BATON ROUGE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Healthy Blue, a leading managed care plan within the Healthy Louisiana Medicaid program, is formally being introduced to members, providers and stakeholders across the state. Earlier this year, Amerigroup and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana entered into a partnership to serve the Healthy Louisiana Medicaid program. The rebranding of the former Amerigroup plan to Healthy Blue, which was announced in July and became effective on Sept. 1, extends the strength and stability of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana brand to more than 235,000 Amerigroup Louisiana members who participate in the state’s Medicaid, Medicaid Expansion and LaCHIP programs.
“We are pleased to introduce our newly branded Healthy Blue Louisiana Medicaid plan and join our members with a family of more than 1.5 million people who call themselves Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana customers,” said Aaron Lambert, Healthy Blue president. “This is an initial step in following through on our commitment to enhance health care delivery across our state, and we look forward to many more progressive efforts that continue to demonstrate our abilities as Louisiana’s primary healthcare solutions partner.”
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana President and CEO Dr. I. Steven Udvarhelyi said the partnership is one way the company is living its mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. “Our involvement in Medicaid is a way to help an important—and often vulnerable—population receive better healthcare. I see this as an avenue for helping to elevate our state’s health status from its bottom ranking in the country.”
Health plan benefits and services remain the same, and Healthy Blue members can continue to see their current healthcare providers to get care that is familiar to them. All prior approvals and referrals are still valid, and the teams who serve members and providers are still in place.
Also, there are no changes to provider networks. Healthcare providers who were part of the Amerigroup Louisiana network are now authorized to serve eligible Healthy Blue members with no action or changes required. They should continue to see patients, follow the same procedures for claims, authorizations and referrals, and continue to interact with their designated provider relations contacts. Additionally, there are no changes to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana’s current provider network arrangements.
Affected members and network providers were notified beginning in July about Amerigroup Louisiana becoming Healthy Blue. All current health plan members should have received and started using their new Healthy Blue ID cards, which include the Blue Cross and Blue Shield logo. A new Healthy Blue website has been launched at www.myhealthybluela.com, and the new Healthy Blue customer services number is 1-844-521-6941 (TTY 711).
ABOUT HEALTHY BLUE
Healthy Blue, formerly known as Amerigroup Louisiana, is a managed healthcare provider that has been serving the state since 2012, and currently serves the state’s Medicaid, Medicaid Expansion and LaCHIP programs. Healthy Blue recognizes the challenges low-income and underserved individuals face, and tailors its programs such that health plan members are assured care that is not only accessible, but also accountable, comprehensive, integrated and patient-centered. Healthy Blue provides ongoing community relations and outreach to encourage members to become active participants in their healthcare. Also, through health education programs, members are empowered to choose and sustain healthy lifestyles. To learn more about Healthy Blue, visit www.myhealthybluela.com.
