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EDUCATION & SERVICES HEALTH & WELLNESS TOOLS & RESOURCES

Consumer-Directed Health Care

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To successfully launch a consumer-directed health plan, you need to communicate with your employees early and often.

This is because these plans work to engage members on the financial aspects of their plan and provide clear incentives for members to make smart health care decisions. Your employees decide when and how to use their health care dollars, which motivates them to become more informed health care consumers.

Consumer-Directed Health Plans typically include a high deductible health plan and one or more financial accounts—Health Savings Account (HSA), Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), and a Flexible Spending Account (FSA).

To simplify the task of educating your employees about their health plan and spending accounts, you can access the communication tools below.

Engage Your Employees

Our online support resources encourage your employees to take control of their own health care by providing members with the personalized information they need to better understand their health plan and financial account.

  • The Personalized Bluecrossma.com — Member Central gives members online access to their personal health care information, including deductible and claim status, links to financial account balances, and much more. At Member Central, its all in one place.

  • My Blue Community is a health-focused social networking experience that brings you together with other Blue Cross Blue Shield members from across the country in one convenient location. Whether you're looking for fitness and nutrition tips, seeking support on different diseases and conditions, or exploring personal health, My Blue Community is your new online destination for social health and wellness.

  • Six Tips for Getting the Most Value from Your Plan This downloadable guide provides six practical steps member can take to begin using their plans more effectively.

Cost and Quality Tools

  • Search medications — medication copayment levels and lists of covered medications. Also provides generic alternatives to most brand-name prescriptions.

  • Medical Cost Comparison Guide for PPO Members — Helps employees compare the cost of the care at various facilities in their area and make more effective decisions.
  • Typical Costs for Medical Services — When members have a financial responsibility, they need information on costs. This printable guide helps members begin to understand the costs of their care.

Educate Your Employees

Financial Accounts are a core piece of account-based health plans. These accounts financially engage employees as they make decisions about their health care and how to spend their health care dollars. Employees can use their financial accounts to offset costs and plan for future health care needs.

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

  • Similar to a 401k, an HSA can be funded by both you and the employee. Employees own the accounts and funds can be saved and invested for future years.

  • Federal rules restrict plan design options.

Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs)

  • Funds are owned by and contributed by you. You set rollover and usage guidelines. You also have cash flow flexibility when funding the accounts.

  • Flexible plan design options.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

  • Can be funded by the you and/or employee and offer employees a pre-tax benefit for health care, related transportation, or dependent care expenses. Funds must be used by year-end and employees can't take funds with them when they leave the company.

  • Can be combined with an HRA and, in limited cases, with an HSA.

  • Can be offered with any plan design, including non-deductible plans.

Your employees can learn more about the financial account you're offering by visiting our Plan Education Center.

Medical Plan Educational Materials

These two-page documents help answer your employees' questions about how the deductible works and what services are subject to the deductible.

Plans That Can Be Combined with a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA):

Plans that can be combined with a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a Health Arrangement Account (HRA):

HSA Educational Materials

Health Savings Account Launch Plan
If you are offering an Health Savings Account (HSA), a good place to start is with the HSA Launch Plan. It provides a step-by-step approach to explaining this plan and its offerings, as well as resources for successful use.

You can customize this plan to match your company's timeline and communications needs.

Our PDF HSA overview provides members with advantages of enrolling in an HSA as well as important IRS regulations.

Our Vendor Partners have educational materials and resources you can use to educate your employees on their financial accounts*.

HealthEquity (HSA, HRA, and FSA):

Wells Fargo (HSA):

* If you use Benefit Strategies, Choice Strategies, HR Concepts, or TASC as your financial account administrator, please contact them directly for more information on their educational materials.

HRA Educational Materials

Health Reimbursement Account Launch Plan
If you are offering an Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), a good place to start is with the HRA Launch Plan. It provides a step-by-step approach to explaining this plan and its offerings, as well as resources for successful use.

You can customize this plan to match your company's timeline and communications needs.

Consumer Directed Health Plans with the Hospital Choice Cost Sharing Feature

If you are offering a Consumer Directed Health plan with the Hospital Choice Cost Sharing Feature, we have educational tools explaining this feature and its offerings, as well as resources for successful use.