LAPRA offers you and your family four medical options:
All four plans provide coverage for preventive care, office visits, hospitalization, surgery and prescription drugs. The plans differ in co-payments, coinsurance, out-of-pocket costs, and provider choice. Plan highlights and monthly premiums may be found in your Enrollment Guide. Plan highlights and monthly premiums may be found in 2024/25 Benefits Guide for Retired Members and the 2024-25 Retiree Medical and Dental Premium Rates Booklet.
The Anthem PPO Plan is a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) that gives you the option to see any provider (participating providers or non-participating providers) whenever you need care. If saving health care dollars is important to you, you will want to stay in-network by using only PPO doctors and hospitals. The Prudent Buyer PPO network is the largest provider network in California.
PPO network providers are doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, labs, etc. that participate in the Anthem
Prudent Buyer PPO network and have agreed to provide services at pre-negotiated reduced rates. When you use PPO network providers, you receive the highest level of benefits at the lowest possible cost. You are not required to choose a primary care physician and you can see doctors and specialists within the network without a referral. PPO providers file all claims for you.
After a PPO network calendar year deductible of $350 per person, or $700 per family, the Plan pays 90% of most covered PPO network services and you pay 10%.
After a separate non-PPO network calendar year deductible of $750 per person, or
$1,500 per family, the Plan pays 70% of most covered services and you pay 30%. The out-of-pocket calendar year maximum for PPO network services is $2,000 per person
or $6,000 per family (not to exceed $2,000 for any one individual). A separate out-of-pocket calendar year maximum of $4,000 per person or $12,000 per family (not to exceed $4,000 for any one individual) applies for non-network services.
The out-of-pocket maximum includes deductibles and medical and prescription drug
co-pays, but excludes co-pays for infertility benefits.
IMPORTANT: When using a non-network provider under the Anthem PPO
Plan, benefits are based on the Anthem standard charge. You are responsible for
any difference between the amount charged and the maximum amount, plus any
deductible and/or cooinsurance amount.
Effective July 1, 2024
Benefit Feature | Anthem PPO |
|
---|---|---|
Providers | PPO Network |
Non-PPO Network1 |
Calendar Year Deductible | $350 per person, $700 per family |
$750 per person, $1,500 per family |
Calendar Year Out-of-Pocket Max (includes deductibles and medical co-pays; excludes co-pays for infertility benefits) | $2,000 per person $6,000 per family (not to exceed $2,000 for any one individual) |
$4,000 per person $12,000 per family (not to exceed $4,000 for any one individual) |
Lifetime Max | Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Office Visit | 90%3 |
70%3 |
Hospitalization | 90%3 |
70%3,4,5 |
Emergency Room | 90% after $150 co-pay per visit (waived if admitted) |
|
Urgent Care | 90%3 |
70%3 |
Maternity Care | 90%3 |
70%3 |
Well Baby/ Child Care (up to age 7; not subject to deductible) |
100% |
70%3 |
Routine Physical (adults; and children over age 7; not subject to deductible) |
100% |
Not covered |
Diagnostic X-ray & Lab Tests | 90%2 | 70%2 |
Body Scans (not subject to deductible) |
100% (no co-pay) up to $500 every 2
years for enrollee and spouse or registered domestic partner |
|
Physical & Occupational Therapy and Chiropractic Services (additional services may be authorized) | 90%3 (24 visits per calendar yr combined PPO Network & Non-PPO Network) |
70%3 (24 visits per calendar yr combined PPO Network & Non-PPO Network) |
Acupuncture (24 visits per calendar year) |
90%3 |
70%3 |
Mental Health/Chemical Dependency • Outpatient • Inpatient |
90%3 90%3 |
70%3 70%3,4,5 |
1 Benefits are based on the Anthem standard charge.
You are responsible for any difference between the amount charged and the
maximum allowed amount, plus any deductible and/or coinsurance amount.
2 If you are a retiree and you or a covered dependent is enrolled in Medicare Parts A and/or B, the PPO plan calendar year deductible is waived for you and all of your covered dependents.
3 Subject to calendar year deductible.
4 Failure to obtain pre-authorization
may result in a $250 penalty.
5 Covered expense is reduced by 25% if a service or supply is provided by a non-contracted hospital.
When you enroll in a LAPRA medical plan, you automatically receive prescription drug coverage as shown in the table below.
To save money, request that your doctor write your prescriptions for “generic” drugs whenever possible. Generic drugs are often the therapeutic equivalent of their brand-name counterparts, but cost significantly less.
Under the Anthem Blue Cross PPO plan, if a geenric drug is availalbe and a
brand-name drug is dispensed because your physician specifies "dispense as
written," you will pay the applicalbe co-pay for the brand name drug you
receive. See footnote #2 below if your physician does not specify "dispense as
written."
You can purchase up to a 90-day supply of most maintenance drugs at a retail pharmacy. Maintenance drugs are those used to treat chronic conditions and are typically taken on a regular basis.
Prescription Drugs | Anthem PPO |
---|---|
Calendar Year Prescription Drug Out-of-Pocket Maximum |
$4,850 per
person $7,700 per family |
Retail Pharmacy • Non-formulary • Maintenance Drugs3 |
$15 co-pay1 $40 co-pay Up to 30 days (90 days for maintenance drugs3) |
Mail Order • Specialty Drugs4 • Mail Order Supply |
1-30 day supply / 31-90
day supply $40 co-pay
/ $80 co-pay |
1 $0 co-pay for women's prescription contraceptives.
2 Under the Anthem Blue Cross PPO plan, you will have to pay the co-pay for the generic drug plus the difference in cost between the prescription drug maximum allowed amount for the generic drug and the brand name drug, but not more than 50% of the average cost for the tier that the brand name drug is in.
3 Maintenance drugs are those used to treat chronic conditions and are typically taken on a regular basis. To determine if your medication qualifies as a maintenance drug, contact Anthem Blue Cross at 800-700-2541. Maintenance drugs do not include any controlled substances, smoking cessation or weight management medications.
4 20% co-pay does not apply to insulin. Regular co-pays apply.
This brief description of benefits is provided for your convenience and is subject to all terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the Anthem Blue Cross contract. Please refer to your plan’s Evidence of Coverage for details on your benefits.
Click here for for the 2024/25 retiree medical and dental premium rates. Your cost is the monthly premium rate minus the Pension Department subsidy, based on your retirement date, age and years of service.
Note: If you or any of your covered dependents are eligible for and enroll in Medicare Part D through a plan other than the LAPRA Blue Cross plans, you premium costs may be higher. You are eligible to enroll in Medicare Part D through the LAPRA Blue Cross plans if you are enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B.