Effective September 1, 2020, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) will manage mental health benefits for HealthSelect^SM participants, replacing Magellan Healthcare. With this transition, BCBSTX can better help you take care of your physical and mental health.

You’ll have just one company to call for medical and mental health benefits questions, and one website to visit to view your claims by signing in to Blue Access for Members at www.healthselectoftexas.com. You’ll also have a new, larger provider network. If you haven’t already, read these Frequently Asked Questions for details.

Understanding mental health care

Our mental health affects everything we think, feel and do. It includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.

Mental and physical health go hand in hand. You need to maintain both. In fact, taking care of your mental health can sometimes improve your ability to take care of your physical health.

Mental illness is more common than you may think

Mental illness isn’t something to fear. The causes of mental illness can range from life circumstances and experiences to biological factors. Anyone can experience mental illness. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that:

• 50% of people will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lives,
• 20% of children have or have had a serious mental illness and
• one in 25 Americans lives with mental illness.

Don’t be alarmed if you learn that, like many others, you have or a family member has a mental illness. Finding out you have a mental illness means you’re on track to healing and improving your quality of life. A licensed mental health professional can help you.

Getting help

As a HealthSelect participant, you have mental health benefits that include coverage for office visits and outpatient and inpatient treatment, depending on your needs. To find out more about your mental health benefits, go to www.healthselectoftexas.com. Click on the Learn about the mental health benefits button on the homepage.

In addition to in-person office visits with mental health care providers, you have online access to licensed mental health professionals any day of the week through virtual visits. A mental health virtual visit is similar to an outpatient visit at a mental health provider’s office, but the visit is conducted online from the comfort of your home or office.

Read Sam’s Journey to learn more about mental health virtual visits.

If you’re already seeing a mental health care provider

Check the network status of your provider to make sure they will remain in the HealthSelect network after September 1. More than 92% of current Magellan providers have signed up to participate in the new HealthSelect network—and more are expected to join by September 1. You will also have access to about 10,000 additional mental health providers who were not part of the network under Magellan. This more than doubles the number of mental health providers in the network.

To check the network status of a provider:

1. Sign in to Blue Access for Members at www.healthselectoftexas.com.
2. Select the “Find a Doctor or Hospital” tab.
3. Click on “Find a Doctor or Hospital” to launch Provider Finder.

For more information about the Provider Finder tool, read July’s News About Your Benefits article: “Use Provider Finder to see if your provider will be in the new, larger network or to find a new provider.”

Don’t forget! You can see out-of-network providers in the HealthSelect plans, but you’ll pay less out of pocket if you stay in the network.

Questions? Call a BCBSTX Personal Health Assistant

If you have questions about your mental health care benefits, finding a mental health provider or the network status of a mental health care provider, call a BCBSTX Personal Health Assistant toll-free at (800) 252-8039 Monday–Friday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturday, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. CT.

Source: ERS News About Your Benefits (August 2020)