Accessibility for all

Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC)

 

Website Accessibility

 

We have adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 Level AA of the World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C WAI) as our website accessibility standard. We are working to ensure that our websites comply with that standard, as well as Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act. We are also working to ensure that all Wellpoint applications for mobile devices comply with WCAG 2.1 AA to the extent possible and within our control.

 

For more insight about website accessibility, visit the Web Accessibility Initiative website.

 

We test content for accessibility during production. Our website is also monitored and tested to identify and fix usability issues. Our current accessibility features include:

• Skip Links
• Alternative text for appropriate images and other non-text elements.
• ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes for additional information about links and indication of new browser windows.
• Structural markup to indicate headings and lists (semantics) to aid in page comprehension.
• Association of form fields with labels, and form error messages with ARIA attributes to the form field.
• Association of all data cells in a data table with their headers and only using table structures for tabular data (not for design).
• All pages have page titles and title tags written for easy comprehension of the page content.
• JavaScript and style sheets to enhance the appearance and functionality of the site. If these technologies are not available, our page design helps ensure graceful degradation.
• We validate that all links and buttons can be accessed with a keyboard in a logical tab order, and that all content is read to assistive technologies in the correct reading order.

 

PDF (Portable Document Format) Files

 

Many of the documents on this site are in PDF format. Publications in PDF can be viewed and printed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader® or other PDF readers. We work to make our PDFs accessible for use with assistive technology such as screen readers like JAWS or NVDA. This includes “tagging” for alternate text in images, table headings in data tables, and semantic structural elements like headings and lists. We also set the language and title attributes in the properties so assistive technologies know what language and pronunciation to use. Some of our older PDFs may not have these features. If you are a member and you encounter a PDF that you cannot read, please use the contact information below to let us know and to request an alternative format for the information.

 

If you do not already have a screen reader on your computer, there are free screen readers available online such as the open source screen reader NVDA.

 

If you would like more information about PDF accessibility, visit the Adobe website accessibility section. Get more help with Acrobat files generally and a link to download Acrobat Reader.

 

Usability Tips

 

Most browsers have built-in accessibility features that our websites support, from the ability to change colors, contrast, and text size to using screen readers and skip controls.

 

To zoom in or out on a web page:

• Windows OS: To zoom in press CTRL + PLUS SIGN (+). To zoom out press CTRL + MINUS SIGN (-).
• Mac OS: To zoom in press COMMAND + PLUS SIGN (+). To zoom out press COMMAND + MINUS SIGN (-).

 

To change foreground and background colors:

• Internet Explorer: Select Tools > Internet Options > General dialog page, and the Colors button. Check the dialog boxes to set individual preferences.
• Firefox PC: Select button labeled Firefox (orange) at top of screen > Options. In the dialog box, select Content > Fonts & Colors.
• Firefox MAC: Select button labeled Firefox (orange)at top of screen > Preferences > Content > Color.
• Chrome PC & MAC: Select the "hamburger" icon (for older PC versions it’s a wrench) at top of screen > Settings > Show Advanced Settings (for older PC versions Select Advanced Content) and scroll to Web Content.
• Safari PC & MAC: Is only possible by using style sheets or installing an extension theme. To use a style sheet, Select the gear icon at top of screen > Preferences > Advanced > Style sheet.

 

Alternative Formats

 

We are trying to make this website as accessible as it can be for all of our visitors. If you have any problems accessing information on this website, please let us know. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please call our technical support line at 1-866-755-2680. Members can also e-mail us by logging in to the member portal and using the e-mail feature on the Customer Support page of this website.

 

Wellpoint makes available to its members information relating to their health plan in alternative formats, including electronic, braille, large print and audio (CD or mp3). Members may request an alternative format of a member document by calling the customer service number on the back of their member ID card, or by logging in to the member portal and e-mailing us using the e-mail feature on the Customer Support page of this website. The types of documents available in alternative format include vital health plan information (for example, certificates of coverage, benefit summaries, billing information, and general correspondence), as well as health and wellness information that we publish for members, HIPAA information, and generally any other print information we make available to our members.

 

Braille materials will satisfy, whenever possible, the Braille Authority of North America’s standards for printing and binding braille materials.

 

Electronic format materials satisfy, whenever possible, WCAG 2.1 Conformance Level AA Success Criteria, and can be opened and read in a commonly used software program (such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Reader) with assistive technology such as screen readers and text enlargement software.

 

Large Print materials satisfy, whenever possible, the Best Practices and Guidelines for Large Print Documents used by the Low Vision Community, issued by the Council of Citizens with Low Vision for printing and binding Large Print materials, and are at least 16-point font (and 18-point font where possible).

 

Audio CD materials are delivered in a CD case with the name of the document provided in either braille or large print format, depending on the member’s request, and are able to be played both in a computer and CD player.

 

MP3 alternative format materials are in digital audio format compatible with an MP3 player.