Hundreds of Uninsured Georgia School Children to Receive Free Eye Exams and Glasses

/PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia Inc. (BCBSGa), OneSight®, a Luxottica Group Foundation, and Radio Disney have teamed to bring the OneSight Vision Van, "SeeMore" to Georgia from Tuesday, Dec. 1 through Thursday, Dec. 3. Henry County, Clayton County and Butts County Schools pre-selected 300 students from kindergarten through high school based on their financial and vision needs to receive free vision care, including full vision exams and new eyewear.

Held at the Luxottica Retail Distribution Center (100 Greenwood Industrial Pkwy, McDonough, GA 30253), local doctors, community partners, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia associates, as well as employees from LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Target Optical will provide services and assistance during clinic hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily). In addition, the Radio Disney AM 590 Road Crew will lead the students in exercises, sing-a-longs and games while they wait for their eye exams and their glasses.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Bright Futures, 3rd Edition, school-aged children should be evaluated for visual difficulties at their annual visit and formally screened according to the AAP's recommended schedule. In addition, the American Public Health Association (APHA) recently reported that one in four children in kindergarten through sixth grade has visual disabilities that affect their ability to learn. Some studies indicate that 80 percent of learning in children occurs visually; yet 86 percent of children do not receive a vision exam during these formative years.

"This collaborative effort to bring the Vision Van to the greater Atlanta area will help make a meaningful difference in the lives of children who might not otherwise have had their vision needs met," said Monye Connolly, president, BCBSGa. "Our hope is that this service will provide these children with a better opportunity to live life to the fullest."

"OneSight provides important opportunities through clear vision that enable children to succeed in school and ultimately, in life," said Jane Walters, OneSight captain. "We have seen many cases where a pair of glasses has made the difference in helping a child accomplish greater scholastic success or simply see clearly for the first time. Watching a child's face light up as the world comes into focus is something I will never forget."

"An eye exam is one of the best forms of preventative medicine today. Good vision health is connected to overall health and well-being. Supporting the Vision Van helps these children to more clearly experience the world around them," said Jeff Spahr, staff vice president, Vision and Voluntary Services for BCBSGa.

In addition to serving children in communities throughout the country with the Vision Van, OneSight also performs two-week Global Clinics designed to hand-deliver eye exams and recycled, donated eyewear to underprivileged individuals in developing countries. To date, nearly 3 million people have been helped during Global Clinics.

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Hundreds of Uninsured Georgia School Children to Receive Free Eye Exams and Glasses

/PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa) and OneSight, a Luxottica Group Foundation, have partnered to bring the OneSight Vision Van, "SeeMore" to Georgia from January 21 to 23. Henry County Schools pre-selected more than 300 students from kindergarten through high school based on their financial and vision needs to receive free vision care, including full vision exams and new eyewear. Held at the Luxottica Retail Distribution Center (100 Greenwood Industrial Pkwy, McDonough, GA 30253), local doctors, community partners, BCBSGa associates and brokers, as well as employees from LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Target Optical will provide care and assistance during clinic hours (8:30 AM to 4:30 PM daily).

According to Prevent Blindness America, one in four school-aged children has visual disabilities that affect their ability to learn. Approximately 80 percent of all learning during a child's first 12 years is obtained through the eyes; yet 86 percent of children do not receive a vision exam during that time.

"This collaborative effort to bring the Vision Van to the greater Atlanta area will help make a meaningful difference in the lives of children who might not otherwise have had their vision needs met," says Monye Connolly, president, BCBSGa. "Our hope is that this service will provide these children with improved self-esteem and a better opportunity to live life to the fullest."

"OneSight provides important opportunities that help children succeed in school and, ultimately, in life," said Jane Walters, OneSight Captain. "We have seen many cases where a pair of glasses has made the difference in helping a child accomplish greater scholastic success or simply see clearly for the first time. Watching a child's face light up as the world comes into focus is something I will never forget."

OneSight (formerly known as Give the Gift of Sight Foundation), a Luxottica Group Foundation, is a family of charitable programs dedicated to improving vision for those in need worldwide through outreach, research and education. OneSight has been serving the McDonough, GA area since 2003 and during the past six years approximately 400 Henry County children have received free eye care and nearly 95 percent of these local children required and received free prescription eyewear.

"An eye exam is one of the best forms of preventative medicine today. Good vision health is connected to overall health and well-being. Supporting the Vision Van helps these children to more clearly experience the world around them," said Stuart Watts, regional vice president of BCBSGa's Specialty Sales, which includes the Vision business.

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Consumers and Employers Paying Almost $90 Billion Due to Under-Payments to Hospitals and Physicians by Medicare and Medicaid

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Low Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals and physicians lead to significantly higher health insurance costs for consumers and employers, according to a study released today by Milliman Inc. The report found that annual health care spending for an average family of four is $1,788 higher than it would be if Medicare, Medicaid and private employers paid hospitals and physicians similar rates, with total provider reimbursement unchanged.

The continued underpayment of providers by public programs has devastating consequences for families and employers that are struggling to afford health care coverage. These underpayments create a payment gap to hospitals and physicians that privately insured employers and consumers must close through a "cost shift" or "hidden tax."

The Milliman study measures the cost shift as the difference between actual payment rates and average payment rates for Medicare, Medicaid and private payers; total payment to hospitals and physicians is held constant. The study does not assess appropriate levels of payment, but rather the disparities among current payment rates.

The study found that cost shifting:
-- Adds an estimated $1,512, or 10.6 percent, to the average premium for
a family of four
-- Of this amount, employers pay approximately $1,115 and the employee
share is $397
-- Families pay an additional $276 more in coinsurance and deductibles
due to the cost-shift


"As businesses struggle to cut costs to match sagging revenues, employee health benefits are increasingly at risk," said Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. "The faltering economy makes fair payment by Medicare and Medicaid more important than ever."

In 2006, the hospital cost shift from Medicare was $34.8 billion and $16.2 billion for Medicaid. In 2007, the physician cost shift was $14.1 billion for Medicare and $23.7 billion for Medicaid. Taken together, the estimated annual cost shift is $88.8 billion.

Overall, the cost shift represents 15 percent of the current amount spent by commercial payers on hospitals and physicians. Stated differently, if there were no cost shift, hospital and physician costs for privately insured patients would be 15 percent lower.

Health plans have taken many actions to keep coverage affordable, but are challenged by the growing cost of the subsidy that their customers provide to public programs. In 2006, Premera Blue Cross, which provides coverage for 1.7 million consumers in Washington, Alaska, Oregon and Arizona, commissioned a local cost-shift study, the first of its kind, to examine how deficient payments by Medicare and Medicaid are affecting employers and hospitals in their area. Their work laid the foundation for the national cost shift study which examines the additional cost burden passed on to all employers and consumers nationwide.

"This new study shows that cost-shifting is driving up the costs of health care for all consumers," said Scott P. Serota, President and CEO of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. "As our nation embarks on comprehensive healthcare reform -- and we collectively strive to extend coverage to all, improve quality of care and keep healthcare affordable for future generations -- cost-shifting is one of the areas where we should focus our attention."

"This study quantifies the 'hidden tax' that cost-shifting imposes on families and employers across the nation," said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans. "As Congress and the new administration focus on health care reform, they should confront this issue."

Also hospitals and physicians in some areas may not be able to offset low public payments with higher commercial payments creating additional financial pressures. In addition to this hidden tax, the privately insured also must bear the costs associated with bad debt and charity care provided to individuals without insurance, which is not separately quantified in this report.

"As we consider approaches to expand coverage nationally, we need to keep in mind the disparity among Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial provider payment rates, and the pressure that this disparity places on hospitals, physicians, and commercial payers," said John Pickering, Principal and Consulting Actuary at Milliman, Inc., who co-authored the report with Will Fox, also a Principal and Consulting Actuary at Milliman, Inc.

Milliman is an independent consulting firm that was engaged by AHIP, AHA, BCBSA and Premera Blue Cross to develop a best estimate of the cost shift in the United States. Hospital findings are based on analysis of the 2006 AHA Survey data. The survey includes data on the 4,927 short-term, community hospitals in the U.S. The data represent each hospital's fiscal year 2006 results. The physician findings are based on 2007 fee schedule levels for Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payers.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to health improvement in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include almost 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, and other providers of care. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the Web site at www.aha.org.

America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) is the national association representing nearly 1,300 member companies providing health insurance coverage to more than 200 million Americans. AHIP provides a unified voice for the community of health insurance plans. A major policy goal for our members is to expand access to high quality, affordable coverage to all Americans. We have developed innovative proposed solutions to promote universal coverage, raise the bar on quality, and make health care services more affordable. For more information, visit the Web site at www.ahip.org.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) is a national federation of 39 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more than 102 million individuals - nearly one-in-three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit www.BCBS.com.

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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia and Athens Regional Medical Center Announce New HMO/POS Contract

PRNewswire -- Athens Regional Medical Center and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa) today announced the signing of a multi-year contract, enabling Athens Regional to join the BCBSGa HMO/POS network, effective Aug. 1, 2008. BCBSGa has had a PPO contract with Athens Regional for many years.

The new contract means that BCBSGa HMO and POS members throughout Georgia will be able to gain complete access to Athens Regional's wide range of comprehensive and specialized medical, surgical and diagnostic services as an in-network provider.

"The execution of the HMO contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia enables us to provide more hospital and group health insurance choices to residents in our 17-county service area. This agreement further extends our reach into the community by expanding the number of health insurance plans in which we participate," said Larry Webb, senior vice president and CFO at Athens Regional Medical Center. "It is our mission to provide this community with greater access to quality patient care and a scope of services that are of a superior value, delivered in a caring and safe atmosphere with dignity and compassion by highly-trained professionals."

"We are pleased to welcome Athens Regional to the BCBSGa HMO/POS network," said Amy Cheslock, vice-president of health services, BCBSGa. "With the addition of Athens Regional, our HMO/POS members in Northeast Georgia now have in-network access to both major hospitals in Athens."

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia Introduces New Individual Products

PRNewswire/ -- Today, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa) introduced two suites of PPO products called SmartSense and Premier that will provide Georgians with more affordable options for individual insurance.

The SmartSense plan is designed for consumers who are price conscious and want solid protection to cover the essentials. "Georgians who are seeking a health plan that offers affordability and provides coverage for routine services that can help them improve or maintain their health, now have another option, with premiums for SmartSense ranging from as little as $36.82 to $175.64 per month for a healthy 25-year-old male," said Monye Connolly, president of BCBSGa. The SmartSense plans provide coverage for up to three physician office visits a year before a member has to meet a deductible, some preventive benefits and a choice of prescription drug coverage options.

The Premier plan is designed for customers who want the security of a comprehensive benefit design with lower out of pocket costs. This plan is also a good choice for families with children, or those planning to have children. The Premier plan provides unlimited coverage for office visits before having to meet a deductible, provides preventive benefits, comprehensive prescription coverage and offers the ability to add maternity coverage.

SmartSense and Premier provide protection against expensive and unexpected medical bills. "These plans were designed for those consumers who recognize the importance of health coverage, but need flexibility when it comes to cost," said Connolly. "The plans offer a variety of deductibles that will help consumers find a premium they can afford."

"I would like to thank Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia for providing these new and innovative products," said Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John W. Oxendine. "I applaud them for giving Georgians additional options when shopping for their health care needs."

SmartSense and Premier, which BCBSGa will begin offering on July 19, are targeted towards Georgians who work for companies that do not offer health care coverage, as well as early retirees and others who want a cost effective option.

Connolly says the availability of SmartSense and Premier will be appealing options for many Georgians who want more control over their health care choices and reflects the company's on-going commitment to reduce the percentage of Americans who are uninsured.

"Our goal is to offer a menu of plans that provide consumers with benefits that address a variety of life stages," said Connolly. "As we move forward, we will continue to focus on providing affordable plans that maintain the high quality and value-added benefits consumers have come to expect."

Members choosing SmartSense and Premier have access to more than 15,000 Georgia PPO network doctors and specialists and nearly 170 hospitals. These plans also provide coverage outside the state of Georgia through the Blue Card program.

In addition to SmartSense and Premier, BCBSGa also offers Tonik -- an individual product targeted toward Georgia's "young invincibles" -- individuals between the ages of 18 and 29. Since introducing the products in 2006, more than 8,000 Georgians are covered by Tonik.

For more information about SmartSense and Premier or other BCBSGa products, contact your authorized Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia agent or call 1-800-896-2583, or visit us at www.BCBSGA.com .