Upcoming Changes to Certain BlueChoice Advantage Plans
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and CareFirst BlueChoice, Inc. (collectively, "CareFirst") continues to ensure that our plans are affordable and accessible to our members.
Recently, some BlueChoice Advantage members are experiencing an issue when trying to access care from providers who participate in our BlueCard PPO network. To fix this issue, CareFirst is changing the insurance type from HMO to PPO within CareFirst Direct. This follows the same process of other BlueChoice Advantage products (insurance type PPO), and all these products will continue to show as a PPO plan.
This change is being made to correctly show access to BlueCard PPO networks outside of our service area (Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia).
Important Note: Members in these plans who reside within our service area should continue to follow BlueChoice rules, even though the system will as show "PPO."
Additional resources and information
As always, remember to verify the member’s eligibility and benefits in CareFirst Direct. If you need assistance, refer to our interactive guide "Checking Eligibility and Benefits in CareFirst Direct" on the Learning and Engagement Center.
For more detailed information on key requirements of BlueChoice products, vendors of BlueChoice products, BlueChoice plans and their defining features, and member ID card examples for each BlueChoice product, access the CareFirst Product: BlueChoice on-demand training. You may also refer to our Membership Identification Quick Reference Guide for assistance review ID cards.
For more information, review our frequently asked questions.