions and medical guidance
• Online Care: Telehealth providers let you see a doctor on your tablet, smartphone, or computer
• Eyewear Allowance: Eyewear benefits help pay for eyeglasses or contact lenses
• Coverage allowance for hearing screening
• Coverage for high-quality hearing aids at a greatly reduced price
• Quarterly allowance for purchasing over-the-counter medications
• Personally designed plan for quitting tobacco and vaping with on-going guidance from a wellness coach

People who travel extensively may choose a Platinum Blue plan among the many Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans. Blue Cross Platinum Blue and Platinum Blue with Rx plans allow up to nine consecutive months of travel within the United States with coverage available when seeing a physician that accepts Medicare assignment. Emergency Room care is covered anywhere, but some cost-sharing may be involved.

Another popular benefit included in most Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans is the Silver Sneakers exercise program. This program gives seniors a great way to stay active and maintain optimum health with access to over 15,000 fitness locations and more than 50 fitness classes. Online exercise classes are available on-demand through Platinum Blue along with live-streaming of classes and workshops.

Medicare beneficiaries choosing Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans in Minnesota may be eligible for expanded acupuncture benefits. Ask your insurance agent for more information if you are interested.

Minnesota Enrollment Statistics for Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Cost Plans

Over one million people are currently enrolled in Medicare in Minnesota. Almost half of these beneficiaries carry private Medicare insurance coverage including Medicare Cost Plans and Medicare Advantage Plans.

Approximately 320,000 residents of Minnesota had to enroll in different medicare plans for 2019 because Medicare Cost plans in all but 21 counties ended on December 31, 2018.

As of September 2020, statistics show that 1,049,144 residents of Minnesota were enrolled in Medicare plans. This number represents 18 percent of the population of the state of Minnesota.

Almost 49% of all enrollees in Minnesota Medicare had private Medicare plans as of September 2020. The term private Medicare plans here means beneficiaries who are enrolled in a private plan to replace Original Medicare and not merely supplement it. This does not include those with a Medigap plan or stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan.

Because there is no limit on costs paid out of pocket with Original Medicare, most Medicare beneficiaries purchase some kind of supplemental coverage as offered in Medicare Supplement plans. As of 2018, 118,594 people in Minnesota had Medigap coverage.

Original Medicare does not include a prescription drug plan, so many enrollees choose a stand-alone prescription drug insurance plan or a Medicare Advantage plan that incorporates prescription drug coverage. As of September 2020, 383,251 Minnesota residents had stand-alone prescription drug coverage. An additional 442,155 enrollees had a Part D prescription drug plan as part of their Part C Medicare Advantage Plan coverage.

Medicare Cost Plans & Prescription Drug Medicine

More than 50 percent of people on Original Medicare in the United States have a prescription drug plan with their employer, former employer, or spouse’s employer or are enrolled in Medicaid that includes Part D prescription drug benefits.

Before 2006, some Medigap plans included a prescription drug benefit, but this was terminated when Part D Medicare was introduced. The Medicare Modernization Act was passed by Congress in 2003 and signed into law by President George W. Bush.

Medicare recipients who enrolled in Medicare in 2006 or later and do not have an employer-based prescription drug benefit plan or Medicaid must enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan to help cover prescription drug costs.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans in Minnesota in 2021 include 28 stand-alone Part D plans. The monthly premiums vary with some being as low as $7 and some as high as $105.

October 15 to December 7 is the yearly Open Enrollment Period (OEP) for Medicare Part D, the same as for Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C). Medicare recipients can change their Part D prescription drug plan during this time and the new coverage will begin on January 1 of the following year.

Network Restrictions for a Medicare Cost Plan

When considering which of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans is right for you, be sure to consider network restrictions before enrolling. Check to be sure your preferred provider is in-network. Ask your insurance agent or provider network about the rules for travel in the United States. Do your research or ask your Medicare agent if your preferred pharmacy is in-network. Check out any specific prescription drugs you need to have covered.

When traveling, if you have a Platinum Blue insurance plan, you will be able to see any doctor who accepts Medicare assignment. If you are in another kind of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicare plan, you can still see an out-of-network provider or access an out-of-network pharmacy, but your out-of-pocket costs may be more.

Compare Other Medicare Supplemental Insurance Policies

A Medicare Supplement plan is a good choice for you if you want medical-only coverage. This plan will help cover health costs not covered by Original Medicare.

With a Supplement plan, you can keep the same health insurance if you relocate to another state. Your benefits are guaranteed renewable as long as you pay all your premiums. This usually includes continuing to pay your Part B monthly premium. You will have coverage while traveling anytime, anywhere in the United States.

If you need prescription drug coverage with your supplement plan, you can enroll in a stand-alone prescription drug plan. Ideally, you should enroll in both at the same time. The best time to enroll is at your initial enrollment into Medicare Part B.

Most Medicare Supplement plans are Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO). PPO plans give enrollees the flexibility to see any doctor they choose, but they might incur more out of pocket costs.

Additional Resources

For more information about Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Cost Plans, go to:

https://www.bluecrossmn.com/shop-plans/medicare-plans/medicare-cost-plans

*Please note, we are not Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance company. This is simply a review.