Regence Members in Oregon Can Now Access Provider Cost Information

Health insurer enhances Treatment Cost Estimator tool allowing members to
forecast out-of-pocket costs for select provider services

PORTLAND, Ore., June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Knowing and understanding the cost of
a medical procedure before it takes place helps people to be more than health
care users - it helps them become informed health care consumers, according to
Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.

The company has unveiled an enhancement to its Treatment Cost Estimator tool
on its interactive Web site - myRegence.com - which provides out-of-pocket
costs on common procedures and services for Oregon-based Regence members. It
also allows those members to compare those costs between different health care
providers.

The original Treatment Cost Estimator was geared toward selected services and
procedures, and out-of-pocket costs were available to only a small percentage
of Regence members. The enhancement allows all Oregon-based Regence members
(excluding Regence MedAdvantage and Clark County, Wash.,-based members) to
find out their out-of-pocket costs in a real-time Web-based platform.

"The lack of accurate, comparable information about the cost of medical care
is one of the primary drivers of system inefficiency and questions about
value," said Ralph Prows, M.D., senior medical director at Regence. "Without
it, patients and their physicians are left ill-informed about the cost impacts
of their health care decisions, some of which may be borne by the patients
themselves."

Common treatments and services included in the enhancement include:

-- Immunizations
-- Vaginal delivery with no complications
-- Digestive system endoscopy
-- Diagnostic radiology and imaging
-- Orthopedic-musculoskeletal surgery
-- Diagnostic pathology and laboratory procedures

The tool has launched early, before the July 1 effective date mandated by
Oregon House Bill 2213 signed into law in 2007. The bill requires insurers to
provide members with reasonable, individualized, out-of-pocket cost estimates
for certain medical services.

"Regence believes that informed patients make better decisions and are more
likely to be active participants in their own health care," Prows said.

Additional features on http://www.myRegence.com include the member reviews
feature where members can rate recent provider visits or services;
enhancements to the provider search feature where members can search and
compare providers based on self-reported physicians data including patient
demographics, specialties, awards and more; and the Treatment Cost Estimator
feature that allows members to look up network average costs for common
treatments and services.

Background on myRegence.com
myRegence.com is designed to help advise members on health care and lifestyle
options, provide navigation through the health care system and reward those
who make healthier choices. With myRegence.com, members can find all of their
health-related resources in one place, including claims information, fitness
and nutrition tips, medication summaries and other helpful information.
Members can even earn Regence Reward points --redeemable for gift certificates
to hundreds of retailers -- just for actively taking charge of their health.

About Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon
Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon is a leading health plan in Oregon,
with nearly one million members, offering health, life and dental insurance.
Regence is the largest health insurer in the Northwest / Intermountain Region,
serving three million members as Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon,
Regence BlueShield (in Washington), Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and
Regence BlueShield of Idaho. Each plan is a not-for-profit independent
licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Regence is committed
to improving the health of our members and our communities, and to
transforming our health care system. For more information, please visit
www.regence.com.

SOURCE Regence

Samantha Meese of Regence, office, +1-503-225-5332, or cell, +1-503-853-3730,
samantha.meese@regence.com