- Thinking about having a hip or knee replaced?
- Are you under age 65?
Investigate PERACare Select.
In 2015, PERA partnered with skilled orthopedic surgeons at three metro-Denver area hospitals: North Suburban Medical Center, Rose Medical Center, and Swedish Medical Center, (all HealthOne medical centers) to provide PERA retirees under age 65 with fixed-cost hip or knee replacement surgeries.
This benefit waives the deductible (excluding members in the HDHP plan because federal law forbids PERA from waiving the deductible) and coinsurance for members who have their joint replacement at one of these hospitals.
Since April 1, 2015, when the program was launched, there have been 40 PERA members who have had either a hip or knee replaced, with ZERO out-of-pocket expense.
The PERACare Plan’s average cost for these procedures decreased by 40 percent over the prior year’s cost. This was an average savings of over $13,000 per procedure, saving PERA more than $500,000 and each participating member thousands of dollars, as well.
Donna Johnson, a PERA retiree, had both hips replaced as part of PERACare Select. “I had a very positive experience,” Donna said. “My doctor was very good and the hospital was excellent as well. Any questions I had were resolved quickly and courteously.”
If you and your doctor have talked about your need for a hip or knee replacement, you can get more information on our PERACare Select program by calling Anthem at 877-737-2258 or visit healthonecares.com/PERA.
Learn more about PERACare Select.
Read more about PERACare Select on PERA on the Issues.
Why isn’t PERACare Select available for Medicare participants?
The federal government negotiates pricing for procedures for Medicare-eligible retirees. In PERA’s self-funded Pre-Medicare plans, PERA has the ability to negotiate a fixed-price for hip or knee replacements.
I read that this is only for retires, what about currently employed, what can they do if they need one or both procedures?
Thank you for your question. You are correct, the PERACare Select program is for retirees enrolled in the Pre-Medicare Anthem plans in PERACare. You’ll need to check with your employer for details about your health insurance plan. It pays to do your research and get quotes from providers.