For more than 35 years, Mary helped students and athletes build confidence. That dedication earned Mary a banner in the rafters of North Smithfield Middle School’s gym honoring her as “legendary”—the first teacher to receive that honor. Now, after decades of hard work, Mary wants the same confidence in her health insurance coverage. That’s why she returned to Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) and chose a BCBSRI Medicare Advantage plan.

Why Mary needed confidence in her health plan

Mary manages multiple health conditions, so it’s important that she can see the doctors she knows and trusts—including her seven specialists. While covered by another insurer’s health plan, she learned that her providers and hospitals in the Brown University Health¹ system were no longer in network. “I panicked,” Mary says, recalling the experience. She turned to staff at her local senior center, who helped her enroll in a BCBSRI health plan—allowing her to continue to see her trusted providers.

“It was like coming back home.”
Once enrolled, Mary visited Your Blue Store^SM in Lincoln to talk through her plan. She was greeted by Natalia, the store’s senior receptionist, who had become friends with Mary when she was previously covered by a BCBSRI plan. Natalia told Mary how much the team had missed her, and Mary told Natalia she “made the biggest mistake of [her] life leaving Blue Cross.”

“I know that when I need help, it's there.” 
Once she was back in a BCBSRI Medicare Advantage plan, Mary began making the most of it. She saves money on prescriptions, which helps her manage costs. She also gets answers to her healthcare questions quickly and easily at Your Blue Store. “I know that I can come in here and not be embarrassed to ask anything I need to.” 

“The best thing BCBSRI has added to their plans is HouseCall by Blue.”
Mary’s favorite part of her BCBSRI Medicare Advantage plan is HouseCall by Blue, a program for eligible BCBSRI members with complex care needs. Developed with ConcertoCare^®2 , the program gives Mary 24/7 access to a clinical care team, in-home visits when needed, pharmacy support to help manage and refill medications, and social work and behavioral health support. Mary has been able to get quick health guidance in the middle of the night, ask questions about her medications, and replace hours otherwise spent in the urgent care waiting room with a quick call for guidance—all at no cost to her.

At first, Mary was hesitant to enroll in HouseCall by Blue. She worried it might replace her current care team, or that they would encourage her to move into a care facility. Now she knows otherwise. 

“This support is on top of the care you get from your doctors and hospitals,” Mary explains. “It’s about care—and taking care of yourself now so you don’t have to move into a nursing home. It's so much nicer for somebody like me who wants to live out their life in their own home.”

“I know I’m safe.”
Now, with her BCBSRI Medicare Advantage plan, Mary can stay independent. Her days are filled with programming at her local senior center, exercise, visits to check on her elderly neighbors, neighborhood watch responsibilities, and sharing her garden harvests with friends. Her plan gives her peace of mind to keep doing the things she loves.

What Mary wants her neighbors to know about choosing a BCBSRI plan

1. Your Blue Store locations are a great resource across the state: “You live in Rhode Island! You can go to Your Blue Store when you have questions. You don’t have to talk to a computer on the phone—if you want to come in, you can talk to a real person who will answer your questions in real time. It’s all laid out plainly. You’ll understand your benefits, and you can learn about all the resources that are available to you.”
2. If you're eligible, take advantage of HouseCall by Blue³: “I can access that support at any time, at no cost to me—Blue Cross takes care of all of that.”
3. Her plan restored her confidence: “It’s worth everything to be back here. Knowing that I have the best Blue Cross plan I can have, I know that I’m going to be taken care of. I can relax.”