Medical Plan Options

• Available for the Twin Cities and Duluth areas
  • Elect/Essential combines two provider networks that include 18 major care systems in the Twin Cities and Duluth areas
  • You and your family members choose primary care clinics (PCCs) from either the Elect or Essential care systems. You’ll need the PCC number (Excel) when you enroll
  • To change your clinic, contact Medica’s member services by the 20th of the month. Your change becomes effective the first of the following month
  • Your PCC will help you with referrals to specialists if required by your care system
  • You’ll receive the highest level of benefits by following your care system’s procedures
  • If you need to be referred to an out-of-network provider, you must also get Medica’s approval
• Care outside of your plan’s service area
  • This plan includes a travel benefit that covers healthcare as in-network when you are traveling outside the plan’s service area
  • You must use a provider in Medica’s national network for urgent, chronic, or emergency needs
  • This also works for a dependent who is a college student living out of the plan’s service area

• Available statewide only for Greater Minnesota, including the Morris, Crookston, and Rochester areas
  • Choice Regional uses the statewide Medica Choice network with over 13,000 physicians and more than 200 hospitals
  • You can see any provider who is part of the network
  • You won’t need to select a primary care clinic when you enroll
  • You can see any specialist within the plan network without a referral from your primary care doctor
• Care outside of your plan’s service area
  • This plan includes a travel benefit that covers healthcare as in-network when you are traveling outside the plan’s service area
  • You must use a provider in Medica’s national network for urgent, chronic, or emergency needs
  • This also works for a dependent who is a college student living out of the plan’s service area

• Accountable Care Organization (ACO), which offers unique networks of providers in your area
  • Medica and the network of doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers work together to deliver coordinated healthcare, information, and support to the member
  • You need to select one ACO option that you and your eligible family members will use for the year
  • You can see any primary care provider or specialist in the network without a referral
  • The ACOs have the lowest biweekly rates and high member satisfaction
• Finding your ACO
  • To be eligible for an ACO, you must live or work in one of the counties in their service area. You can view the ACO service area map here (PDF), or view the list by region, below.

List of ACO clinics by region

Twin Cities metro area
Your ACO options include:

• VantagePlus with Medica (includes Fairview, HealthEast, North Memorial, and many more independent clinics including Boynton Health and University of Minnesota Physicians);
• Park Nicollet First with Medica; and
• Ridgeview Community Network powered by Medica

You must live or work in one of these Minnesota counties to enroll in a Twin Cities ACO: 

Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Le Sueur, McLeod, Ramsey, Scott, Sibley, Sherburne, Washington, or Wright.

Southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin
Your ACO option is Medica CompleteHealth (featuring care at Mayo Clinic). You must live or work in one of these counties in Minnesota or Wisconsin to enroll in this ACO:

• Minnesota: Blue Earth, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Le Sueur, Martin,Mower, Nicollet, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonwan, or Winona
• Wisconsin: Barron, Chippewa, Dunn, or Eau Claire

Northern Minnesota, eastern North Dakota, and northwestern Wisconsin
Your ACO option is Essentia Choice Care with Medica. You must live or work in one of these counties in Minnesota, North Dakota, or Wisconsin to enroll in this ACO:

• Minnesota: Becker, Carlton, Cass, Clay, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Mahnomen, Norman, Pine, or St. Louis
• North Dakota: Cass, Ransom, Richland, or Sargent
• Wisconsin: Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, Sawyer or Washburn

Northwestern Minnesota and northeastern North Dakota
Your ACO option is Altru & You with Medica. You must live or work in one of these counties in Minnesota or North Dakota to enroll in this ACO:

• Minnesota: Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, or Roseau
• North Dakota: Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Grand Forks, Griggs, Nelson, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Rolette, Steele, Towner, Traill, or Walsh

Care outside of your plan’s service area

• This plan includes a travel benefit that covers healthcare as in-network when you are traveling outside the plan’s service area
• You must use a provider in Medica’s national network for urgent, chronic, or emergency needs
• This also works for a dependent who is a college student living out of the plan’s service area

Open access network available statewide with national coverage when traveling or working outside the service area

• Choice National uses the statewide Medica Choice network with over 13,000 physicians and more than 200 hospitals
• If traveling or working outside Minnesota, you have access to national coverage with more than 659,000 healthcare providers through the United Healthcare Options PPO network.
• You don’t need to select a primary care clinic when you enroll
• You can see any specialist within the plan network without a referral from your primary care doctor
• Choice National has the highest biweekly rates

Care outside of your plan’s service area

• Choice National includes travel benefits through the United Healthcare Options PPO national network if you are traveling or working outside Minnesota
• You can also live outside the service area

Open access network available statewide with national coverage when traveling or working outside the service area.

• The HSA plan is a high-deductible plan that comes with a health savings account (more information below).
• You don’t need to select a primary care clinic when you enroll.
• You can see any specialist within the plan network without a referral from your primary care doctor.

Not sure if an HSA is right for you and your dependents? Check out the Health Savings Accounts page for pros and cons, and answers to common questions.

Important Notice: Due to federal law, if you have any other medical coverage, including any part of Medicare, or you are on a spouse’s plan that is not a high-deductible health plan, you are not eligible to enroll in Medica HSA. However, if you are age 65 or older and delay taking Social Security benefits and Medicare Part A, you remain eligible for Medica HSA.

Additionally, enrollment in the Medica HSA plan means that you can only use the pre-tax healthcare FSA to cover out-of-pocket costs for eligible dental and vision expenses.

Care outside of your plan’s service area

• HSA uses the statewide Medica Choice network with over 13,000 physicians and more than 200 hospitals.
• If living, traveling, or working outside Minnesota, you have access to national coverage with more than 659,000 healthcare providers through the UnitedHealthcare Options PPO network.

About health savings accounts

• In addition to coverage under the Medica HSA health plan, you also are able to contribute pre-tax money from each paycheck into a health savings account.
• Funds are contributed equally over the number of pay periods remaining in the year.
• The University will contribute $750 to your HSA account for employee-only coverage and $1,500 for family coverage.
• When enrolling mid-year, the University contribution amount will be prorated; however, the deductible amount is not prorated.