BlueNet℠ is your online Blue Cross Blue Shield member account. When you register for and log into your BlueNet℠ member account at www.azblue.com/member, you’ll be able to:

• find a BCBSAZ doctor or hospital within your plan’s network
• view claim information
• access HealthyBlue health and wellness resources that can help you live a healthier lifestyle
• track how much you’ve paid toward your deductible and yearly out-of-pocket maximum
• look up information (including cost) on a drug your doctor has ordered
• determine the healthcare services your plan covers
• order replacement ID cards, or print a temporary card

Not registered for BlueNet℠? Follow the instructions below:

1. Go to www.azblue.com/member.
2. Under Register for BlueNet℠, click “Member.”
3. Enter the required registration information, then choose a login ID, a password, and a back-up security question.
4. Review the terms and conditions of the website, and mark the checkbox stating that you have read and agree to the Online Services Terms of Use, then click “Submit.”
5. You should receive a confirmation page indicating that you are registered for BlueNet℠ online services. You may now select “Login to BlueNet℠” and explore all of the services available to you.

Should you need assistance during the registration process, please contact the Blue Cross Blue Shield eSolutions staff at (602) 864-4844 or (800) 650-5656, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

You can request a replacement medical ID card through the Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueNet℠ member portal by logging in at www.azblue.com/member. You can also print a temporary card once you log in.

Not registered for BlueNet℠? Follow the instructions below:

1. Go to www.azblue.com/member.
2. Under Register for BlueNet℠, click “Member.”
3. Enter the required registration information, then choose a login ID, a password, and a back-up security question.
4. Review the terms and conditions of the website, and mark the checkbox stating that you have read and agree to the Online Services Terms of Use, then click “Submit.”
5. You should receive a confirmation page indicating that you are registered for BlueNet℠ online services. You may now select “Login to BlueNet℠” and explore all of the services available to you, including online access to an ID card.

Should you need assistance during the registration process, please contact the Blue Cross Blue Shield eSolutions staff at (602) 864-4844 or (800) 650-5656, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

• Find a doctor, hospital, or facility at www.azblue.com.
• Either log into your online BlueNet℠ account, or choose “Search a Network” without logging in.
• Narrow your search by ZIP code, city, county, or provider specialty.

Should you need assistance with your search, please contact your Blue Cross Blue Shield member service representative at (844) 817-4115.

• Preventive care: Preventive care services are covered at NO COST TO YOU when you receive them from an in-network professional. These include items such as periodic well visits, routine immunizations, and certain health screenings.
• Blue 365™: Use Blue365™ to get discounts on health and wellness services, including fitness, nutrition, vision, hearing, alternative medicine, and more.
• Health coaching: Participate in online or telephonic coaching for help with healthy habits. Your coach can help you set goals and make progress on such issues as weight loss, nutrition, stress, smoking, and low energy levels.

Looking for more? Check out www.azblue.com/healthcareprofessionals/live-healthy, or call toll free at (877) 694-2583

• An HSA is an account into which you may set aside pre-tax dollars, via payroll deduction, for current and future healthcare expenses.
• An HSA is available to you only if you have chosen a high deductible health plan.
• Funds in your HSA roll over year after year; there’s no “use them or lose them” provision.
• You have easy access to your funds through a debit card.
• Maximum HSA contributions for 2018 are $3,450 for single coverage, $6,900 for family coverage, and an extra $1,000 per year as a catch-up contribution for ages 55+.
• To participate in an HSA, you must be covered ONLY by an HSA-qualified health plan; other health coverage (including Medicare, a traditional health plan, Tricare, AHCCCS) may disqualify you. You also may not be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return.
• Each year, you must complete a new HSA election form.

• An FSA is a medical expense reimbursement account into which you may set aside pre-tax dollars, via payroll deduction, for current and future healthcare expenses.
• An FSA is available to you only if you have chosen a high deductible health plan.
• You may deposit between $500 and $2,650 into your FSA annually.
• If you do not spend all of the dollars in your account each year, any unspent funds are forfeited.
• If you are also enrolled in an HSA plan, you may use your limited FSA for dental/vision expenses only.
• Dependent care FSAs are available for qualified dependent expenses. You may contribute between $500 and $5,000 to these accounts each year.
• You have access to your FSA funds through a debit card.
• Each year, you must complete a new FSA election form.

• Standard services include six face-to-face counseling visits per issue. (Per regulatory requirements, additional visits are included for first responders.)
• Visits are confidential, and can be used to address issues related to stress, marriage, children, substance abuse, work concerns, grief and loss, and minor depression.
• Additional resources and referrals are available, including:
  • online access to materials related to adoption, parent and elder care, and child care;
  • free telephonic consultation with a financial adviser (bankruptcy, credit, estate planning); and
  • a free 30-minute consultation on limited legal issues (family/divorce, living wills, real estate).
• The EAP is available to all employees and immediate family members.
• The benefit is 100% employer-paid.

You may contact EAP Preferred at (800) 327-3517, or www.eappreferred.com

Benefit plans are administered on a policy year basis—from July 1 through June 30 of each year.

This means that the plan elections you make during annual open enrollment are effective from July 1 through the following June 30. Because some of the benefits you elect are offered on a pre-tax basis, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not allow changes to these benefit elections outside of the annual open enrollment period. There are exceptions, though, in the case of what’s known as a “qualified mid-year change in status event,” or simply, “qualifying event.” These include changes such as:

• a marriage, divorce, legal separation, or annulment;
• the birth, adoption, placement for adoption, or legal guardianship of a child;
• a change in your spouse’s employment, or involuntary loss of health coverage under another employer’s plan;
• loss of coverage due to the exhaustion of another employer’s COBRA benefits, provided that you were paying premiums on a timely basis;
• the death of a dependent;
• cessation of your dependent child’s qualification as an eligible dependent;
• a change in your or your spouse’s position or work schedule that impacts eligibility for health coverage;
• cessation of employer contributions for benefits (this is true even if you or your eligible dependent continue to receive coverage under the prior plan, and continue to pay the amounts previously paid by the employer);
• geographic change, such that you or your eligible dependent who was enrolled in an HMO no longer live or work in that HMO’s service area, and no other benefit option is available to you or your eligible dependent;
• cessation of plan benefits for a class of individuals that includes you or your eligible dependent(s);
• termination of your or your dependent’s Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage as a result of loss of eligibility (you must contact your Human Resources Department within 60 days of termination);
• your or your dependent’s becoming ineligible for a premium assistance subsidy under Medicaid or CHIP (you must contact your Human Resources Department within 60 days of determination of subsidy eligibility); and
• a court or administrative order.

• Use Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO providers.
• Take advantage of the 24-hour Nurse on Call and telehealth programs.
• Use the most appropriate facility for treatment of your condition.
• Compare costs for the most common procedures.
• Choose providers based on alternative procedures or treatments that may lower your out-of-pocket costs.
• Research prescription costs by drug and/or pharmacy.
• Find generic drug alternatives (if applicable).
• Compare the cost of retail and mail order prescriptions.

Visit www.azblue.com/member to utilize the provider and prescription cost comparison tools mentioned above, and for additional ways to save on your healthcare expenses.

The following tips can help reduce the amount of money you pay for prescriptions:

• Generic medications are a less expensive option than brand name drugs. Before you fill a prescription, ask your doctor if you can substitute a generic drug for a brand medication.
• Pill splitting can help save money without sacrificing drug effectiveness or safety. Some tablets are available at double the dose and at the same or nearly the same cost as lower doses. By splitting the larger doses, you can essentially get two doses for the price of one. There are limitations, however, on the types of pills you can split. Time-release medications and medications in capsule form, for example, cannot be split. Ask your doctor and pharmacist if your medication is available in larger doses, and if it can be split to help save you money.
• Buy a 90-day supply of medication. You can save money on copays by getting a larger supply of your medications. Ask your doctor for a 90-day prescription for any maintenance medication (for treatment of blood pressure, arthritis, or diabetes, for example), then purchase at your local retailer or take advantage of the mail order (home delivery) program. (Note: You will need a new prescription to start home delivery.)
• Ask your doctor for samples. Doctors may receive free samples from pharmaceutical sales representatives. Don’t be afraid to ask if samples are available when you start taking a new medication. Samples allow you to try the new medication to see if it works before you fill an ongoing prescription.
• Shop around for your medications. As with everything else you buy, medication prices may vary depending on where they are purchased. Call around to different pharmacies, or go online to check prices through prescription cost comparison tools. And don’t forget warehouse stores, which can sometimes offer better prices than traditional retail pharmacies.
• Ask your doctor if there is an over-the-counter alternative to your prescription. Remember that over-the-counter medications usually come in lower strengths; therefore, you should ask your doctor about appropriate dosing.