Human Resources > Medicare Q&A Center

Medicare Q&A Center

The following list provides answers to questions you may have about the Medicare Advantage plan.​

Enrollment/Coverage

Your spouse can be enrolled in the Medicare Advantage retiree medical plan if he/she is age 65 or over, eligible for Medicare and has Medicare Parts A and B.
Your spouse will continue to stay on the Pre-65 PPO Plan until he/she is Medicare eligible. At that time, he/she will move to the Medicare Advantage Plan.
Premium information is available on the Retiree Medical page.
Yes. You will receive Medicare Part A, but you will need to continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium.
Yes. Medicare Advantage Plans are often referred to as “Medicare Part C.”
No. Your Medicare Advantage Plan includes prescription drug coverage.

Yes. You are free to use physicians that accept Medicare. For example, if your doctor is affiliated with the Northwestern Memorial Healthcare network and accepts Medicare, you can continue to see him/her. To determine if a doctor accepts Medicare, you can access:

www.medicare.gov

Or you can call Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ Medicare Advantage Customer Service: 1-877-299-1008 (TTY/TDD users should call 711) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday-Sunday.

In addition to the DePaul medical premium, participants in the over-65 medical plans will have to pay a premium to Medicare for Part B. Depending on your income level, you may also pay an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA). More information on the Part B premiums can be found on the Medicare website. Additionally, while you do not have to sign up for Medicare Part D separately, Part D is included in the Medicare Advantage plan. You may be required to pay a Part D income-related monthly adjustment amount (Part D-IRMAA). More information can be found on Medicare’s website or by reading Medicare Premiums: Rules for Higher-Income Beneficiaries.

You may contact Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ Medicare Advantage Customer Service: 1-877-299-1008 (TTY/TDD users should call 711) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday-Sunday. If you are unable to reach and speak to Blue Cross and Blue Shield Customer Service, you may contact DePaul’s Human Resources Benefits Department at 1-312-362-8232 or at hrbenefits@depaul.edu.

There is no group number on your Medicare Advantage ID card, as one is not necessary to receive services from providers under the Medicare Advantage plan. When seeking services, the alpha prefix “JLX” and your ID# are sufficient for providers to submit claims for processing.

The bills are mailed on or around the 15th of the month, for the upcoming month's premium, unless you have a credit linked to your account. Please call Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ Medicare Advantage Customer Service: 1-877-299-1008 if you have any questions about your Medicare Advantage bill.

Yes. You can pay from one month to one year in advance by submitting the extra payment(s) with your monthly premium statement. The extra amount will show as a credit and be applied to your plan each month until the credit runs out. You can confirm receipt of the extra payments by contacting Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ Medicare Advantage Customer Service at 1-877-299-1008 14 days after mailing in your payment. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois can also set-up an ACH monthly debit from your checking or savings account. Information on a monthly debit approach can be found in your BCBS welcome kit. Please click on the Automatic Premium Payment Form link or contact Customer Service for assistance.

For payments made directly to DePaul for the pre-65 PPO or HMO Illinois plans, only checks are accepted.
BCBS has confirmed that there is a timing delay for requests to "Do Not Call" - it can take about a week for those requests to be reflected on BCBS's records and for the calls from their third party vendors to cease.

EviCore is contracted with BCBS to provide utilization services for the Medicare Advantage Plan. Please see this link for additional information about the preauthorization services.

If you were enrolled in an Active Medical plan with DePaul or enrolled in the PPO pre 65, then you will receive a 1095-C but the months that show coverage will not include the time enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.  If you were enrolled in the Medicare Advantage plan for the full year, you will not be receiving a 1095-C from DePaul but may receive one directly from Medicare.

Prescription Drug Coverage

The Medicare Advantage Plan includes prescription drug coverage and has a specific Medicare approved formulary. Please contact Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ Medicare Advantage Customer Service at 1-877-299-1008 for specific questions about coverage for your particular medication(s), and to confirm the most up-to-date listing and prescription drug alternatives.

Refills by Mail 

Choose convenience with our mail-order service. A 90-day supply of the medications you take regularly  can be delivered directly to your home. This service offers: 

• Three ways to order refills: online, by phone or through the mail. 

• Up to a 90-day supply of medications at one time. 

• A choice to get a text, email or phone call to let you know when your order is received, and your  prescriptions are mailed. 

You will need to set up an account using your member ID with one of these options: 

AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy 
Visit www.alliancerxwp.com/home-delivery or call 1-877-277-7895 TTY 711.  

Amazon Pharmacy 
Visit https://pharmacy.amazon.com or call 1-855-393-4279 TTY 711. 
Available after January 1, 2024. 

Express Scripts ® Pharmacy 
Visit www.express-scripts.com/rx or call 1-833-599-0729 TTY 711.] 

Specialty Pharmacy 

Specialty medications are often prescribed to treat complex and/or chronic conditions. They have unique  shipping or handling needs. You may be able to fill specialty prescriptions at certain retail pharmacies, if  they stock the medication. 

You can use one of two specialty pharmacy options: 

AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy 
Visit www.alliancerxwp.com/specialty-pharmacy  or call 1-800-533-7606 TTY 711 to get started. 

Accredo ® 
Visit www.accredo.com or  call 1-833-721-1619 TTY 711 to get started.

Specialty medications are used to treat more complex and/or rare conditions. They usually require unique handling and administration, and are generally classified as “Tier 5.” Medications are assigned to different categories, or “tiers,” in plan formularies, which may mean different costs to you. Medications in a lower tier will generally cost you less than medications in a higher tier. Please contact Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ Medicare Advantage Customer Service at 1-877-299-1008 for specific questions about coverage for your particular specialty medication(s).

For medications that are not on the formulary list, there is an “exception request” process. You can receive more information regarding this process by calling Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ Medicare Advantage Customer Service at 1-877-299-1008.

All active mail order prescriptions (other than specialty scripts) prior to January 1, 2017 have already been transferred to Walgreens, so new prescriptions will not be necessary. For any first time prescriptions, your provider will need to fax or send the script directly to Walgreens’ mail order service. They can be reached at 1-877-277-7895 for more information about this process.

You can use any contracted pharmacy for regular prescription drug services. Contracted pharmacies can be found on the BCBS website or by calling Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ Medicare Advantage Customer Service at 1-877-299-1008.

Yes, for most medications. Please call Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ Medicare Advantage Customer Service at 1-877-299-1008 to confirm in regards to your specific medication.

Since some of the DePaul prescription benefits include a coinsurance, the price of the drug will be dependent upon the contracted pharmacy rate which may be different by pharmacy. 

Blue Access for Members ("BAM")

Blue Access for Members can be accessed via a link from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois’ home page: www.bcbsil.com.

No, you would need to create a new log-in using the new group ID number for Medicare Advantage, DP813G. You will not be able to see prior years’ claims.


This information is available for free in other languages. Please call our Customer Service number at 1-877-774-8592 (TTY/TDD users should call 711). We are open between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., local time, 7 days a week. If you are calling from February 15 through September 30, alternate technologies (for example, voicemail) will be used on the weekends and holidays.

Esta información está disponible en otros idiomas de forma gratuita. Comuníquese a nuestro número de Servicio al cliente al 1-877-774-8592 (los usuarios de TTY/TDD deben llamar al 711). Nuestro horario es de 8:00 a.m. a 8:00 p.m., hora local, los 7 días de la semana. Si usted llama del 15 de febrero al 30 de septiembre, durante los fines de semana y feriados, se usarán tecnologías alternas (por ejemplo, correo de voz).

You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premiums and/or co-payments/co-insurance may change on January 1 of each year. The formulary, pharmacy network, and/or provider network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary.

HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans are available in Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will counties. HMO, HMO-POS and PPO plans are provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, a Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company (HCSC), an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. HCSC is a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in HCSC’s plans depends on contract renewal.

Out-of-network/non-contracted providers are under no obligation to treat our Medicare Advantage members, except in emergency situations. For a decision about whether we will cover an out-of-network service, we encourage you or your provider to ask us for a pre-service organization determination before you receive the service. Please call our customer service number or see your Evidence of Coverage for more information, including the cost-sharing that applies to out-of-network services.

Prime Therapeutics LLC, a separate company, provides pharmacy benefit management services for [Client].

Prime Therapeutics has contracted with Walgreens, a company independent from Prime Therapeutics and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, to provide mail pharmacy services through the PrimeMail by Walgreens Mail Service.​