Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Reduces Barriers to Primary and Behavioral Healthcare by Eliminating Cost Shares for Child Visits

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire today announced it is eliminating cost shares for primary and behavioral healthcare visits for children under 19 in most employer-sponsored plans. This is the latest in Anthem’s ongoing effort to improve access to care in the state. 

“More than 50 percent of Granite Staters age 12–17 who have depression did not receive any care in the last year, according to NAMI New Hampshire. And we know from our own data here at Anthem that 70 percent of primary care visits are driven by mental healthcare concerns,” said Maria Proulx, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire. “It is important to give kids a healthy foundation now that will lead to better health outcomes for the rest of their lives, and Anthem is committed to doing what we can to reduce obstacles to care for our youngest and most vulnerable members. We do not want cost to be a barrier.”

The zero-dollar cost shares* apply to health plans offered by Anthem in New Hampshire in the fully insured large group and small group markets starting January 1, 2025, and are offered to self-funded plans in New Hampshire. Members under age 19 in eligible plans will have no cost shares for in-network primary care office and virtual visits, outpatient behavioral health office and virtual visits, and nutritional counseling visits. Additional services provided during visits may have cost shares.

Today’s announcement builds upon Anthem’s continued efforts to increase access to behavioral health support for its New Hampshire members and reduce barriers to that access. At the beginning of this year, Anthem lowered copays for behavioral health visits for members of all ages in all plans to make them the same as or lower than a primary care visit copay. Anthem has also added several behavioral health providers to its network that have agreed to bundle services into a single monthly copay for the member instead of billing services separately. This allows more services to be wrapped around members who require multiple or concurrent treatments without the burden of additional costs.

* In HSA-qualified plans, there is no cost after the deductible is met.

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About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire, Inc. HMO plans are administered by Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire, Inc. and underwritten by Matthew Thornton Health Plan, Inc. Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Anthem is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Stephanie DuBois

(603) 722-3087

stephanie.dubois@anthem.com