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A TRUE COPY <br />CERTIFICATION ON LAST PAGE <br />RYAN L. BUTLER, CLERK <br />a. An actual price is a negotiated rate of payment in effect at the time a claim <br />is processed without any other increases or decreases; or <br />b. An estimated price is a negotiated rate of payment in effect at the time a <br />claim is processed, reduced or increased by a percentage to take into <br />account certain payments negotiated with the provider and other claim- and <br />non -claim related transactions. Such transactions may include, but are not <br />limited to, anti -fraud and abuse recoveries, provider refunds not applied on <br />a claim specific basis, retrospective settlements and performance related <br />bonuses or incentives; or <br />c. An average price is a percentage of billed covered charges in effect at the <br />time a claim is processed representing the aggregate payments negotiated <br />by the Host Blue with all of its healthcare providers or a similar classification <br />of its providers and other claim- and non -claim related transactions. Such <br />transactions may include the same ones as noted above for an estimated <br />price. <br />The Host Blue determines whether it will use an actual, estimated or <br />average price. The use of estimated or average pricing may result in a <br />difference (positive or negative) between the price Employer pays on a <br />specific claim and the actual amount the Host Blue pays to the provider. <br />However, the BlueCard Program requires that the amount paid by the <br />Member and Employer is a final price; no future price adjustment will result <br />in increases or decreases to the pricing of past claims. <br />Any positive or negative differences in estimated or average pricing are <br />accounted for through variance accounts maintained by the Host Blue and <br />are incorporated into future claim prices. As a result, the amounts charged <br />to Employer will be adjusted in a following year, as necessary, to account <br />for over- or underestimation of the past years' prices. The Host Blue will not <br />receive compensation from how the estimated price or average price <br />methods, described above, are calculated. Because all amounts paid are <br />final, neither positive variance account amounts (funds available to be paid <br />in the following year), nor negative variance amounts (the funds needed to <br />be received in the following year), are due to or from Employer. If Employer <br />terminates, you will not receive a refund or charge from the variance <br />account. <br />Variance account balances are small amounts relative to the overall paid <br />claims amounts and will be liquidated over time. The timeframe for their <br />liquidation depends on variables, including, but not limited to, overall <br />volume/number of claims processed and variance account balance. <br />Variance account balances may earn interest at the federal funds or similar <br />rate. Host Blues may retain interest earned on funds held in variance <br />accounts. <br />3. BlueCard Program Fees and Compensation <br />10 <br />