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Get the facts. Protect your health.

Blue Cross® Blue Shield® of Arizona (BCBSAZ) is here for your health—during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond. This special section of our website has updated benefit information for members, helpful links and resources, and a collection of articles to help you navigate life in uncertain times.


BCBSAZ Member Coverage Updates

COVID-19 Testing—No cost share

BCBSAZ is waiving your copay or co-insurance for COVID-19 diagnostic testing. You’ll pay $0 for tests that:

  • Have approval or emergency use approval from the FDA;
  • Are ordered by a physician (MD/DO), nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant; and
  • Performed according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 Testing and Treatment—No prior authorization required

BCBSAZ is waiving prior authorization (precertification) for diagnostic tests and covered treatment services that are medically necessary and consistent with CDC guidance for members who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Treatment related to COVID-19—No cost share for in-network treatment through May 2020

BCBSAZ is waiving all copays, co-insurance, and other cost-sharing related to COVID-19 treatment from in-network providers through May 2020.

This means you will pay $0 out of pocket should you or a family member covered under your BCBSAZ plan need treatment for COVID-19.

Tip! Some employer groups may have chosen different benefits. If you have coverage through your employer, we suggest checking with your HR department about costs related to any COVID-19 treatment.

One test per member is covered with no cost share or preauthorization when the test:

  • Has approval or emergency use approval from the FDA;
  • Ordered by a physician (MD/DO), nurse practitioner, or physician assistant; and
  • Conducted at a lab or other site of service that is covered by a clinical laboratory improvement amendments (CLIA) certificate. At-home tests are covered with a provider’s order if they are processed by a qualified lab.
The benefit of repeat testing has not been established which is why we have the one test limit, unless there is a compelling medical reason.

What's covered

COVID-19 Testing

No cost share

COVID-19 testing is a covered benefit with all of our medical plans. What’s new is that members won’t have a copay or co-insurance for COVID-19 diagnostic testing. Testing must be ordered by a physician (MD/DO), nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or authorized pharmacist and performed according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

COVID-19 Testing & Treatment

No prior authorization required

BCBSAZ is waiving prior authorization (precertification) for diagnostic tests and covered treatment services that are medically necessary and consistent with CDC guidance for members who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

COVID-19 Treatment

No cost share for in-network services

BCBSAZ is waiving all copays, co-insurance, and other cost-sharing related to COVID-19 treatment from in-network providers.

This means you will pay $0 out of pocket should you or a family member covered under your BCBSAZ plan need treatment for COVID-19.

Note: if your plan has a deductible, the $0 copay/coinsurance applies even if you haven’t yet met the deductible amount.

Tip! Some employer groups may have chosen different benefits. If you have coverage through your employer, we suggest checking with your HR department about costs related to any COVID-19 treatment.

Antibody Testing

No cost share

Covered with no cost share or preauthorization when the test is:

  • FDA-approved or has received emergency use approval (EUA) from the FDA;
  • Ordered by a physician (MD/DO), nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or authorized pharmacist; and
  • Conducted at a qualified lab. At-home tests are covered with a provider’s order if they are processed by a qualified lab.

PLAN-SPECIFIC UPDATES

Learn about increased access to prescription medication to protect your health.

Individual and Employer Plans      Medicare Plans


Increased Access to Telemedicine for all Members

You have coverage for telemedicine. By telemedicine, we are talking about telemedicine, telehealth, and tele-dentistry.

A telemedicine visit is a virtual doctor’s visit that happens using your computer, tablet, or mobile device.

It’s a good way to get non-emergency care and reduce your exposure to COVID-19.

PLAN-SPECIFIC UPDATES

Learn how to access telemedicine for your plan.

Individual and Employer Plans      Medicare Plans


Navigating Life & COVID-19

As life changes fast in the fight against COVID-19, BCBSAZ is here for you. Check out these resources to help you find new ways forward. We’re adding updates regularly.

View Resources


Here for your health

As we closely monitor the situation and review the data daily, we will update this page to help you protect your health.

BCBSAZ members may call the phone number on the back of their ID card with any questions about their coverage.


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COVID-19 hotline for Arizona

Dial 2-1-1 from anywhere in the state to ask questions and get information about:

  • How to prepare for and prevent COVID-19 spread
  • Testing information for COVID-19
  • What populations are at higher risk for COVID-19
  • What to do if an individual gets sick
  • COVID-19 and animals
  • Plus a list of websites with accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information

The line is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

arizonatogether.org

Governor Ducey has launched Arizona Together at arizonatogether.org to support individuals, families, and businesses as we work to combat the spread of COVID-19. You’ll find ways to volunteer, donate, access support, and learn more about COVID-19.

More Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Information

How You Can Help Stop COVID-19

  1. Most important: Stay home when you’re sick.
  2. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  3. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
  4. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  5. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  6. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
  7. Know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19: fever, cough, shortness of breath.
  8. See more tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    9. It is VERY important to call your doctor’s office before going. The staff will be able to prepare the office to help protect other patients while you’re there. Your doctor will work with the local health department and the Arizona Department of Health Services to decide if you should be tested for COVID-19.

Coronavirus: This term refers to a family of seven known viruses that can infect people. They range from coronaviruses that simply cause a common cold to the form that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV), which emerged in Asia in 2002, and the even-deadlier Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV), which appeared in 2012. The name comes from the fact that under a microscope, the virus looks like a blob surrounded by crownlike spikes, a "corona."

COVID-19: The new coronavirus itself is officially named SARS-CoV-2. The disease the virus causes in people—the fever, coughing, shortness of breath and, in severe cases, pneumonia and death—is named COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19.

Community transmission: Community transmission refers to cases in which a disease is circulating among people within a certain area who a) did not travel to an affected area, and b) have no close link to another confirmed case. Community transmission suggests the virus is spreading within a location in ways health officials have trouble tracking and containing.

Quarantine: Restricting the movement of people who seem healthy but may have been exposed to the virus is referred to as a quarantine. Americans who were evacuated from Wuhan and cruise ships, for example, were kept in strict quarantine on military bases for 14 days, which is what experts believe is the virus’s incubation period.

*Excerpted from The Washington Post.

The CDC has specific guidance for travelers.

The Arizona Department of Health Services recommends calling your doctor or healthcare provider if:

  1. You’ve recently traveled to an area where COVID-19 is spreading and have developed a fever with cough or shortness of breath within 14 days of your travel; or
  2. You’ve had contact with someone who is suspected to have COVID-19.