General News
Published March 11, 2019
To help members make informed decisions when selecting providers, encourage your Premera Blue Cross clients to estimate their treatment costs with Find a Doctor.
Why should members estimate their treatment costs?
The cost for the same healthcare service can vary greatly between providers. That's the reason it's important members use Find a Doctor to compare prices of medical services in their plan's provider network. With this tool, Premera members can quickly research their healthcare costs in advance and take action to lower their out-of-pocket expenses.
How does it work?
To start estimating treatment costs, members should follow these steps:
- Sign in to their member account at premera.com. When signed in to their account, members get tailor-made cost estimates based on their plan's current bills and deductibles.
- Select Compare treatment costs under the Estimate Treatment Costs section, or choose Find a Doctor in the top navigation to search for services and procedures with doctors and hospitals near them.
- Click Explore and select Medical procedure costs and choose from a wide variety of procedures such as tests and screenings, physical rehabilitation, CT scan, or surgical procedures to compare costs.
What about the All-Payer Claims Database for Washington State?
You may have heard of Washington State’s All-Payer Claims Database. It gives the public access to accurate cost predictions for a selection of health care procedures by combining the actual costs from more than 55 health insurance companies. The database can be a good starting point, but keep in mind that actual costs may be different based on your client’s coverage.
Premera recommends members use Find a Doctor to estimate and compare treatment costs and to determine if a provider is covered under their health plan. When members research a service or procedure, they’ll get a list of in-network providers in their area. They'll also get estimated costs they can expect to pay based on their plan’s coverage and the amount remaining to meet their deductible.
Resources
For your group clients, share the Understand your benefits and costs resources on B’link, Premera’s link to resources that make benefits simple for employers and their employees.