A Jó Pásztor, 1958. január-június (36. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1958-05-23 / 21. szám
A JÓ PÁSZTOR 7-IK OLDAÍj Your New Blue Cross Protection Now, your choice of 2 benefit programs P ENNSYLVANIA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER Francis R. Smith has approved new rate and benefit schedules for Philadelphia Blue Cross members. He did so only after a 2-week public hearing. All the facts were laid on the community table. As he pointed out, it was the most thorough study ever given to a Blue Cross Plan’s basic principles and recommendations. Certainly those who attended understand better than ever that the primary interest of Blue Cross is the welfare of its members. As the whole public now knows, Blue Cross has to adjust its rates because the cost of good, modern hospital care has been climbing so steeply. In addition, more people today seek hospital care when they need it. They don’t put it off. In other words, there is greater demand for the hospital’s lifesaving, health-restoring, but costlier services. That’s why more than ever, Blue Cross is a family necessity and a must for all of us. ONLY ONE BLUE CROSS Every Blue Cross subscriber may be confident of this: The Plan always has—and always willoffer subscribers the best buy for their hospital insurance dollar. Why? Here are the facts: Blue Cross, established and operated for the whole community, is not allowed by law to make one penny of profit. Its board of directors serves without pay. It pays no exorbitant management salaries, nor any sales commissions. Being efficient, using the most modern business practices and equipment, it is able to operate its whole business in Greater Philadelphia at about 6d on the collected dollar. The rest goes toward hospital care of subscribers. But that isn’t all. Because of its tremendous size and volume, Blue Gross can make practical contracts with the hospitals in its subscribers’ behalf. It is only natural, of course, that it thus can secure for you the best hospital service at a significant saving—yet not to a hospital’s detriment. What’s more, because of its unique contract with the hospitals to deliver service to you, Blue Cross pays off in the actual care the subscriber requires. Not in limited dollars per day which may not come even close to meeting your hospital bills for needed services. If any subscriber fails to recognize the big difference between a service contract and the indemnity contract offered by insurance companies, he should ask the fellow with an indemnity contract who just came out of the hospital. See how7 much extra he had to pay! Nor does Blue Cross cancel a subscriber’s coverage when he grows öld, retires or requires repeated hospital care. DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR THE BEST These are some of the reasons why Blue Cross unquestionably is your best buy in hospital-bill protection, dollar for dollar. The facts are wellknown to most Philadelphians and to management and labor leaders. It is no accident that Blue Cross has approximately 2H million subscribers here—two-thirds of the whole population. And now Blue Cross can offer better protection than ever. For along with its new rate adjustments and hospital contract go improved, even more realistic benefits in tune with hospital needs today. The kind of benefits so many subscribers have been asking for. There can be little doubt that Philadelphia Blue Cross, in stronger position, can now provide its subscribers with coverage that is probably the best, dollar for dollar, in the Nation. And at a price—even with the increase—that is still below charges for lesser protection being offered in most other large cities. Please read details at right. same as at present, except for the addition of Accident Emergency and Minor Surgery care in the hospital’s out-patient department, and a provision for Visiting-Nurse Home Care for subscribers over 65 who leave the hospital. 2. Co-Fay Comprehensive: This greatly expanded program provides not only the above new benefits, but many more. You receive practically every in-the-hospital service without limit on use; diagnostic service in the hospital’s out-patient department or your doctor’s office; higher allowances on maternity and on the private room. Yet the subscription charge for this Contract is slightly loicer than for the Standard Contract. Please Note: The subscriber under this Comprehensive Contract pays a co-operative payment of $5.00 per day to the hospital but only for up to 15 days of hospitalization per year—for all subscribers covered under the Contract-husband, wife, children. NEW BLUE CROSS rate schedules and your Plan’s new contract with its Member Hospitals now make it possible to add numerous benefits for your protection against today’s high hospital bills. Now Blue Cross is able to introduce the brand-new Co-Pay Comprehensive Contract which offers benefits of he magnitude that many subscribers have been requesting. These subscribers have said that if comprehensive coverage could be made available to them at a reasonable rate they would be willing to make modest, limited payments to the hospital during their stay. To meet varying public needs, Blue Cross now offers all subscribers in standard groups—as well as nongroup subscribers—their pick of two types of coverage, effective with the rate increase begi n ning J uly 1,1958. Group subscribers, at their places of employment, and non-group subscribers by mail, will receive notices describing ho I h contracts, which are: 1. Standard: These benefits remain about the The Choice Card With his notification folder, each subscriber will receive a Co-Pay Comprehensive Choice Card, bearing his name and a final date. By signing it he selects the new Co-Pay Comprehensive Contract. If he prefers the Standard Contract he does not sign the card. Unless the card is returned, signed, before date indicated— either (1) through group leaders at places of employment or (2) by mail, in the case of non-group members—the subscriber will automatically continue under his Standard coverage at the new rates and he will not receive this new type of comprehensive protection. (Group subscribers should not return their card directly to Blue Cross but should give it to their employer, or group leader, for return of cards by the group as a whole.) IN-THE-HOSPITAL SERVICES Limits, per hospital admission: X-ray Examinations up to $35.00. Laboratory Tests, up to $25.00. Anesthetics administered professionally, up to $10.00. No benefits provided for Electroencephalograms, X-ray Therapy or Radiation. Provides practically all services without limit on use, including X-ray Examinations, Laboratory Tests, Electroencephalograms, X-ray and Radiation Therapy. For Anesthetics* administered professionally it provides additional allowances. OUT-PATIENT DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES No diagnostic benefits. Provides these new diagnostic services,* according to a fee schedule, in the hospital’s out-patient department or in the doctor’s office: Electrocardiograms, up to $15.00. Electroencephalogram* up to $25.00. X-ray Examination, up to $40.00. Basal Metabolism, up to $10.00. (Total, up to $75.00 a year per subscriber.) MATERNITY BENEFITS Provides up to $75.00 per pregnancy. Provides füll semi-private room benefits, includ• ing delivery room and nursery care, for mother and child for six days during each pregnancy. PRIVATE ROOM BENEFITS Provides allowance of $10.00 per day toward room and board. Credit at semi-private room rates toward hospital’s private room charges on other services. Provides allowance of 80 per cent of hospital’s charge for private room and board, up to a maximum of $15.00 per day. Subscriber is allowed all other usual in-hospital services without limit on use. * Co-Pay Cow prehensile subscribers will be provided anesthesia when administered by a professional anesthesiologist, and the diagnostic services in the doctors office, andern special arrangement between Blue Cross and Blue Shield. The cost of this new protection is incorporated in the new Co-Pay Comprehensive rate. Study the new Blue Cross literature. It contains additional details, including the benefits and rates for each category of subscribers for both the Standard and new. Co-Pay Comprehensive Contracts. THE ASSOCIATED HOSPITAL SERVICE OF PHILADELPHIA Si. ' ' l ' Vsf u ■ f: " '"T J&KÍ " _ £*&*?*■ 112 SOUTH 16th STREET PHILADELPHIA 2, PA. BR.4NCH OFFICES IN CHESTER, LEVITTOWN, NORRISTOWN AND POTTSTOWN STANDARD CO-PAY COMPREHENSIVE PLUS VALUES IN THE NEW CO-PAY Higher benefits and allowances under the new Co-Pay Comprehensive program are apparent in the following comparison of leading services in Member Hospit als. Blue Cross believes most subscribers will feel that these advantages—and the lower rate—will far outweigh the small co-payment requirements, and that they will therefore choose this Comprehensive program over the Standard. (This is not á complete list of the many Blue Cross benefits under the two contracts, but only a comparison of leading benefits.)
