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Frequently Asked Questions 1 2 | |
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Pharmacy How much can members save using this benefit? Prices will always vary on prescription drugs and therefore it is impossible to estimate specific dollar savings through any non-insured drug program. The membership offers two avenues for drug purchases: The Neighborhood Pharmacy program offers 15-55% discounts on acute care medications and the Mail Order Pharmacy guarantees an average of 10% off AARP's prices. Should a member receive a price quote from a retail location in the United States for less than our mail order pharmacy quote, we will beat it by a minimum of $5.00 on brand name and generic medications priced at $10.00 or more with no postage or dispensing fees added. Savings cannot be used in conjunction with other discount or insurance cards. Will members receive a discount on every Neighborhood Pharmacy drug when utilizing the pharmacy benefit? Not necessarily. Drug stores, like hardware and grocery stores determine their own pricing structures. Due to large discounts from manufacturers, some drugs may already be priced at or below the PBM's discount price. However, as a general rule, members can expect that 80% to 90% of the required, acute-care prescription needs will be discounted below the stores usual retail price. The PBM network pharmacies have agreed to sell prescription drugs at the contract price, or their "usual retail price" whichever is lower. Are there any instances where a member may not receive any savings? Local pharmacies are specifically designed to save members money on acute care medication. Most pharmacies use long-term, maintenance medications as "loss leaders" and price these drugs at or below cost. They do this so that their customers will assume that all their prices are low. It's a marketing strategy. The pharmacy realizes that for long-term medications, the consumer will shop around in order to get the best price for a medication that they may be taking for the rest of their life. They are led to believe that this pharmacy has low prices on all their prescription drugs and other items. Our pharmacy program has contracted with independent and chain pharmacies nationwide to offer a discounted price that will normally save you 10% to 50% on short term medications. However, in order to draw customers, many pharmacies opt to price their prescriptions lower than the contracted price. In this case, the member will receive the lower of the two prices. Normally, they use high profile maintenance drugs for these "loss leader" price reductions such as Prozac, Zantac, and Premarin. In order to guarantee members a savings, we established a mail order pharmacy program which absolutely, positively guarantees to beat any verifiable retail price by a minimum of $5.00 with no dispensing or postage fees added provided the brand or generic price exceeds $10.00. What if the pharmacist is not familiar with the benefit? When visiting a participating pharmacy, the member must show their membership card to receive the savings. The pharmacist will identify the program when they see the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Information on the card. Is this a co-pay insurance card? No. A co-pay card is an insured product where the customer pays a preset amount and the insurance company pays the remainder. This membership is a discount card offering reduced prices. Members are responsible to pay the pharmacy 100% of the discounted price. A member calls the Mail Order Pharmacy to get a price quote on a maintenance drug and it exceeds the price they previously paid for at an old pharmacy. What should they do? If the Mail Order Pharmacy quote does not beat the price the member is currently paying by at least $5.00, the operator will verify the price being charged at the local pharmacy and beat it by $5.00. This outstanding price guarantee is effective for all brand or generic drugs priced over $10.00. back to top Chiropractic What is UHS Chiropractic? UHS Chiropractic provides services at discounted rates from a choice of over 3,000 participating Doctors of Chiropractic. How much can members expect to save? Members will receive a free initial consultation, as well as 50% savings on diagnostic procedures and x-rays, and 30% savings on treatments and most other services. Who needs chiropractic care? Everyone can benefit from modern, safe, effective, and painless chiropractic care. How does this benefit work? Members should call the toll-free number located on the membership card Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm CST and Saturday between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm CST to locate a provider. When calling to schedule an appointment, the member should identify his/herself as a member of the UHS Chiropractic plan. To receive the discount the member must present the membership card and pay the total bill at the time of service. Can a member nominate a chiropractor to become a participating provider for this program? Yes. To nominate a chiropractor for the UHS Chiropractic program, just call the toll-free number located on the membership card and we will contact him/her about becoming a provider. Is there a consultation fee? The initial consultation is free! Can this discount be combined with insurance? Yes. After the member pays the discounted amount at the point of service, he/she may then file the claim with the insurance company. back to top Alternative Medicine What is Alternative Medicine? Alternative Medicine includes any of the various systems of healing or treating disease (such as acupunture, homeopathy, or herbal medicine) not included in the traditional medical curricula taught in the U.S. Why is Alternative Medicine needed? More and more patients are finding that alternative medicine has a great deal to offer, especially for treating chronic conditions with which Western Medicine has little success. The vast majority of patients, however, do not see conventional and unconventional therapies as an either/or proposition. Rather, they seek to make informed, personal choices about how to integrate both. What kind of problems does Alternative Medicine deal with? Alternative Medicine has been used to treat a vast array of both physical and emotional ailments, from back problems, anxiety, headaches, and chronic pain to cancer or tumors. How much can members expect to save? The exact amount a member will save depends upon the provider selected. Most providers guarantee discounts from 10% to 30%. After a provider is selected, it is recommended that the member call the provider's office to learn what level of discount is offered. Is there a limited number of times the Alternative Medicine benefit may be used? No. Members and their legal dependents may use this benefit as frequently as they wish. Can members go to any Alternative Medicine Provider to receive a discount? To receive a discount on services, members must go to a participating provider. To locate a participating provider, the member should call the toll-free number located on the membership card and speak with a member services representative. Is there someone who can answer questions about the Alternative Medicine discount benefit? Yes. Simply call the toll-free number on the back of your membership card. Member Services Representatives are standing by to answer any questions. back to top Hearing What is the hearing care benefit? Members are eligible to receive discounts up to 15% on name brand hearing aids through retail locations. Members call the toll-free number to speak with a representative who will answer questions about hearing loss, hearing aids, pricing/payment options and arrange a hearing test appointment at the closest hearing provider. Members utilizing this program may also receive a free two year repair warranty on hearing aids, as well as a free one year supply of batteries and a 5% discount on future purchases of cartons of batteries. Furthermore through Beltone, members receive a 15% discount and a free hearing test at over 1,200 Beltone locations throughout the US and Puerto Rico. In addition, a mail order program that offers discounts up to 60% on most brands is available in all states. Can family members utilize this benefit? Yes. This plan may be used by the member, their spouse, and legal dependants. Is the discount the same at all Beltone locations? Yes. All Beltone locations will offer a 15% discount and a free hearing test. Is there a selection of hearing aids from which to choose? Yes, most locations offer 15 different brands and over 90 models. Are there payment plans for hearing aid purchases? Yes, Hearing Planet offers 3 and 6 month same-as-cash, and financing up to 4 years at 12.96% with no early pay-off penalties. Approval is easy and takes just a few minutes over the phone. What states do not allow hearing aids to be bought through the mail? At this time Colorado, Missouri, and Texas restrict sales of mail order hearing aids. back to top VIP Health & Wellness What is the VIP Health & Wellness benefit? The VIP Health program provides members with vitamins and nutritional supplements at 10% off every product. Most major brands of vitamins and nutritional supplements are available through VIP Health. To participate in this program, simply call a toll-free number and request a catalog. Can members use this benefit in any retail location? No. The vitamin portion of the VIP Health program is strictly a mail order process. What are the advantages of using this program as opposed to shopping for vitamins at a local retailer? Members will have the convenience of toll-free ordering and the purchase will be quickly delivered to any location. Do members need to call each month to request a catalog? No. Once the member has placed a health supplement order, their name will be kept on the mailing list to receive new catalogs periodically for the next two years. Aside from vitamins, what other products are discounted? In addition to vitamins, members can take advantage of discounts on herbs, minerals, weight loss products, digestive aids, and much more. back to top Fitness Advantage What "rate" will members receive with this benefit? The Fitness Advantage benefit contracts with quality health and fitness clubs that vary greatly in size, amenities offered and facilities available. To this end, it is impossible to set one rate for every club. Participating health clubs will offer the member their "lowest membership rate, for the type of membership selected". Many clubs offer a variety of memberships (i.e. Aerobics Only, Fitness Room Only or a Full Facility Membership) therefore Fitness Advantage members receive the lowest rate for whichever membership they have selected. How does this benefit work? To take advantage of the benefit, members should: *Visit the member services website or call the toll-free number located on the back of the membership card to locate a participating facility. *Call the health club and speak with someone in the membership department. Schedule a time to tour the facility and utilize the one-week free membership certificate. Present the membership card at the time of the visit to receive the lowest membership rate. *Discuss what the lowest membership rate would be for the type of membership selected with the health club's membership department. How do members get the free certificates? Certificates are available online at the website address located in the membership kit. Members simply print the certificate and present it to the fitness facility to receive a one week free membership. If a member does not have access to the internet, call the toll-free number located on the back of the membership card and reference Fitness Advantage to receive the certificate by mail. Can members use this benefit in conjunction with their existing membership? The "lowest membership rate for the type of membership selected" may only be offered to new members joining a club. If a member already belongs to a facility and has a contract with a participating club, he/she should contact someone in the club membership office to see if the Fitness Advantage rate will apply. What if a member can't find a gym in their area? Visit the member services website to access the health club database or call the toll-free number located on the membership card to speak with a member service representative to locate a club. If the member is still unable to find a club in their area, he/she may nominate a health club to join the network. Simply fill out the "Refer a Club" form online, or call the customer service number and speak with a representative. What if a participating facility is listed as a provider but is unfamiliar with the program? The Fitness Advantage benefit works with over 7,000 health clubs worldwide. Health clubs have a large, ever-changing staff; therefore there will be an occasion when one club representative doesn't know about their club's participation. If this happens, speak with someone in the club membership department. If they are unclear as to their participation, please call the toll-free member service number located on the back of the membership card and speak with a representative. Can family members use this service? Fitness Advantage is extended to members and their immediate family. Immediate family members are defined by the individual club. What do the clubs have to do to belong to the Fitness Advantage Program? Fitness Advantage is a free and voluntary program for clubs to join. Every participating club signs a contract stating they will: *Offer their "lowest membership rate for the type of membership selected". *Offer a one week free trial membership (subject to space availability). *Abide by the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) and International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association's (IHRSA) Health and Safety standards. Does Fitness Advantage offer anything for members who are not ready to join a gym but would like to start exercising and taking better care of themselves? Yes. Fitness Advantage also offers home fitness equipment at a discounted rate. Visit the online store located on the website for a list and description of products offered. Members may also access information about each piece of equipment through the home fitness equipment order line. In addition, Fitness Advantage also offers members a self help program through the American Institute for Preventive Medicine (AIPM) and information about the Rockport Walking Test. back to top Hospitals Is this program insurance? No. This is not insurance, nor is it intended to replace insurance. This is a medical savings program that can save members money provided they are capable of making payment arrangements, in full, prior to receiving their services. Why do members have to pre-certify? To obtain savings through participating hospitals, the vendor must guarantee payment to the provider. In order to do this, the vendor must first secure payment from the member. Will the hospitals recognize the card? In most cases, hospitals will not recognize the name of a card because the vendor utilizes multiple networks to provide the best selection and savings available. For that reason, logos are not included on membership cards. Hospitals and facilities will be provided the proper billing information in the referral that is sent after the member has pre-certified. How much money can members save with this plan? Members will always save money; however, the savings will vary from provider to provider. Usual and customary savings can be up to 25% and more. In some cases, hospitals have agreed to package rates for certain procedures and savings up to 40% is possible. On in-patient hospital cases, the vendor will work with the member to provide potential savings figures so he/she can make educated decisions when selecting a hospital or facility. If the member is unable to pay the full bill, can they still obtain savings through this program? No. If a member is unable to guarantee payment of their medical bills up-front, they are denied a referral to a facility or hospital. Can members use this benefit in conjunction with health insurance? Yes, however, there is no coordination of benefits. What this means is, if the member chooses to use this program to save money on an insurance deductible, they must pay for services through the vendor and file the paid claim with their insurer. The member is sent a Statement of Savings showing how much they saved, along with the original bill from the provider. The member may file the paid claim with their insurer to satisfy part or all of their deductible. If a provider is requested to file a claim with their insurer, no savings will accrue to the member through the vendor. back to top Physicians How much of a savings will members receive? Every patient, doctor and savings will be different depending on the specific procedure. Normally, all of our savings reports indicate up to a 30% savings. Some procedures will be a 10% savings and others 45%. Can members nominate their family physician to participate in the plan? Yes. We can take the information over the phone or members may enter their family physician's information on our website and we will ask the physician to join the network on the members behalf. This process of credentialing new physicians takes approximately 4-6 weeks. Can members use this card in conjunction with regular insurance? The Physician Visit card will provide savings on a variety of different medical products; however, it is difficult to say if it will work with every insurance plan. The key is that it could help save the member money as they meet their specific deductible. The Physician Visit Card will discount procedures that the insurance plan might limit or not cover at all, for example, pre-existing conditions, cosmetic surgery procedures, alternative medicine and many other specialties. Can family members use this service? The products affiliated with the Physician Visit Network allow the entire immediate family to use one card at one low monthly or annual rate. Additional cards for the immediate family can be provided upon request at a minimal, additional fee. back to top |
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| THIS IS NOT INSURANCE, nor is it intended to replace insurance. Terms & Conditions | Copyright © 2003 - 2005 AllCara Inc. | |||