Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network continue to take steps to help our customers and members during this international public health crisis. In March, BCBS announced to cover COVID-19 lab tests and waive cost share for medical telehealth visits. Now they are making additional changes for fully insured businesses to cover COVID-19 treatment and offer more telehealth services, including behavioral health.

Below you will find the changes made to date:

• Most common behavioral therapy services through telehealth with no copay through June 30th
• Coverage of COVID-19 treatment at no cost share through June 30th.
• Cover Evaluation for and administration of COVID test, such as doctor or hospital service to obtain test – at no cost share
• Cover COVID lab test with no copay

In compliance with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) of 2020, the City of Marquette is required to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.  This emergency sick leave is in addition to any existing paid leave.  These provisions will apply from the effective date of April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 and this memorandum serves as a temporary policy for all City of Marquette employees aside from Emergency Responders who will be excluded from eligibility for the leave provided under the Act.

Under the Act, employees will be provided:

• Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis; or
• Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay because the employee is unable to work because of a bona fide need to care for an individual subject to quarantine, or care for a child (under 18 years of age) whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19, and/or the employee is experiencing a substantially similar condition.

Similarly, under the Act, employees that have been employed with the City of Marquette for at least 30 days will be provided:

• Up to an additional 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay where an employee is unable to work due to a bona fide need for leave to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19. 

Qualifying Reasons for Leave:

Under the FFCRA, an employee qualifies for paid sick time if the employee is unable to work (or unable to telework) due to a need for leave because the employee:

1. is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;
2. has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19;
3. is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis;
4. is caring for an individual subject to an order described in (1) or self-quarantine as described in (2);
5. is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19; or
6. is experiencing any other substantially-similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and Treasury.

Under the FFCRA, an employee qualifies for expanded family leave if the employee is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19.

Duration of Leave:

For reasons (1)-(4) and (6): A full-time employee is eligible for up to 80 hours of leave, and a part-time employee is eligible for the number of hours of leave that the employee works on average over a two-week period.

For reason (5): A full-time employee is eligible for up to 12 weeks of leave at 40 hours a week, and a part-time employee is eligible for leave for the number of hours that the employee is normally scheduled to work over that period.

Calculation of Pay:

For leave reasons (1), (2), or (3): employees taking leave shall be paid at either their regular rate or the applicable minimum wage, whichever is higher, up to $511 per day and $5,110 in the aggregate (over a 2-week period).

For leave reasons (4) or (6): employees taking leave shall be paid at 2/3 their regular rate up to $200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate (over a 2-week period).

For leave reason (5): employees taking leave shall be paid at 2/3 their regular rate, up to $200 per day and $12,000 in the aggregate (over a 12-week period—two weeks of paid sick leave followed by up to 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave).

Unused paid sick time will not be paid out for any reason or used for any reason other than what’s specified by the Act.  

How to Claim: To claim emergency sick time, please notify your supervisor as soon as reasonably possible.  To claim emergency family medical leave, contact Human Resources and explain (a) date leave begins, (b) date leave is expected to end, (c) whether the employee wants to apply existing paid vacation or sick time to the first unpaid 10 days of leave, and (d) arrange employee share of health insurance payments (if any).  Employee is obligated to contact Human Resources at least once a week during the leave with a status update to verify the continued need for leave.  The “Families First Coronavirus Response Act Paid Emergency Leave Request Form” will be filled out.  If necessary, required signatures will be obtained when reasonable and safe.