IU Health Plans no longer exists as a separate insurer: on January 1, 2026, Indiana University Health Plans became Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. If you had IU Health Plans Medicare Advantage or an employer plan it administered, your physical therapy benefits are now handled by Anthem, so check your current card, copay and any referral or approval rules with Anthem before starting therapy. The therapist’s office verifies the details before your first visit.
Last reviewed By the Monon Therapy Collective editorial team
- Change date
- January 1, 2026
- New insurer
- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
- Medicare Advantage members
- 800.455.9776 (TTY 711), Mon to Fri 8 AM to 5 PM
- Employer-sponsored plan members
- 866.895.5828 (TTY 711), Mon to Fri 8 AM to 5 PM
What happened to IU Health Plans in 2026?
Indiana University Health Plans became Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield on January 1, 2026. The old iuhealthplans.org address now forwards to an Anthem transition page, which describes access to Anthem’s digital tools, expanded provider choices and additional pharmacy services.
For therapy, the practical effect is that Anthem now decides coverage questions, publishes your benefit documents and answers your calls. Searches for IU Health Plans physical therapy coverage now really mean the Anthem plan that replaced it, so the Anthem coverage page is the companion to this one.
Who do former IU Health Plans members call about therapy benefits now?
Call the Anthem line that matches your plan. Anthem lists 800.455.9776 for Medicare Advantage members and 866.895.5828 for employer-sponsored plan members, both TTY 711, Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM.
When you call, ask specifically about outpatient physical therapy rather than specialist visits in general. Write down the name of the person you spoke with and the date, which helps if a claim is later questioned.
- What is my copay or coinsurance for outpatient physical therapy?
- Do I need a referral from my primary care provider?
- Does physical therapy need prior authorization on my plan?
- Is there a yearly visit limit, and does it carry over anything I used earlier in 2026?
How do Medicare Advantage network rules affect former IU Health Plans members?
Your plan type still governs where you can go. On a Medicare Advantage HMO you generally use network providers and, in most cases, need a referral to see a specialist; on a PPO you can usually go out of network at a higher cost without a referral.
Whatever the plan, outpatient physical therapy remains a Part B benefit the plan must provide when medically necessary. What changes is the copay and the paperwork. The Medicare Advantage and physical therapy page covers those rules, and Indiana SHIP offers free Medicare counseling at (800) 452-4800 if you are weighing a plan change in Medicare’s fall open enrollment.
What should employer-plan members who had IU Health Plans check?
Check your employer’s current benefit booklet, because your employer chose the plan design and may have changed it at renewal. The rehabilitative therapy line shows the cost share and any visit allowance.
If your therapy started in late 2025 and carried into 2026, ask whether an approval granted under the old plan still applies or needs to be requested again. Also confirm the deductible: if you paid toward an IU Health Plans deductible before the switch, ask Anthem whether those amounts count toward your current deductible. A short call now can prevent a denied claim later; what happens if you run out of visits covers options if your allowance is lower than expected.
What if your card still says IU Health Plans?
Tell the matching team exactly what the card says and whether you have received a newer Anthem card. In the physical therapy questionnaire, list the plan as written. A person on the matching team reads it and proposes an independent therapist whose office works with the Anthem plan that replaced it, where one is available.
The therapist’s office then checks your benefits with Anthem before the first visit. Sessions are one-on-one in private suites inside FlexWerk at Carmel City Center, with garage parking a short walk away. The cost and insurance page explains how verification works.
