Regence is an insurance company that offers several types of Medicare plans, including Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap plans, in four western U.S. states.
Costs vary among the plans. They include deductibles, copays, coinsurance, and monthly premiums.
This article introduces Regence and gives an overview of the main parts of Medicare. Then, it discusses the coverage and costs of Regence Medicare plans.
Regence is a private health insurance company that offers Medicare plans in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. Each policy is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
The company offers several types of Medicare plans, along with non-Medicare policies for individuals, families, and business employees. It does not offer stand-alone dental plans.
To contact Regence, a person can call 1-888-369-3171. A person who has deafness may call 711.
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people age 65 and older, in addition to younger individuals with certain disabilities. Below is a description of the main parts.
Original Medicare
Original Medicare comprises Part A, hospitalization insurance, and Part B, medical insurance. Part A covers hospital stays, hospice care, skilled nursing facility stays, and some home health care. Part B covers outpatient services, such as doctor visits, lab tests, and medical equipment.
Learn more about original Medicare here.
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage is the alternative to original Medicare (Parts A and B), and offers the same basic benefits. Most plans also include prescription drug coverage, and many have extra benefits such as dental and vision care.
Learn more about Medicare Advantage here.
Part D
Part D is prescription drug coverage available to a person enrolled in original Medicare. Each plan has a list of covered medications, which is called a formulary.
Learn more about Medicare Part D here.
Medigap
Medigap is Medicare supplement insurance, which pays 50–100% of Parts A and B out-of-pocket costs. It works with original Medicare, but is not available to a person enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan.
Regence offers Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap plans. Details are below.
Regence Advantage plans
A person interested in a Regence Advantage plan may choose from several Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) or Preferred Provider (PPO) plans. Each plan has a network of hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers.
Most HMO plans require a person to choose from in-network providers. In contrast, PPO plans allow a person the flexibility to select from either in-network or out-of-network providers, although the latter carry a higher cost.
Aside from providing original Medicare (Parts A and B) benefits, most Regence Advantage plans offer prescription drug coverage. Many of the plans include dental, vision, and hearing benefits, along with fitness memberships and access to telehealth services. Some plans also cover alternative health care and over-the-counter drugs.
A person can check if their doctor or healthcare provider is included in the Regence network using this online tool.
Regence Part D plans
Regence Part D plans cover most common medications. A person can check the company’s online list of covered drugs to find out if their medication is covered.
Regence Medigap plans
Regence offers several Medigap plans. In Oregon and in Clark County, Washington, it offers plans A, C, F, G, K, and N, all of which provide varying amounts of coverage for original Medicare (Parts A and B) out-of-pocket costs.
Some plans offer 80% coverage of emergency care costs a person may encounter when traveling in a foreign country. The plans also have extra perks, such as free gym memberships and access to a toll-free nurse line.
The company does not offer stand-alone dental policies, but includes dental coverage in some Medicare Advantage plans. Several plans cover preventive dental services, such as oral exams and cleanings, twice a year. These services have a 0% in-network coinsurance and no deductible.
If a person wants to add comprehensive coverage to their preventive coverage, they may do so. Comprehensive care pays 50% of in-network costs for services such as fillings, crowns, dentures, implants, and oral surgery. The maximum yearly coverage is $1,000.
Costs of Regence Advantage, Part D, and Medigap plans vary, depending on available options.
Advantage plan costs
A person with an Advantage plan must pay the Part B monthly premium of $148.50. The table below shows the out-of-pocket costs in 2021 for Regence Advantage plans in different areas.
| City | Plan name | Monthly premium | Primary care doctor copay | Specialist copay | Inpatient hospitalization copays | Yearly out-of-pocket limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise, ID Zip 83704 | Regence St. Luke’s Health Partners Align Plus (HMO) | $38 | $0 | $30 | $310 per day for days 1–4 $0 per day for days 5+ | $5,200 |
| Salt Lake City, UT Zip 84044 | Regence MedAdvantage + Rx Primary (PPO) | $0 | $0 (in-network) | $45 (in-network) | $400 per day for days 1–4 $0 per day for days 5+ (in-network) | $5,900 (in-network) |
| Portland, OR Zip 97035 | Regence BlueAdvantage HMO Plus (HMO) | $42 | $0 | $35 | $375 per day for days 1–4 $0 per day for days 5+ | $4,900 |
Part D plan costs
The table below shows the costs of Part D plans in two areas.
| City | Plan name | Monthly premium | Deductibles | Copays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City, UT | Regence Medicare Script Enhanced | $123.50 | $0 | $3 to $6 for Tier 1 $10 to $20 for Tier 2 $47 to $117.50 for Tier 3 |
| Boise, ID | Regence Medicare Script Basic | $93.50 | $0 for Tiers 1 and 2 $300 for Tiers 3,4,5 | $3 to $20 copay for Tier 1 $10 to $34 copay for Tier 2 $40 to $117.50 for Tier 3 |
Medigap plan costs
The only cost of Medigap plans is the monthly premium, which differs between plans.
Regence offers several HMO and PPO Medicare Advantage plans. The HMO plans require a person to choose from in-network providers, while the PPO plans permit someone the flexibility to choose from in-network or out-of-network providers.
Benefits and costs of Regence Medicare health plans vary. Because of the wide differences, people may wish to compare Regence plans in their area before making a choice.
2021 Medicare plans: Zip code 83704 in Ada County, Idaho. (2021)
https://regence.isf.io/2021/g/bf0db52a69664ac9bc859af790f375f9/AssistedShopping
2021 Medicare plans: Zip code 84044 in Salt Lake County, Utah. (2021).
https://regence.isf.io/2021/g/bda296b188ed4104b36ea49001ae8713/AssistedShopping
2021 Medicare plans: Zip code 97035 in Clackamas County, Oregon. (2021).
https://regence.isf.io/2021/g/b8cb8702cdb84ca795c80448edea9687/AssistedShopping
Explore prescription drug coverage. (2020)
https://www.regence.com/medicare/pharmacy
How to compare Medigap policies. (n.d.).
https://www.medicare.gov/supplements-other-insurance/how-to-compare-medigap-policies
Medicare costs at a glance. (n.d.).
https://www.medicare.gov/your-medicare-costs/medicare-costs-at-a-glance
Medicare providers. (2020).
https://www.regence.com/medicare/providers
Outline of coverage Regency bridge: Clark County, Washington. (2020).
https://beonbrand.getbynder.com/m/b9775c1756329c1/original/Medigap-Outline-of-coverage-Clark-County.pdf
Outline of coverage Regence bridge: Oregon. (2020).
https://beonbrand.getbynder.com/m/4473ad2df10505/original/Medigap-Outline-of-coverage-Oregon.pdf
Prescription savings. (2020).
https://www.regence.com/medicare/health-and-lifestyle/prescription-savings
Regence. (2020).
https://www.regence.com/home
Regence Medicare supplement (Medigap). (2020).
https://www.regence.com/medicare/plans/medigap
What’s Medicare? (n.d.).
https://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/your-medicare-coverage-choices/whats-medicare
Why Regence? (2020).
https://www.regence.com/medicare/resources/why-regence