CareFirst 2026 Healthcare Benefit Guide - District of Columbia Government Employees

Oct 22, 2026

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield offers a simplified 2026 healthcare benefits guide for District of Columbia Government employees hired after October 1, 1987. It explains how to choose an appropriate medical plan, highlights medical and prescription drug plan features, and describes included perks such as Patient-Centered Medical Home, virtual care, cost estimators, and mental and behavioral health support. The guide also defines key plan terms, provides cost-comparison information for in-network services, and lists enrollment next steps and legal notices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Welcome

Choosing the right plan

Medical plan highlights

Prescription drug plan highlights

Perks included with every plan

Patient-Centered Medical Home

Find a doctor and My Account benefits

CareFirst WellBeing and CloseKnit Virtual Care

Blue Rewards incentive program

Mental and behavioral health support

Cost comparison worksheet

Next steps

Notes

Legal notices

Your 2026 Healthcare Benefit Guide District of Columbia Government for employees hired after October 1, 1987 Recognized as one of the 2013-2025 World’s Most Ethical Companies® “World’s Most Ethical Companies” and “Ethisphere” names and marks are registered trademarks of Ethisphere LLC. Welcome We’re glad you’re considering CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) . We know there’s a lot of information to review when selecting your health plan. We hope this simplified guide provides information that makes choosing CareFirst an easy decision. Inside, you’ll find information that’ll help you select the plan that’s best suited to your needs. Whichever plan you choose, you’ll have coverage that’s recognized and accepted by more top doctors than any other network. Plus, you’ll know that you have the support of a team that’s working everyday to improve the healthcare experience of every member. | Ready to explore your 2026 benefits?
Let’s find the best health plan for you. | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Note your enrollment dates and deadlines | Review your health benefit options | Make your selection and complete your enrollment | What’s inside? 3 Welcome 4 What’s inside? 5 Choosing the right plan 6 Medical plan highlights 8 Prescription drug plan highlights 9 Perks included with every plan 10 Patient-Centered Medical Home 10 CareFirst service Area 11 With CareFirst, you get so much more 12 So many options for when you need care 13 CareFirst WellBeing 14 Find a doctor 14 My Account benefits 14 Treatment Cost Estimator 15 CloseKnit Virtual Care 15 BlueCard and Blue Cross Blue Shield Global® Core 16 Blue Rewards incentive program 17 Mental and behavioral health support 18 Cost comparison worksheet 19 Next steps 20 Notes 21 Defending Access to Women’s Health Care Services Revision Act of 2018 23 Notice of Nondiscrimination and Availability of Language Assistance Services It helps to understand some key terms CareFirst member cost: The maximum amount providers can charge CareFirst members for a specific service. Deductible: Depending on your plan, you’ll need to pay for some services on your own until you reach your deductible. Then your plan starts helping with the cost of your care. Out-of-pocket maximum: The most you’ll pay for covered services in a plan year. After you spend this amount on care costs, your plan will pay 100% of the CareFirst member costs for the rest of the plan year. The personas represented in this decision guide are not real. The personas and quotes are used for illustrative purposes only. Choosing the right plan Everyone has their own personal needs and concerns when it comes to healthcare. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to consider what features are most important to you. Here are some examples: | | Felipe
32 YEARS OLD FORKLIFT OPERATOR MARRIED | | Susanne
45 YEARS OLD IT MANAGER MARRIED WITH 2 CHILDREN | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Felipe is young and healthy, and generally sees the doctor only when something bothers him. At this point in his life, he’s more interested in saving money than having a wide variety of options.
FELIPE WANTS A HEALTH PLAN THAT:
■ Fits within a budget
■ Has value for what he pays | | Susanne is a hard-working mom with a high-stress job and active teenage kids. She needs affordable care for her family and help managing her son’s type 1 diabetes.
SUSANNE WANTS A HEALTH PLAN THAT:
■ Has access to quality care when and where she needs it
■ Helps her manage the costs of medications | | | | Elizabeth
59 YEARS OLD SALES DIRECTOR DIVORCED | | Matt
29 YEARS OLD SOCIAL WORKER SINGLE | | Elizabeth is an active empty-nester. She wants to know that she’s got theresources she needs to cover any unexpected expenses, but doesn’t want to feel overwhelmed with options.
ELIZABETH WANTS A HEALTH PLAN THAT:
■ Includes a robust wellness program
■ Provides coverage when she tra

FAQs

Who is this 2026 CareFirst benefits guide for?

It is for District of Columbia Government employees hired after October 1, 1987.

What types of information does the guide help you evaluate when selecting a health plan?

It helps you compare plan features, medical and prescription drug highlights, included perks, and in-network costs for common services.

What key plan terms does the guide define?

It defines CareFirst member cost, deductible, and out-of-pocket maximum, and explains how they affect what you pay during the plan year.

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair