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Custom Network Plan

The Custom Network Plan is available to some benefit-eligible faculty and staff, depending on where they live and/or work. There are two versions of the Custom Network Plan: one for those who live and/or work in the Columbia area and another for those who live and/or work in the St. Louis area. Check out the eligibility section of this webpage for additional details. Retirees are not eligible for the Custom Network Plan.


  2024 Custom Network Plan  

Iconographic illustration of a medical cadeuceusAbout the Plan

If your home address or official business unit is located in an eligible region around Columbia or St. Louis, the Custom Network Plan for the associated location is available to you. This plan features a focused, narrow network of providers who are working to improve the quality of your care and share savings and efficiencies with you when you stay in-network.

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💠 Plan Features (for both Columbia and St. Louis)

  • A custom network offers a smaller pool of in-network providers in exchange for decreased premium or service costs. See eligibility below for which version(s) of the plan are available to you.
    • The narrow network of providers for Columbia and St. Louis are different.
    • You only have in-network access to providers associated with the version of the plan in which you enroll.
  • There are separate deductibles for in-network services and retail prescription drugs.
  • Once you meet your annual out-of-pocket limit, the plan pays 100% of eligible coinsurance and copayment expenses for the rest of the calendar year.
  • You may enroll in two types of Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): Health Care FSA and Dependent Care FSA. These accounts help you pay for medical or child care using pre-tax dollars; eligible expenses differ between the types.
 

Eligibility

If you are a benefit-eligible faculty or staff member with a home address or official business unit in an eligible region around Columbia or St. Louis, the Custom Network Plan is available to you. Counties are different for the Columbia and St. Louis plans, as follows:

  • Columbia: There are eligible counties in mid-Missouri.
    • Missouri counties: Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau, Osage and Randolph.
    • See the Columbia CNP coverage map (PDF, 109KB).
  • St. Louis: There are eligible counties in both Missouri and Illinois.
    • Missouri counties: Franklin, Gasconade, Jefferson, Lincoln, Montgomery, Pike, St. Charles, St. Francois, St. Louis, St. Louis City, Ste. Genevieve, Warren, and Washington.
    • Illinois counties: Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Randolph and St. Clair.
    • See the St. Louis CNP coverage map (PDF, 140KB)

You may be eligible for both the Custom Network Plan in Columbia and the Custom Network Plan in St. Louis (i.e., your official business unit is located in an eligible Columbia-only county but your home address is in an eligible St. Louis-area county, or vice versa). In this case, you will have the option to enroll in either of the two insurance plans. Please note, however, that these plans have access to different networks of medical care providers. You will only have in-network access to those providers associated with the particular plan in which you choose to enroll.


Coverage for dependents

Dependents may include:

  • Spouse or Sponsored Adult Dependent of an employee
  • A child of an employee who is younger than 26 years of age
  • A child of an employee over the age of 26 who is mentally or physically incapable of self-sustaining employment and meets other plan requirements
  • Child for whom health care coverage is required through a Qualified Medical Child Support Order or other court/administrative order.

You should ensure you understand the details of your status by accessing the Summary Plan Description (SPD) for the insurance plan and reading the full definition.

 

💠 Columbia-area Custom Network Features

  • Your network consists primarily of providers affiliated with University of Missouri Health Care, with services such as:
    • Virtual Visits: Connect with a doctor via video on your mobile device, tablet or computer for a $15 copay.
    • Mizzou Doc Fast Pass: Establish care with in-network primary care physicians/specialists or get expedited access when scheduling primary care appointments by calling (573) 884-0432.
    • Mizzou Quick Care: For same-day sick care appointments for minor health issues (ages 2 and above), visit an in-network quick care clinic for $15. Visit MU Health's Mizzou Quick Care webpage for more.
    • HEALTHConnect: A patient portal connects you to MUHC providers and services.
  • Mizzou pharmacy is the preferred network pharmacy for retail and 90-day prescriptions, but members have access to Express Scripts’ nationwide network. Participants may fill specialty medications through a Mizzou Specialty Pharmacy or Accredo.
 

💠 St. Louis-area Custom Network Features

  • Your network consists primarily of providers affiliated with Mercy Health System, with services such as:
    • Mercy Care Management: Every provider and case manager is connected to the same electronic medical record, allowing for in-the-moment collaboration to ensure you get the right care at the right time.
    • Virtual Visits: Connect with a doctor via video on your mobile device, tablet or computer for a $15 copay. 
    • Mercy on Call: Provides you with real-time guidance and support for your condition. If you call your Mercy primary care provider when they are unavailable (e.g., after hours and weekends), you will be automatically connected to this service.
  • Pharmacy coverage is provided by Express Scripts with access to pharmacies nationwide and mail order services. Specialty medications must be filled through Accredo.
 

Costs

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💲 Premiums

Monthly employee premium cost* for active employees:

  • Self only: $92
  • Self and spouse: $259
  • Self and child(ren): $242
  • Self, spouse and child(ren): $437

*Premiums for faculty on a nine-month contract paid over nine months are different. For more information, visit the Premiums for 9-month faculty paid over 9 months webpage.

 

🩺 Covered Services

What you pay for covered services varies based on whether the provider is in-network or out-of-network:

In-Network Services
  • Preventive Care: $0
  • Primary Care: $15 copay/visit
  • Specialist Care: $40 copay/visit
  • Urgent Care: $50 copay/visit
  • Lab and X-ray: $5/basic; $100/advanced
    • See below for details^^
  • Outpatient Care: 10% after deductible
  • Inpatient Care: 10% after deductible
    • Includes maternity delivery
  • Durable medical equipment: 10% after deductible
  • Emergency room: $250 copay/visit after deductible
  • Ambulance: $200 copay/occurrence after deductible
Out-of-Network Services**
  • Preventive Care: 50% or more after deductible
  • Primary Care: 50% or more after deductible
  • Specialist Care: 50% or more after deductible
  • Urgent Care: $50 copay/visit or more
  • Lab and X-ray: 50% or more after deductible
  • Outpatient Care: 50% or more after deductible
  • Inpatient Care: 50% or more after deductible
    • Includes maternity delivery
  • Durable medical equipment: 50% or more after deductible
  • Emergency room: $250 copay/visit or more after deductible
  • Ambulance: $200 copay/occurrence or more after deductible

^^For labs and x-ray, “Basic” includes services such as x-ray, blood work, lipid panel, etc. “Advanced” includes services such as CT scan, PET scan, MRI, etc.

**Refer to the Summary Plan Description (SPD) for additional details on allowable and eligible expenses when using an out-of- network provider.

 

💊 Prescription Drugs

  • Prescription drug: Retail:
    • In-network: Greater of (after Rx deductible):
      • Formulary generic: $10 copay or 20% coinsurance
      • Formulary brand: $30 copay or 25% coinsurance
      • Non-formulary brand: $50 copay or 50% coinsurance
    • Out-of-network**: $30 copay or 50% network costs or more after deductible**
  • Prescription drug: Mail:
    • In-network: Greater of:
      • Formulary generic: $20 or 20% coinsurance
      • Formulary brand: $60 or 25% coinsurance
      • Non-formulary brand: $100 or 50% coinsurance
    • Out-of-network**: $30 copay or 50% network costs or more after deductible**

* 90-day fill/refill at Mizzou pharmacies at same cost as mail-order.
** Member will pay difference between the non-participating and participating pharmacy charge.

 

➖ Deductible

The Custom Network Plan has two annual deductibles: one for medical and a second for prescription drug costs.

  • Medical deductible:
    • In-network: $200/self*; $600/family
    • Out-of-network: $1,500/self*; $4,500/family*
  • Rx deductible:
    • Retail: $50/person
    • Mail-order: $0/person

* Considerations for “self” and “family” are different for the Custom Network Plan and PPO Plan than the Healthy Savings Plan. Visit the glossary for details.

 

🧾 Out-of-Pocket Limit

The Custom Network Plan has two annual out-of-pocket limits: one for medical and a second for prescription drug costs.

  • Medical out-of-pocket limit:
    • In-network: $3,750/self*; $7,500/family*
    • Out-of-network**: $11,250 or more/self; $22,500 or more/family*
  • Rx out-of-pocket limit:
    • $5,200/self*; $10,400/family*

* Considerations for “self” and “family” are different for the Custom Network Plan and PPO Plan than the Healthy Savings Plan. Visit the glossary for details.
**Please refer to the Summary Plan Description (SPD) for additional details on allowable/eligible expenses when using an out-of-network provider.

 

For a printable version, download the Plan Information and Comparison handout (386KB, PDF), which features a comparison chart and premium rates for the available insurance plans.


Making the Most of Your Plan

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💳 Consider a Flexible Spending Account

If you enroll in the Custom Network Plan, you may also want to consider enrolling in a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), an account that allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses. Visit the Understanding your flexible spending account webpage to learn more.

 

📋 Rx Cost Estimator

To estimate prescription costs, visit Express Script's prescription cost estimator tool (exit UM System site) for UM System medical plans. Select the plan year and health plan you wish to review; then, select "price a medicine" and type in the medicine's name. You will be prompted to select the strength, form, quantity and frequency for the prescription to estimate the cost covered by the plan and the cost to you.

 

🏥 Network Providers

You may choose to visit either in-network or out-of-network physicians and other providers. Your costs will be lower, however, when you select in-network providers. Provider directories may be accessed on the plan contacts webpage.


Understanding your custom network of providers

The narrow network of providers for Columbia and St. Louis are different. A narrow network offers a smaller pool of in-network providers in exchange for decreased premium or service costs. You will only have in-network access to providers associated with the plan in which you enroll. That is, enrolling in the Columbia plan makes only Columbia’s narrow network available to you, and enrolling in the St. Louis plan makes only St. Louis’s network available to you.

You may be eligible for both the Custom Network Plan in Columbia and St. Louis (i.e., your official business unit is located in an eligible Columbia-area county but your home address is in an eligible St. Louis-area county, or vice versa). In this case, you may enroll in either of the two plans. However, you will still only have in-network access to providers associated with the plan in which you enroll.

 

💻 Virtual Visits

Virtual visits are also available to you. Virtual visits let you see and talk to a doctor from your mobile device or computer without an appointment, any time. Visit the virtual visits webpage to learn more.

 

🎗 Preventive Care and Special Health Topics

Preventive Care

Many health plans include preventive care services, such as various screenings, vaccinations and well-woman visits, at no out-of pocket cost. Read about women's preventive healthcare or learn more about UHC's preventive care guidelines (exit UM System site).


Special Health Topics

Consult the following webpages for additional information on special health topics:

 

🏷 Discounts

Visit the health and wellness tools and discounts webpage to maximize your convenience and savings.

 

* In the event of a difference between this webpage and the plan document or summary plan description, the plan document and plan description prevail.

 

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Reviewed 2024-02-27

 

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