Options Blue HRA
About Options Blue HRA
Give your employees a health plan with a reimbursement account funded by you that returns your unspent money.
Options Blue HRA offers you an innovative way to help you manage health care costs. It’s a high-deductible health plan coupled with a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) to help your employees pay for eligible medical expenses.
How it works
You contribute to an employee’s individual health reimbursement arrangement each year. When an employee sees a doctor or goes to a hospital, funds are withdrawn from the account to apply toward the deductible of the health plan. Employees can choose where and when to spend this money based on how you design the account. Once the account balance has been used, the employee pays the remaining deductible amount until the health plan coverage takes over.
If your employee leaves the company or retires, the account remains with you. If the employee doesn’t use all of his or her account dollars in one year, the unused balance may be rolled over to be added to next year's balance.
The health coverage
You pick the level of employee cost-sharing with deductibles from $1,600 to $6,000 and different coinsurance options. The higher the employee cost-sharing, the lower your monthly rate.
See an in-network doctor, and your employees pay:
- $0 for preventive care
- $0 for visits to retail health clinics
- Referrals are never needed to see an in-network specialist.
Get a prescription drug from our
preferred drug list 
and your employees pay:
- $12 for generic drugs
- $45 for brand-name drugs
Prescription drugs not on the preferred drug list cost $90.
Want to learn more?
Read more about Options Blue HRA plans (PDF)
Networks for this plan
Whether you and your employees are at home or traveling, the Blue Cross network is there.
In Minnesota
This health plan comes with the Aware® network. It has unparalleled breadth and depth, giving you and your employees your pick of health care providers in the state.
The Aware network includes 98 percent of doctors and 100 percent of hospitals in Minnesota. More than 39,000 health care providers in the state are in the Aware network.
Nationally
This health plan comes with the BlueCard® Traditional network. It has our broadest selection of health care providers nationally and includes more than 92 percent of doctors and 96 percent of hospitals in the United States.
» Search BlueCard Traditional network
Note: Click the "Add filter" button, then "Network," and select "BlueCard Traditional"
Internationally
This health plan comes with the BlueCard Worldwide® network. It gives you and your employees access to doctors and hospitals in more than 200 countries.
Smile. We offer dental plans, too.
A healthier lifestyle includes good oral health
A growing body of evidence links oral health to overall health. Complement your new health plan from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota with a dental plan from Delta Dental® of Minnesota.
Find a plan that fits you
Choose a dental plan to fit your business. There’s a basic plan (PDF) that covers preventive exams and cleanings as well as more comprehensive coverage (PDF).
Delta Dental of Minnesota is independent from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
Healthier people are happier and more productive
Your employees want to be healthy, and you can help them on their path to wellness. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota’s health and wellness programs give employees access to the right services for their health.
- All group plans include:
- Online Health Assessment: a first step on your employees’ path to better health, at no additional cost
- Online Health Coaching: online programs that can help your employees with weight management, stress, smoking cessation and more
- Health Guides and Nurse Guides: health professionals dedicated to providing the best customer service to your employees
- Dedicated Nurses: nurses your employees can trust to help them with questions they may have about their care
- Stop-Smoking Support: tools that have helped more than 1 in 3 enrollees quit tobacco successfully
- Access to more than 50,000 online health and wellness resources
- Employee communication support and toolkits
- Workplace wellness strategies and support
- Community health and wellness initiatives
- Small group plans also include:
- Fitness Discounts: more than 1,000 fitness centers to choose from in Minnesota
- Healthy Start® Prenatal Support: 29% lower incidence of preterm births than national rates
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP): 59% decreased absenteeism after using the program
- 24-Hour Nurse Advice Line: savings of more than $2.70 for every dollar invested
- Enhanced Stop-Smoking Support (with medications): medications added to coaching double the chances of success
- Telephone-based lifestyle coaching
- Self-care guide
- And discounts on...
- Complementary care, like acupuncture and massage
- Laser vision correction surgery
- Weight Watchers®
Weight Watchers is the registered trademark of Weight Watchers International Inc. and is used under license.
Perks: The extra benefits you get with your benefits
Cost savingsPremiums, or monthly rates, aren’t the only costs to consider when buying a health plan for your business. With Blue Cross, you and your employees will also save with:
- Free preventive care
- Free over-the-counter prescription drugs prescribed by your doctor for allergies or heartburn
- Limits on your out-of-pocket costs
each year
That's not all. You and your employees also get discounts on:
- Acupuncture and massage
- Weight Watchers®
- LASIK eye surgery
- Home medical equipment and supplies
ConvenienceYou and your employees can connect with the care and information you want, when you want with:
- A personalized online account to view your health plan information 24 hours a day, seven days a week
-
Live, online interactive visits with a doctor
- Medications delivered to your door by mail
- No need for a referral to see an in-network specialist
Weight Watchers is the registered trademark of Weight Watchers International Inc. and is used under license.
