Collecting Member Race, Ethnicity, and Language (REL) Information
As a part of our ongoing commitment to improve healthcare equity, we’re launching an important initiative that will impact Premera members. Starting in January 2025, we’ll be collecting race, ethnicity, and language (REL) data from all our health plan members through a secure online questionnaire.
What you need to know
The collection of REL data is part of a nationwide mandate from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Health plans, including Premera, are required to gather this data from at least 80% of health plan members – and this is no small feat!
The purpose is to better understand our members’ diverse needs and make sure that everyone has access to quality, equitable healthcare.
How to access the questionnaire
Members will be able to access the REL questionnaire through their secure member accounts and the Premera mobile app. Employers are encouraged to share the information with their teams and remind them that providing this data is voluntary but critical to improving healthcare services for everyone.
Ready-to-share content, such as emails, flyers, and copy-and-paste messages, will be available in the employee communications library, B’link, for employers to share with their employees before the questionnaire goes live. Employers will be notified of its availability through the Employer News page and associated e-Newsletter.
Learn more
To help answer any questions, we created a series of reference documents:
- Race, Ethnicity, and Language Date: Why It Matters for Employer Groups
- Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data Gathering Employer FAQ
- 5 Things Employers Should Know About REL
Each of these resources provides detailed information about the REL data collection initiative, how it will be used, and how data will be stored securely to protect member privacy.
If you have any questions not covered in these documents, contact your Premera representative or producer.