New health plan option for employees and retirees
Faculty, staff and retirees will have an additional health plan choice for 2021. The university will add Michigan Care to the available options, a new managed care plan similar to Premier Care.
The university will continue to offer BCBSM Community Blue PPO, Comprehensive Major Medical and U-M Premier Care, as well as GradCare for benefits-eligible graduate students.
Michigan Care will offer a narrower network than Premier Care with a lower monthly premium. It also includes chiropractic and expanded telehealth coverage.
It will include access to Michigan Medicine health care providers as well as other high-quality network providers in southeast Michigan, with a focus on highly-personalized care coordination for members across the network. This coordination is aimed at managing a patient’s health care across providers and specialists.
The new plan aims to improve health outcomes through greater focus on coordinated care, which increases communication among the providers caring for a patient and attention to key quality metrics. Those efforts can reduce redundant tests and encourage well-coordinated, high-quality care.
Faculty, staff and retirees can find out now if their providers are part of the network using an online directory. Rates will be available for review in August.
Because of the narrow provider network, access to the plan will be limited to faculty, staff and retirees who live in a specific geographic area within southeast Michigan. An online tool is available to determine whether a zip code is included in the coverage area.
The plan is administered by Physicians Health Plan based in Lansing. Michigan Medicine purchased a minority stake in PHP as part of an affiliation agreement with Sparrow Health System in 2019. Michigan Medicine leaders are engaged in and committed to the development and success of the plan.
Michigan Care provides benefits-eligible employees with an additional choice when it comes to selecting the right health plan for their needs.
Faculty, staff and retirees eligible for U-M health benefits may choose to enroll in Michigan Care during the annual benefits open enrollment period in late October. Coverage would be effective Jan. 1, 2021.
For more information: https://hr.umich.edu/michigan-care.
