As catastrophic events continue to impact Public Agencies throughout California, PRISM and our Carrier Partners want to make sure our Member entities and any displaced employees know how to obtain support and assistance with their employee benefit needs during displacement or crisis. While the information below comes from the carriers who partner with the PRISMHealth and Employee Benefits programs, it applies to all subscribers of these carriers, regardless of their participation in the PRISM specific Employee Benefit programs.

For guidance, please contact your Alliant Service Team or a member of the PRISM Employee Benefits Staff—we are all here to assist in any way possible.

Anthem

  • Members who need immediate, but non-emergency, assistance should call the customer service phone number on their Anthem card or (833) 285-4030.
  • Anthem has relaxed time limits for prior authorization, pre-certification and referral requirements. In addition, they have suspended early refill limits for prescriptions and extended filing deadlines for claims.
  • Anthem health plan members who have been impacted can access Anthem’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which provides support services to help with stressful situations and financial or legal concerns. These services will be offered at no cost and are available 24/7 at (877) 208-8240 or online at anthemeap.com using login: EAP Can Help
  • Anthem is allowing replacement of medical equipment or supplies.

Members enrolled in Anthem EAP continue to have 24/7 access to support, resources, counseling and information including:

  • Telephonic support and counseling referrals with access to a local counselor if meeting with someone in person is recommended.
  • Locating hotels or apartments, new child care arrangements, and emergency shelters for employees and/or their pets.
  • A library of grief, loss and coping articles, as well as self-help tools.
  • California wildfires updates and important resource information on the website

Anthem EAP Wildfire Resource Guide

Anthem EAP Disaster flier

Services are accessed by calling Anthem EAP at (833) 954-1067, or logging into the website at Anthemeap.com and using code “PRISM”.

Blue Shield of California

  • Members who need immediate, but non-emergency, assistance should call the customer service phone number, (888) 559-2650.
  • Virtual care options are available and may differ slightly depending on the member’s plan. Some of these telehealth options include Teladoc™, LifeReferrals 24/7SM, and NurseHelp 24/7. Members should log in at blueshieldca.com to view their plan options.
  • Magellan Health, Blue Shield’s contracted managed care plan for behavioral health services, is providing free access to resources, materials and counseling services through its dedicated hotline: (800) 327-7451 (HMO Participants Only).
  • Blue Shield Medical Care Solutions will reach out to members in care and disease management programs in mandatory evacuation areas to ensure continuity of care.
  • Members who may have lost or misplaced their identification card can print a new card on our website at blueshieldca.com. Alternatively, members can use the Blue Shield of California mobile app to access their ID card on their mobile device.

Express Scripts (ESI)

  • Members requiring assistance can contact ESI at (800) 282-2881.
  • ESI will replace lost or damaged home delivery prescriptions. Members are not charged a copay or shipping costs for the replacement prescription upon confirmation by Express Scripts the order was lost or damaged.
  • ESI home delivery pharmacy orders can be shipped to a temporary alternate address. Members who desire to have their prescription redirected are instructed to call the patient care contact center (the telephone number on the back of their member identification card) and request their order be mailed to a temporary address. This applies to new orders, refills of existing prescriptions on file with Express Scripts and, in some instances, orders already placed.
  • If a member is unable to receive their order by mail, prescriptions can be transferred to a retail pharmacy for dispensing. The retail pharmacy can contact the ESI Pharmacy Help Desk phone number on the back of the member/patient’s respective ID card.
  • ESI will continue to make doctor calls and drug utilization review (DUR) calls and every effort is made to complete those calls. Orders will not be cancelled and returned unfilled to the member. The home delivery pharmacies hold these orders in-house until the member/prescriber has been reached.

Kaiser

Members can access any Kaiser Permanente facility if being displaced by the fires.

However, if members need to talk with someone to schedule an appointment or need advice, Kaiser Permanente members can contact our Appointment and Advice Call Center:

  • Northern California: 1 (866) 454-8855 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
  • Southern California: 1 (833) 574-2273 (Advice 24/7, Appointments during local business hours)

Members who need a prescription or refill can go to any open Kaiser Permanente pharmacy. If you would like your non-urgent prescriptions mailed to you, you can order them online at our refill page or call our pharmacy department. Please note, it may take 3-5 days to deliver your prescriptions via mail.

If there is no nearby Kaiser Permanente pharmacy or if other assistance is needed, members can call the Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy Call Center at:

  • Northern California: (888) 218-6245 (M-F 8am-8pm, Sat. 8am-6pm, Sun. 9am-6pm)
  • Southern California: (866) 206-2983 (M-F 7am-7pm)

To replace an ID card or for other Kaiser Permanente questions and concerns, members can call the main Member Services line at (800) 464-4000. Members should mention that they have been affected by the fires to ensure nothing is sent to their home address.

Kaiser behavioral health clinicians are also available to help members handle depression, anxiety, and any other emotional issues related to this situation. For assistance, members should contact their local Kaiser behavioral health department.

If a state of disaster or emergency in your geographic area is declared, Kaiser Permanente will make every effort to keep our facilities open to care for you. If there’s a disaster, we'll post information about access to our facilities on kp.org. Please find the KP Disaster Planning Policy here: Disaster planning policy (kaiserpermanente.org)

 

Additional resources:

Dealing With Emergencies | Kaiser Permanente

Disasters and Other Public Health Threats | Kaiser Permanente

Learning About Getting Help With Food | Kaiser Permanente

9 must-haves for your emergency kit | Kaiser Permanente

Learning About Getting Help With Housing | Kaiser Permanente

 

Ameritas Dental

For plan information any time, members have a variety of ways to seek information regarding their dental benefits, finding network providers and information if a non-network is used. 

  • Visit ameritas.com and sign into your secure member account or download the Ameritas Benefits app available for iOS and Android. Log in with the same user ID and password you use for your secure member account.
    • Use the chat feature located in your secure member account to ask questions about your plan benefits or question about providers. 
  • Call the customer connections team for questions about claims, benefits available, and provider network questions:
    • group@ameritas.com I 800-487-5553 Monday - Thursday, 5 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday, 5 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (CST)

If you are unable to utilize your provider due to wildfire issues, please note:

  • Visit ameritas.com and select Find a Health Provider to find a new network dentist. 
  • Remember members can see any licensed dental provider.  Out-of-Network Claims are adjudicated like In-Network Claims. Ameritas does not require employees/members to pay their out-of-network expenses and then get reimbursed. 
  • Pretreatment approvals are never required, but pretreatment estimates are available as an optional way for a member to find out how a claim would be handled.

Delta Dental

  • Members with special situations, or with extenuating circumstances resulting from the wildfires, may call their Delta Dental customer service center for assistance: (888) 335-8227. Members should also contact customer service if there is no dentist in their area due to this emergency. The online customer service form can be found on the Delta Dental website: https://www.deltadentalins.com.
  • Delta Dental is working to maintain the timely payment of claims and offer assistance in obtaining dental records if needed.
  • Delta Dental is ensuring members do not owe unreasonable costs at an out-of-network dentist. Also to reimburse out-of-network claims for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees.

EyeMed

  • EyeMed customer service department can be reached at (866) 939-3633.  When a catastrophic event occurs, a dedicated emergency toll-free line will be assigned for employees to call where a trained representative will guide them through next steps.
  • Employees impacted by natural disasters receive priority service through EyeMed Cares, which provides the following at no cost:
  • Employees in affected areas who are not EyeMed members, and need financial assistance to obtain eyewear, can contact OneSight for local support.

VSP

  • Any VSP member who has lost or broken their eyewear due to the recent fires can call Member Services Support Line at (800) 877-7195 to have their VSP benefits reinstated regardless of eligibility.
  • Individuals without VSP coverage can contact their local American Red Cross chapter and request a VSP Global Eyes of Hope gift certificate.

Concern Health

  • Concern EAP services for employees include counseling sessions (face-to-face, telephonic, web-video, chat, and text), Services are available 24/7 via phone at (800) 344-4222 or on the web at login.concernhealth.com using the employer’s company code (as documented on their benefit summary).
  • Employees in need of immediate support can call (800) 344-4222 to speak with a mental health professional available 24/7.
  • Comprehensive childcare and elder care assistance provided by vetted professionals to support employees and their families.
  • Assistance with daily living services to help streamline everyday life and increase overall wellbeing.
  • Access to a network of attorneys across the U.S. to address legal needs.
  • Explore Concern’s digital platform at login.concernhealth.com for a comprehensive library of articles and resources on stress, anxiety, grief, as well as various self-help tools.
  • West Coast Wildfires Newsletter

 

Resources available through PRISM Life and Disability Programs

PRISM’s life and disability carriers offer additional EAP services which provide 24/7 confidential emotional support with access to counselors, work-life solutions, legal guidance, and financial resources. 

  • Lincoln Financial Group – EmployeeConnect
    • Visit GuidanceResources.com or download the GuidanceNow mobile app
      • User name LFGSupport and password LFGSupport1
    • Call (888) 628-4824
  • Voya (participants in PRISM Voya program only) – ComPsych® GuidanceResources® offers someone to talk to and resources to consult whenever and wherever you need them.
    • Visit GuidanceResources.com or download the GuidanceNow app
      • web ID MY5848i
        • Use first 5 characters of your employer (ie: City_ use space bar as appropriate) then select your employer name from drop down.
        • You will then be directed to create a Username and Password for a personalized and confidential experience.
    • Log on to connect directly with a GuidanceConsultantSM about your event or to consult other helpful tools and resources.  
    • Call (877) 533-2363
      • Group name PRISM and group number 316407

Additional Resources

Additional general resources are available to all Californians needing information and/or assistance during these uncertain times:

 
Please contact Sidney DiDomenico or Heather Evans in the PRISM Employee Benefits department with questions.