Anthem Updates: New Producer Toolbox Dashboards, Live Chat, and More

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Live Chat and New Producer Toolbox Dashboards

Anthem’s new Producer Toolbox dashboards give you a window to your business and quick, easy access to the tools and information you use most often:

  • Frequent Tasks: Use a button to Start a New Quote, Start an Application, or View All Clients.
  • Recent Activity: Check the status of your recent quotes and applications, and upcoming renewals.
  • Commissions: View your last 3 months of commissions and access a full report.
  • Billing Summary: See the status of your clients’ invoices.
  • Last Viewed Clients: Return to clients you’ve recently viewed.
  • Popular Documents: Access all resources and forms quickly and generate reports here.
    Coming soon: Pin your favorite documents and reports.
New Producer Assistant live chat
Producer Assistant now connects you to a live representative from Broker Services or User Software Support to give you the answers you need right away, including assistance with billing inquiries.

Click here to learn more.

Anthem Joins XPRIZE to Foster COVID Testing Innovation

The Anthem Foundation and Anthem, Inc., are Founding Anchor Partners of the $5 million XPRIZE Rapid COVID Testing competition.

XPRIZE, OpenCovidScreen, and a coalition of partners are calling on the global community to develop frequent, affordable, and easy-to-use screening tests with fast results to catch COVID-19 occurrences before they become outbreaks. Affordable testing and rapid results are designed to enhance access to testing and support better, data-driven contact tracing and isolating strategies.

Click here to learn more.

New EmployerAccess Mobile App Now Available

Anthem’s new EmployerAccess mobile app has added features to make managing group plans easier. If you’re designated as the group administrator for your clients, you will be able to manage your groups from anywhere. You can make payments, find member benefit information, and view/share ID cards. The virtual Employer Assistant will help you navigate the app and find the information you need, including the latest Anthem news and notifications.

Click here to learn more.

Anthem Will Issue MLR Rebates in August

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In an effort to ease the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthem will fast-track the annual medical loss ratio (MLR) rebates that groups and individual members typically receive in late September to August.

The medical loss ratio provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) encourages health plans to spend most of the premium dollars they collect on health care costs rather than overhead. It’s a ratio of insurance claims costs to insurance premiums, and is expressed as a percentage.

In the fully insured small group and individual markets, the MLR provision requires plans to spend at least 80 percent of premium income on health care claims and quality improvement. In the fully insured large group market, it requires at least 85 percent. In markets where Anthem doesn’t meet the minimum ratio, they are required to issue rebates to employer groups and individual members. ASO plans and stop-loss insurance are excluded from the rebates.

Anthem groups and individuals in 8 states will receive rebates this year.

Anthem will send rebate checks to employer groups and individual members along with a federally mandated notice that explains MLR and how it is calculated. They are also mandated to notify employees of the groups that receive rebate checks.

ACA rules require that employers either distribute the rebate among their employees covered by the rebated plan or use it to lower premiums in the next plan year. Rebate distributions must be made within three months of the policyholder’s receipt of the rebate. Group plans that are subject to Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) laws may also use the rebate funds to pay current plan premiums.

View this FAQ for more details on the rebates.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Why Aetna International?

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Expatriates, inpatriates, local nationals, and business travelers need the peace-of-mind and confidence that comes from a strong and experienced global leader offering a comprehensive health care benefits strategy. If you have a group customer that has some sort of International exposure, Aetna International has the tools, resources, and plan offerings needed to ensure your valued customer is properly taken care of.

We are very grateful to Andy Koesterman, Aetna’s sales representative for this product, who was kind enough to provide a 1 hour CE for Cornerstone agents on international benefits.

Click here to view the PDF or contact your Cornerstone representative for more information.

All Savers Now Available for Companies with 100 to 300 Employees

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UnitedHealthcare All Savers Alternate Funding now can provide an effective solution for businesses with 100 to 300 employees looking for alternatives to traditional fully insured plans without the same risk as self-funding.

All Savers availability will be expanded to include groups sized 100 to 300, as well as groups with more than 100 eligible and at least 75 enrolled employees that fall into the following market and effective-date categories:

Aug. 1, 2020 Effective Dates

  • Arkansas
  • Arizona
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Iowa
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Missouri
  • New Mexico
  • Nevada
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Texas
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Sept. 1, 2020 Effective Dates

  • Colorado
  • Florida
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Minnesota
  • Michigan
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina
  • Nebraska
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Rhode Island
  • Tennessee
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Washington
  • West Virginia

Additional markets will be added in the coming months.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Important ACA Updates From Medical Mutual

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Below is a selection of important product updates, coverage changes, and business tips from Medical Mutual:

  • Medical Mutual’s off-exchange application now includes Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) as a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). If you have a group offering an ICHRA or a new employee enrolling in an ICHRA, he or she can select this new SEP. Members can submit this ICHRA form for proof of SEP. They can also submit proof of hire and ICHRA eligibility as SEP documentation. Please refer to the SEP grid for additional SEPs and documentation requirements.
  • Medical Mutual has extended the timeframe during which cost sharing for all treatments related to COVID-19 will be waived through July 24, 2020. Treatments include hospitalizations and ground ambulance transfers for individuals with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
  • Members losing Medical Mutual group coverage due to COVID-19 can consider an individual ACA health plan or Medical Mutual short-term plan. Medical Mutual will allow a deductible credit toward a new Medical Mutual individual plan and may be able to help expedite the new plan’s effective date to help eliminate or minimize gaps in coverage for members.
  • As a reminder, the grace period for non-subsidized individual business has been temporarily extended to 60 days.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Sell More and Earn More with the Anthem New Business Bonus

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Sell more, earn more!

New Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance Benefit Plan and ACA groups sold with effective dates between August 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, are eligible. Earn even more if you sell a line of specialty along with the medical.

SOCA Benefit Plan/ACA New Business Bonus

Tier

Contracts Sold

Payout Rate Per Contract

1

Under 50

$25

2

50–124

$100

3

125–199

$125

4

200–399

$150

5

400+

$175

Sell a line of Specialty along with the medical and earn even more!

10 percent multiplier if 25 percent of new groups include a line of specialty

20 percent multiplier if 40 percent of new groups include a line of specialty

Here are the program details:

  • Group needs to still be active with Anthem as of February 1, 2021
  • Agent of record changes do not qualify for the bonus payout Existing Anthem clients that transfer to the SOCA Benefit Plan or an ACA plan are not eligible for the bonus program
  • New contracts on existing groups are not eligible for the bonus program
  • Payout will be a one-time payment targeted for March/April 2021
  • Bonuses will be paid based on current Anthem commission and licensing contracts
  • Incentive payments will be disclosed and reported where required by applicable law
  • Anthem reserves the right to adjust future bonus amounts if groups are termed retroactively after the period’s bonus program calculations and payments have been made
  • Bonus payments are based on enrolled contracts as of the original effective month.

WEBINAR WITH CE AVAILABLE: Get the Latest Updates on Aetna’s New Plans for Groups

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Cornerstone is hosting a two-hour web-based training and CE session. Get the latest updates on Aetna’s new plans available September 1 along with 1 hour Ohio CE on Wednesday, July 15 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

The Aetna team will review updates to their employer plan portfolio available September 1, go over their current plans and  value adds.

The CE is “Understanding an Employer’s Risk to Global Assignments,” a one hour CE course covering several topics for groups with International exposure, such as risk diversity by population, compliance, health and well-being, employee safety, global security, and mitigating strategies. Presented by Andy Koesterman.

YOU MUST REGISTER AND COMPLETE A FORM BY JULY 10, 2020:

1. Click here when the webinar starts.

(The session password is Cornerstone2020! If you don’t have WebEx loaded on your computer, there is an option to join by web browser.)

2. To receive CE credit for this course, please fill out this attestation and licensing information document and return it to koestermana@aetna.com by Friday, July 10, 2020.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Earn Money with Humana’s Ancillary Bonus Programs!

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It’s as easy as 1,2,3 to earn additional money with Humana ancillary products (dental, vision, and life). See the flyers below for three easy programs to earn you bonus dollars August 2020 through December 2020.

Humana 2020 First-Case Bonus

Humana 2020 Bundling Bonus

Humana 2020 Dental Growth Bonus

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Humana Small Group Quoting Requirements

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Humana has released new requirements for quoting Level Funded and NKY Chamber products. Click here for the new Humana coversheet. We have highlighted a few of the new changes below that are now in effect.

Important Changes:

Ohio and Kentucky Alert!

  • In order to quote Humana Level Funded, they will now require the Level Funded application. This application has been updated in FormFire. Effective immediately, Humana Level Funded will not accept the Kentucky or Ohio 51+ application.
  • In order to quote Humana NKY Chamber quotes, they will still require the Kentucky 51+ employee application. The NKY Chamber will not accept the Level Funded application.
  • If you are quoting your group with Humana Level Funded and NKY Chamber, the group must complete the Kentucky 51+ application and the Humana Level Funded application.

Ohio Alert!

  • Health questionnaires will be required for all Ohio groups with 5 to 25 enrolled. Health questionnaires will be waived for Ohio groups with 26+ enrolled and a renewal of less than 25 percent.

Kentucky Alert!

  • Health questionnaires will be required for all Kentucky groups that are 5 to 9 enrolled. For 51+ on payroll, they will also require a Risk Assessment Form.

We have updated our Sending Forms via FormFire cheat sheet with the new form requirements.

Please contact your Cornerstone Broker Advisor with questions.

UnitedHealthcare Fully Insured Groups and the MEWA Will Receive Premium Credits Due to COVID-19

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UnitedHealth Group recently announced more than $1.5 billion in asistance and premium support to customers. These measures build upon UHC’s ongoing efforts to address COVID-19 challenges by expanding coverage, supporting the health care system, protecting the health care work force and assisting those most affected by the pandemic.

For UnitedHealthcare fully insured customers, premium relief will be available and they have recently received the following guidance:

  • The premium credit will equate to roughly 10 percent of the May 2020 fully insured medical invoice and will be reflected on the July 2020 invoice (typically issued mid-June).
    • *Credit percentage amount is State specific, if you have groups outside of Ohio the amount may be different
    • *Credit does not apply to All Savers or MEWA groups
  • Customers with fully insured dental coverage will receive a premium credit of roughly 50 percent of your May 2020 dental invoice, and the timing of the credit will align with medical.
  • Ohio Chamber MEWA groups will receive the benefit of the premium credit and received information regarding the program in their July bills. UHC has automatically applied a one-time 10 percent credit off of their medical, and 50 percent off dental, to the July 2020 invoice. The credit is part of UHC’s COVID-19 related premium forgiveness program which was calculated based on a percentage of your May premium. If you have questions related to this credit, please contact your billing or service representative or contact the Ohio Chamber directly for additional information.

Note that you do not need to take any action to receive the credit, as it will be automatically applied to your July invoice.  The credit will be presented as a single line item with a note indicating what it is for.  In some instances, where the billing system is unable to include a line item note, the credit will be included in the balance due and communicated via email or other means.

Please contact your Cornerstone broker advisor with any additional questions.  

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