Getting help with meals and rides
What do you most need assistance with? When caregivers are asked that question, food and transportation are often the answers.
To give you more time and flexibility, ask family and friends for help (or take them up on their offers to help). They could take your loved one to a doctor’s appointment or drop off a meal on their way home from work.
Here are other resources available through BCBSRI health plans and in the community.
Use discounts on meal kits and other services.
With all your other responsibilities, you don’t have a lot of time to cook for yourself and your loved one. Meal kit delivery can make that process easier, as the ingredients and instructions are shipped right to your home. All BCBSRI members can take advantage of special discounts on several meal kit services through Blue365®1. You’ll also find discounts on many other wellness and lifestyle brands.
Have $0 meals delivered after a hospital stay.
For BCBSRI Medicare Advantage members
If your loved one has just had a stay in the hospital or skilled nursing facility, they can get a week's worth of healthy prepared meals delivered to their door.2
Start meal deliveries by calling (401) 615-7891.
Check the services available through public transportation.
Through the Americans with Disabilities Act, some people can receive door-to-door service. If your loved one is 65+, they may be able to get discounts on public transportation.
If you live in Rhode Island, you can find public transportation for people living with disabilities and transportation discounts for seniors through the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. If you live outside of Rhode Island, find your local public transit.
Take advantage of $0 private rides.3
For BCBSRI Medicare Advantage members
BCBSRI members with Medicare Advantage plans can schedule private rides3 to the places that support their health and well-being: primary care providers, specialists, senior and community centers, libraries, and Your Blue Store.SM
To get started, call 1-833-972-2774 or visit bcbsri.kaizenhealth.org.
Reduce trips to the pharmacy by having prescriptions delivered by mail.
You can take another trip to the pharmacy off your to-do list by having prescriptions delivered right to the door. With many BCBSRI plans, your loved one may even save money having them delivered. If they have a BCBSRI Medicare Advantage plan, they’ll pay $0 for a 90-supply of many generic drugs when using Preferred Mail Order.4
Your loved one can learn more by calling BCBSRI Customer Service.
Schedule video visits with doctors and therapists.
Not all medical visits need to be in person, and your loved ones’ doctors may offer phone or video visits as an option. BCBSRI members have coverage for clinically appropriate video and phone visits from primary care providers, specialists, and therapists.
Many BCBSRI health plans offer Doctors Online,5 which lets you talk with a doctor 24/7 about common health concerns or schedule visits with a therapist or psychiatrist on your phone or computer. Search “BCBSRI Drs. Online” from the App Store or Google Play6 or visit drs-online.com.
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1© 2000‐ Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) – All Rights Reserved. The Blue365 program is made available by BCBSRI in conjunction with the BCBSA. The BCBSA is an association of independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. Blue365® offers access to savings on items that members may purchase directly from independent vendors, which are different from items that are covered under the policies with BCBSRI, its contracts with Medicare, or any other applicable federal healthcare program. The products and services described herein are neither offered nor guaranteed under BCBSRI’s contract with the Medicare program. In addition, they are not subject to the Medicare appeals process. Any disputes regarding these products and services may be subject to BCBSRI’s grievance process. BCBSA may receive payments from Blue365 vendors. Neither BCBSA nor BCBSRI recommends, endorses, warrants, or guarantees any specific vendor, product, or service available under or through the Blue365 Program.
2Get a week's worth of meals delivered to your door up to four times a year when you get home from an inpatient hospital stay or skilled nursing facility (SNF).
3Available within our service area for HMO & HMO-POS plans only/PPO plan has out-of-service benefit of 50% coinsurance/trip. Any trip over 20 miles will count as additional trips and will be subtracted from your 24 trip total.
4Pay $0 copay for a 90-day supply of many generic drugs in Tiers 1 & 2. Your actual savings depend on the drugs you take. Call our Medicare Concierge team at (401) 277-2958 or 1-800-267-0439 (TTY: 711) for more information on mail order options. Available with all plans except BlueCHiP for Medicare Core.
5In the case of an emergency, you should always call 911. Doctors Online is not intended to replace these services and should not be used in those circumstances. Doctors Online is a telemedicine service provided by American Well®, an independent company that administers Doctors Online on behalf of BCBSRI.
6Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.