Journal of Long-Term Effects of Medical Implants

ISSN for PRINT: 1050-6934

For Online Access

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2005, Volume15

Issue 5

146 pages

DOI: 10.1615/JLongTermEffMedImplants.v15.i5

Issue price - $175.00

Richard F. Edlich
Biomedical Engineering and Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Trauma Specialists LLP, Legacy Verify Level I Shock Trauma Center for Pediatrics and Adults, Legacy Emanuel Hospital, Portland, OR, USA

The Commonwealth of Virginia has a disorganized approach to enrolling their retired faculty in Medicare Supplement Insurance Programs. An organized approach to establishing Medicare Supplemental Insurance for retired University faculty should include the following administrative changes to correct this potential healthcare crisis for retired state faculty members. First, the ombudsman for human resources for the state universities must receive educational programs that prepare the retired faculty members over the age of 65 to select the corporate insurance policy from Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance Company. Included in this educational program should be a review of the Advantage 65 Member Handbook. Second, they must point out to the faculty member that they are receiving a CORPORATE insurance policy rather than an individual insurance policy from Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance Company. They must provide the telephone numbers of the Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield offices in Roanoke, Virginia. Concomitantly, they must send the name and address of the faculty member to the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Human Resource Management. They should inform the faculty member that the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Human Resource Management will be sending them newsletters that outline any changes in the corporate insurance policy that they coordinate with the Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance Company.
The Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Human Resource Management must take on some new responsibilities in their efforts to coordinate healthcare coverage of the retired faculty over the age of 65. First, they must have a computer registry of all corporate healthcare policies of the individual faculty members to ensure that newsletters are being sent to them. Ideally, this agency should have a computerized system that allows it to send out its newsletter update by email to those retired faculty members who have computers. They should urge the faculty members to initiate an automatic check payment withdrawal from their bank so that the premiums from their corporate insurance policy can be paid promptly to Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance Company.
Whereas the universities and the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Human Resource Management are making these responsible changes, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance Company must undertake innovative changes in their corporate healthcare policy to assist the retired faculty member. For instance, they must list on the insurance card that the faculty member has a corporate policy. Like the United Health Insurance Company, it would be advisable to offer a 2-5% reduction in the cost of the corporate insurance policy if the faculty member begins an automatic premium payment agreement through their bank. This insurance discount would be an added incentive for the faculty member to do automatic payments through their bank.

DOI: 10.1615/JLongTermEffMedImplants.v15.i5.100 Download article, 573-579 pages

Article price - $35.00

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