Health Benefits

Benefit Plan Options 

The city offers nine different health benefit plan options to employees. The City pays 75% of the insurance premiums and the employee pays 25%. A brief description of each is listed below. 

HDHMO: CareFirst High Deductible HMO with Health Savings Account, with Rx and Vision (dental optional*)


With this plan you must stay in the network.  Most medical and prescription expenses are subject to a deductible that will be funded by the City through a Health Savings Account. After the deductible is met, you will pay office visit and prescription co-pays. The co-pays are $10 for primary care providers and $20 for specialists. 

Preventive care will be covered in full with no deductible or co-payments. It includes:

  • well-child visits
  • adult physicals
  • routine gynecological visits
  • mammograms and cancer screenings
Health and prescription coverage are provided by CareFirst; vision coverage is provided by VSP.  

*You may also choose to have dental coverage with this plan.  Dental coverage is provided by United Concordia.

BlueChoice Advantage Open Access Plan with Vision+Rx, Dental Optional (POS*)

Advantage Plan 

– With this plan you have the option to see providers outside of the Carefirst network. However, it is important to note that there will be a deductible to meet for any services provided by out-of-network providers. The out-of-network deductible for single coverage is $500, and 2 or more is $1,000.  Carefirst will cover 70% of out-of-network costs once the deductible has been met. If you stay within the network of providers there is no deductible to meet, you just pay co-pays. The co-pays for in-network primary care providers and specialists are $30.  

Preventive care will be covered in full with no deductible or co-payments for in-network providers. Out-of-network providers benefit is 30% of allowed benefit. Preventive care includes:

  • well-child visits
  • adult physicals
  • routine gynecological visits
  • mammograms and cancer screenings
 Health and Rx coverage are with CareFirst, Vision coverage is with VSP. 

* Point of Service

Vision-Prescription only (V-P)

If you choose this option, you are taking the vision and prescription plans only.  You would not have a dental plan if you enroll in the V-P Plan and you would not have medical care from the City.

          NOTE: This option is free to employees who choose it.

Vision Coverage: [Under VSP*]

Frequency of coverage:

  • Examination and lenses once every 12 months
  • Frames once every 24 months
  • From participating providers
Examination and lenses covered in full.

  • Frames – Frame of your choice covered up to $130.00.  Plus, 20% off any out-of-pocket costs   -OR-
  • Contacts – When you choose contacts instead of glasses, your $175 allowance applies to the cost of your contacts, as well as the fitting and evaluation exam. This exam is in addition to your vision exam to ensure proper fit of contacts.

From non-participating providers (Out-of-Network Reimbursement Amounts):

  • Examination up to $46
  • Single vision lenses up to $55
  • Lined Bifocal up to $75
  • Lined trifocal up to $95
  • Frames up to $45
  • Contacts up to $105
*  Vision Services Plan

Prescription Coverage for V-P:  [Under Express Scripts]
Under the prescription benefit of the V-P option, you will be covered by Express Scripts. You will be part of a 4-tier drug program.

  • Level 1 for generic drugs;
  • Level 2 for certain brand name prescription drugs;
  • Level 3 for Non-preferred brand name prescription drugs
  • Level 4 for Injectable prescriptions (except insulin)

Vision-Prescription-Dental only (V-P-D)

This option offers an improved vision plan over the V-P Plan plus the opportunity to obtain dental coverage. 

Dental coverage

Dental coverage is provided by United Concordia.

Waive some or all coverage offered by the City of Bowie

Employees may provide written proof to the Human Resources Office stating that they are insured under another qualified health plan, if they choose to waive your City health coverage. 

Employees who select this option, will be credited $1,600 in their take-home pay, which will be spread out over 26 payrolls ($61.54 per pay).    

Employees may also choose to waive vision, prescription and dental coverage. In these instances, the City will credit an additional $250 to the employee’s take-home pay ($9.62 per pay).  Employees may waive health insurance coverage and choose to take the vision-prescription plan or the vision-prescription-dental plan or they can choose to waive all coverage.  The credit amounts are taxable income.