Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I currently have CareFirst blue choice high and have been happy with it, but as PP said, the premium is going up a lot. I plan to switch to the standard plan next year. There is a deductible but it does not apply to doctor visits or prescriptions and you can get the deductible reduced by having a physical done.
The FEHB CareFirst plans do not require referrals for specialists and I haven't found a doctor I wanted to see who was not in-network.
Forgot to mention that I had MD IPA in the past. MD IPA had some visions and dental coverage included which was nice, but I found the referral and pre-certifiaction process for things like MRIs, etc. cumbersome. Carefirst seems much less HMO-like in that respect.
I also looked at BCBS Basic for next year but after running the numbers, for our family, it looked like we would come out better cost-wise with CareFirst standard (even though the premiums are a bit more, the doctor, prescription and imaging co-pays are less).