Capital BlueCross administers behavioral/mental health benefits for all Lehigh University medical plans.
Behavioral health benefits include services such as counseling (both individual and family), substance abuse treatment and psychiatric care. To review how your behavioral health benefits are structured depending on which medical plan you participate in, see page 8 of the 2023 Flexible Benefits Enrollment and Reference Guide.
What You Need To Know
If you or a dependent who is covered under Lehigh’s medical plan needs behavioral health services, call the phone number on the upper right corner of the back of your insurance card labeled “Behavioral Health” (see photo). That number, (1-800-216-9748 for Keystone HMO participants, or 1-866-322-1657 for PPO/HDHP participants), will be staffed by Capital Blue Cross customer service agents who will be able to guide you.
To search online for a participating provider, go to www.capbluecross.com and use their Find a Doctor search function. You can type in a service such as “Counseling” or “Psychiatry” if you’re unsure of who you would like to see. If you have a specific provider in mind already, call the provider’s office to double check that they accept your insurance coverage, or search online on the Capital site.
In all cases, don’t forget to call the number on the back of your insurance card before seeing the provider so your visits can be preauthorized.
Deciding Between Capital Blue Cross or the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Employees often wonder whether to begin seeking behavioral health services with Capital Blue Cross or Lehigh's Employee Assisance Program provider, Health Advocate. This is a common question because the services provided by both can overlap a bit. Because the EAP provides up to five free counseling sessions, their services would be recommended and suitable for more acute, short-term needs. If you feel that your concerns will not be appropriately addressed with only three sessions or the other resources available through the EAP, contact Capital Blue Cross to utilize your managed behavioral health coverage.