Important | COVID-19: Key Benefits Details
Our UT Employees, Retirees, and their families live all over Texas as well as in other parts of the country and around the world. When natural disasters or other emergency situations occur, we want to do everything we can to help lighten the load for those who live in an affected area. We know that during a weather emergency or other natural disaster, accessing your UT Benefits may be especially important, so this page offers a quick overview of key details you may need.
We've gathered the information below to help address the most common questions we've seen during recent situations. As new situations arise, we will provide additional details here about any special accommodations being made available.
Premium Payments and Maintaining Coverage
First and foremost, please rest assured that your coverage will remain in place even if deadlines for payment of your out-of-pocket premiums cannot be met due to a natural disaster or other emergency situation. Our institutions and billing offices will work with affected Employees and Retirees to arrange for payment at a later date and set up payment plans as necessary. For those who live in areas affected by a natural disaster or other emergency situation, coverage will not be canceled due to non-payment of premiums.
Accessing Services
For assistance with getting ID Cards or locating providers or pharmacies, please contact the appropriate customer service team at BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, Express Scripts, Delta Dental, or Superior Vision.
View the customer service contact information for all plan administrators.
For assistance with escalated issues, please feel free to contact the UT System Office of Employee Benefits, toll-free, at (800) 888-6824.
Prescription Medications
In some cases, vital medications may have been lost or left behind during evacuations and need to be replaced quickly, particularly where people are still unable to access their homes. Special provisions generally go into effect for those who live in the affected area that should streamline your ability to refill medications at retail pharmacies.
For assistance with prescription needs, please contact ESI's UT SELECT Prescription plan customer service team, toll-free, at (800) 818-0155.
For UT SELECT Part D participants, please contact ESI's UT SELECT Part D customer service team, toll-free, at (800) 860-7849 (or TTY (800) 716-3231).
Medical Services Away from Home
We know many members will not be able to visit their usual medical providers for some time after a natural disaster and may need to access services quickly. We work with BlueCross BlueShield of Texas (BCBSTX) to limit out-of-pocket costs when affected UT SELECT Medical plan members need to visit non-network providers or facilities due to an emergency situation. Claim filing deadlines and pre-authorization requirements may be eased depending on the situation.
For assistance locating BCBSTX providers or with other questions related to accessing medical services, please contact the BCBSTX UT SELECT Customer Service team, toll-free, at (866) 882-2034.
UT FLEX Accounts
For those with UT FLEX Health Care Reimbursement Accounts, your debit cards will remain active and documentation requests will be temporarily suspended when situations warrant these accommodations. For those who may be unable to access mail at their permanent address due to an emergency situation and need reimbursement for eligible expenses, some additional options may be available to allow for reimbursement checks to be provided to you as quickly as possible.
For assistance with your UT FLEX accounts, please contact Maestro's UT FLEX Customer Service team, toll-free, at (844) UTS-FLEX [(844) 887-3539].
