Health

 
The Medical Association has you, your staff, and your family covered!  The Medical Association offers an exclusive health insurance opportunity through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama for our members.  *Qualified new members may sign up for insurance as soon as full regular member dues are paid.  Your membership dues alone could save you thousands in insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.  Let our dedicated staff provide you with one-on-one personal assistance with all of your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama policy needs.  For more information, please contact Brenda Green at bgreen@alamedical.org.


New for 2019

HSA Plan Now Offered

PIPA has added a third health insurance option, which is a High Deductible Plan that can be used in conjunction with a Health Savings Account (HSA).  Rates for the high-deductible plan and further information regarding how to set up an HSA account can be found below. Practices that elect to offer the HSA option will need to “opt in” to the plan by signing the HDHP agreement found below and returning it to Brenda Green at bgreen@alamedical.org. Practices will be responsible for the administration of the HSA for their employees as this will be a separate function from the services provided by the Medical Association. The Association will enroll individuals in the Blue Cross high-deductible plan as is currently done with the other plans, and the practice will be responsible for setting up the HSA administration through this ABA link .  The HDHP agreement MUST be signed and returned with any HSA applications.

2019 HDHP Agreement

PIPA Eligibility requirements: 

    • Be a Regular member of the Medical Association, which includes paying regular annual medical association dues as well as your local county membership dues.
    • If self‐employed (e.g., sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, P.A. or certain S‐Corporations), have at least one employee other than the physician and his/her spouse eligible to be in the plan. 
    • In order for an employee to be eligible, he/she must be considered a full time employee working at least 30 hours per week.     
    • If the corporate structure of the physicians’ practice is a professional corporation (P.C.), there is no requirement that additional employees be eligible for the plan, but those employees are welcome to participate.
Not sure if you are eligible? Use the Eligibility Decision Tree (document on the right hand side) to find out. In order for an employee to participate, the physician member MUST participate in the insurance plan.

Enrollees in the group practice DO NOT have to all be on the same plan.

The Medical Association is pleased to announce that the 2019 premiums had a 4.5% decrease in health plans and a 5.3% decrease in dental plans.  In 2018, nearly 85% of PIPA participants had an out-of-pocket cost of less than $1000.  This  Blue Cross and Blue Shield group rated health insurance plan continues to be a valuable membership benefit to physician members and their staff.
 

2019 Rates 
effective January 1-December 31, 2019

Rates shown are MONTHLY amounts. Premiums will be billed QUARTERLY.

  High Option   Basic Option    HDHP       Dental*
Single $660 $563 $481 
   $38.00 
2 Person     $1,307 $1,130 $971
    n/a
Family $1,917 $1,652 $1413
   $101

*Dental coverage is optional.

2018 Rates
effective January 1-December 31, 2018

Rates shown are MONTHLY amounts. Premiums will be billed QUARTERLY.

  PIPA High Option   PIPA Basic Option    Dental*    
Single $690 $588 $39.90
2 Person     $1,387 $1,181 n/a
Family $2,031 $1,728 $106.20

*Dental coverage is optional.

Point of Sale Prescriptions:

To set up your point of sale prescription reimbursements, go to www.bcbsal.org  and register your member plan and set up your direct deposit for your point of sale prescription reimbursements.  To file a drug claim logon to www.bcbsal.org  and click on myBlueCross and then click on File a Drug Claim.  Once you file your point of sale prescriptions, you should receive your reimbursement electronically within 10 days.  Please note the annual deductible for your plan must be met first in order to receive reimbursement for your prescriptions.

Retiree Rates and Eligibility


RETIREES: Click here to learn if you are eligible.
2019 High Option SPD
(Adobe PDF File)
2019 Basic Option SPD
(Adobe PDF File)
2019 Dental Benefit Matrix
(Adobe PDF File)
2018 Payment Planning Spreadsheet
(Microsoft Excel Workbook)
Additional Documents
RX Claim Form (CL-94)
(Adobe PDF File)
Eligibility Decision Tree
(Adobe PDF File)

To apply, submit the following to the Medical Association: 

NOTE: In order to apply for insurance, the physician member must be current on 2019 Medical Association membership dues, and their local county membership dues.

  1. Completed Application
  2. Employer Participation Agreement (only one necessary per group)
  3. Cover Page indicating type of coverage (High, Basic or Dental options for each application)
  4. $10 application fee (per application)
  5. Premium for the first quarter - Use the rates above to determine the quarterly rate for each application. (Quarterly premiums are due at this time for each application submitted.)
  6. HDHP Agreement MUST be mailed with any applications submitted for the HDHP plan.

All applications for each group (physician and employees) must be sent at one time with one check (payment in full as described above). After the initial application is complete, The Medical Association will bill each entity quarterly for premiums due.

 The Medical Association will not process any applications until all of the above information (items 1-5) is received, 2019 dues requirements met by all physicians applying, and all monies paid.

Make checks payable to The Physicians Insurance Plan of Alabama and mail to:
Medical Association of the State of Alabama
P.O. Box 1900
Montgomery, AL 36102
 
For information on joining The Medical Association contact Frankie Armstrong at (334) 954-2500 or click here for our online application. If joining online, you must click the "MASA Regular Member - $450" in the "MASA Membership Dues" drop down menu before submitting your application. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Mark Jackson or Brenda Green at (800) 239‐6272 or (334) 954‐2500.
 
To be eligible to enroll outside of the open enrollment period, you must be:
    • A new Medical Association member (Members who join within three years of terminating their membership are considered "reinstated" members and must wait until open enrollment to apply for insurance.)
    • A new licensee
    • New to Alabama
    • A newly hired employee of a group already participating in PIPA
    • A previously ineligible individual whose practice status has changed and are now eligible