Frequently Asked Questions - Plan Options & General Healthcare

Why does my residential ZIP code affect my insurance options?
Not all plans have an adequate provider network available in every geographic area. Using your residential ZIP code to determine plan option eligibility ensures that you are not offered a product that does not have an adequate number of available network providers within a specified mile radius of your ZIP code. The plan option administrators review this annually, and if you reside within an impacted ZIP code you will be notified before annual enrollment.


What happens if I'm asked to pay for my health care services up front?
Many healthcare providers require collection of the patient’s liability for services at the time of checkout. This is an individual provider business decision. When scheduling healthcare services, it is important to ask how much the procedure will cost and know the provider’s payment requirements. You may also want to check with UnitedHealthcare or Blue Cross Blue Shield to see how much you have met toward your deductible and maximum out-of-pocket. This will help you to estimate your financial responsibility. If you are interested in working out a payment plan with a provider, you should request this at the time of service and have the plan documented in writing.


Does changing your address in Workday transfer to the Caterpillar Health Enrollment Center and to our health plan carriers?
For active employees, address changes made in Workday are transferred to the Caterpillar Health Enrollment Center. Retirees must contact the Caterpillar Health Enrollment Center directly to make an address change. Remember to review both your home and mailing address when making updates.  

These changes are passed to the health plan carriers, such as UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield.


How many ID cards should one expect to receive (dental, vision, healthcare)?
An employee should have one card for medical from your carrier of choice, one Cigna card for dental and one Magellan Rx card for prescription drugs. (If you are enrolled in +spouse, child or family coverage, you'll receive two of each card.) VSP does not provide ID cards to participants. Instead, simply tell your health care provider you have VSP, and they'll be able to look up your vision plan information.


What's the difference between a co-pay and co-insurance?
Copay: A fixed, flat dollar amount you must pay for certain health care services. You pay the co-pay whether or not you've met your deductible. The co-pay does not count toward your deductible, but it DOES count toward your maximum out-of-pocket limit.

Coinsurance: After you pay your deductible, this is the percentage amount you pay for covered health care services until you reach your plan's maximum out-of-pocket limit.