Independence Blue Cross offers innovative and flexible choices for individuals

Customers have three more affordable plan options to fit their specific needs

Philadelphia, PA — August 15, 2012 — Independence Blue Cross (IBC) is pleased to announce the introduction of three new competitively priced health plans for individuals and families. Customers in southeastern Pennsylvania may now select from a total of 16 different individual plan options to meet almost any need and budget.

“Independence Blue Cross is leading the market by offering more choices, increased flexibility, and greater affordability,” said Brett Mayfield, IBC vice president of sales. “We are committed to building and refining our plans to meet the changing needs of our members, and to bringing health insurance within reach of many more consumers. These new plans include low monthly premiums and lower out-of-pocket costs for competitive coverage.”

Mayfield said the new health plans are available for sale now through brokers and directly from IBC through ibx4you.com and rates for the new plans are based on factors such as an individual’s age and health history. The three new plan options include:

• The Personal Choice® PPO 1500 and 2500 Advantage Deductible plans. These two new Advantage Deductible plan options are additions to the eight existing deductible and health savings account plans available for individuals and families. The new plans offer affordable monthly payments with $1,500 and $2,500 annual deductibles. These options are competitively priced compared to other individual PPO plans available in our region, and have advantages such as richer inpatient hospital benefits, coverage for six doctor visits annually, and a generic-only prescription drug benefit with lower copays.

• The Keystone Health Plan East HMO 50 Copay plan. This new plan option is an addition to the existing five copay plans which are designed for consumers who are looking for predictable costs with fixed copays for health care services. This plan offers a lower monthly premium in exchange for a $50 copay when visiting a primary care physician and higher copays for covered services such as doctor visits, hospital stays, and non-generic prescription drugs.

“Our two new PPO plans offer piece of mind to customers who want to know they’ve got quality coverage, without a high monthly premium. As another option, our new HMO 50 Copay plan offers customers the lowest monthly premiums of any of our individual HMO copay plans,” explained Mayfield. “Brokers now have more affordable plan options available to help meet the specific needs of each individual customer.”

“Independence Blue Cross continues to step-up to meet the demands of the ever changing health insurance marketplace,” said Sal DiNardo, principal and founder of Custom Benefit Plans, Inc., an insurance brokerage company based in Willow Grove, PA. “IBC's new PPO advantage plans and HMO 50 Copay plan offer consumers an extremely low price point without compromising benefits. Offering plans with a $10.00 generic-only copay and coverage for six doctor visits annually, are just what our brokers are looking for to better serve their clients’ needs.” 

Over the past several years, IBC has been building and refining its health plan portfolio to compete with all the options individuals and families have available in the five-county southeastern Pennsylvania market. IBC’s suite of medically underwritten PPO and HMO plans allows individuals and self-employed consumers access to a comparable level of benefits and services that have historically been available to group members. These plans also offer faster underwriting turnaround time of one to three days for many of the applications.

IBC’s suite of individual products also offers a wide range of covered health care services and the popular value-added Healthy LifestylesSM incentive programs that include reimbursements of up to $150 per year for fitness club fees, $200 for approved smoking cessation programs, and $200 for approved weight-loss programs — features that help members strive for optimal wellness, making the most of their health benefits.

IBC’s individual plans also offer coverage for preventive care, X-ray and laboratory services, 24/7 access to a Health Coach, and prescription drug benefits including a money-saving mail order option. Health Coaches provide support for everyday or more serious health concerns and can provide education when consumers are facing medical decisions or deciding among treatment options.

About Independence Blue Cross

Independence Blue Cross is a leading health insurer in southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, Independence Blue Cross and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.1 million people. For nearly 75 years, Independence Blue Cross has offered high-quality health care coverage tailored to meet the changing needs of members, employers, and health care professionals. Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit us at ibx.com. Fan us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter@ibx.

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Contact: 
Laura M. Hanes
215-241-2736
Laura.Hanes@ibx.com

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