Preventive Care Services Updates

  • General News
    Published July 8, 2019

    For all Premera plans, except Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement

    Getting an annual checkup is important for everyone. Routine exams can help spot health issues before they become serious and harder to treat. That's why Premera Blue Cross covers routine preventive medical care in full on all our plans.

    Updates to preventive services

    Premera regularly updates our preventive care services based on recommendations from medical and public health organizations and to maintain compliance with federal regulations of the Affordable Care Act.

    What’s changed?

    We’ve changed the language for cervical cancer screening:

    Old language New language
    Cervical cancer screening: Pap test Cervical cancer screening

    – Ages 21 to 65: Cytology (pap test) every 3 years

    – Ages 30 to 65 who want to lengthen the screening interval, Human papillomavirus (HPV) screening alone or in combination with cytology every 5 years

    Action you can take

    • Share an updated preventive services list with your clients.
    • Remind your clients that preventive benefits are paid in full when in-network providers are used. If they choose an out-of-network doctor, they may pay more.
    • Let your group clients know that they can find ready-to-share resources about preventive services on Premera’s employer resource center, B’link. Use the search feature in the top-right corner to look for Preventive care.
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