Anthem Offers No-Cost, At-Home COVID-19 Testing Options

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Anthem has shared information about additional testing options for employees with symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19:

  • At-home diagnostic COVID-19 testing kit. This test is available at no charge for diagnostic testing only and now available through anthem.com or the Sydney Health mobile app. A doctor’s order, while normally required for testing to be covered, is not required when ordering through this limited program. The test typically arrives in two business days or less and provides results in 10 minutes. This test is for employees who have symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. This rapid diagnostic test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen is an over-the-counter (OTC) home test for use under an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for in vitro diagnostic use only. It is not being made available under FDA authorization for screening purposes. While Anthem does not normally cover at-home diagnostic COVID-19 testing kits unless ordered by a clinician, they have purchased a limited number of at-home testing kits for this temporary program.*
  • OTC diagnostic COVID-19 tests. If employees can’t wait for a kit to come in the mail, they can check their local pharmacies and grocery stores for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at their own expense.

Proactively educating members about these testing options helps them feel supported and confident in their care. Inform your employees about the new at-home COVID-19 diagnostic testing kit option and that they can order it through the Sydney Health app on their smartphone or online at anthem.com. Members can also go to Anthem’s COVID-19 Resource Center and select Find a Testing Center to see local testing options, order an at-home COVID-19 testing kit, and check state guidance for the latest local COVID-19 recommendations.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Digital Offerings from Anthem and More

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  • Help your clients confidently connect to affordable healthcare during open enrollment. The open enrollment period has been extended. It starts November 1, 2021, and now ends January 15, 2022.  Your clients must submit applications by December 15, 2021, to have benefits effective on January 1, 2022. Reminder: Visit the Anthem Broker Hub to find key Individual materials in one place. Click on the 2022 Individual Open Enrollment guides link at the top of the page to quickly access 2022 sales kits.
  • The complete Sydney Coffee House series is now available online. The series explored a different aspect of the Sydney Health app each month, culminating in a complete, end-to-end demonstration. Sydney is one way we invest in technology to improve our members’ healthcare experience.
  • A more comprehensive set of digital tools to improve your client’s emotional well-being arrives January 1, 2022. These digital resources use proven Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques to expand access to support and eliminate social stigma barriers.
  • Anthem has expanded their clinical site-of-care reviews to include musculoskeletal services. The AIM Musculoskeletal Services site-of-care program reviews certain joint surgeries and pain management services to determine whether the site of care is medically necessary. This program starts January 1, 2022, for your fully insured clients. It does not require any changes to member benefits.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Anthem to Return to Indiana ACA Individual Market

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After many years removed from the Indiana ACA individual market, Anthem is reentering the market beginning January 2022.  Anthem and Indiana’s largest provider network, Indiana University (IU) Health Network, have combined to offer the new Individual ACA plans. There is a map provided to show the details of the reach of this HMO network that is called Pathway Essentials Network, which is available in 45 counties across Indiana.

This new offering brings the trust and security of offering Anthem to your individual clients once again. Commissions will be competitive with a bonus included to reward producers for their productivity.

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Contact your Cornerstone representative for more information.

Big Updates for the ChamberCare Health Alliance MEWA Plan

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Starting January 1, 2022, the ChamberCare Health Alliance MEWA plan will begin partnering with mewa.io and myCobraPlan to offer COBRA services for COBRA-eligible groups. The change will apply to existing MEWA groups and new sales and will be offered at no additional cost.

For the past three weeks, you should have received a weekly email from mewa.io. The communications included many details about the upcoming change. Each weekly email also contained links to the previous communications, in case you missed any. For your convenience, all three communications are below:

So you can be on the lookout for the remaining emails, below is the COBRA communication schedule.

  • 10/11/21: Broker Mailing 1: Introducing Mewa.io and myCobraPlan for COBRA
  • 10/18/21: Broker Mailing 2: Demo Videos
  • 10/25/21: Broker Mailing 3: FAQ
  • 11/1/21: Email to MEWA employers
  • 11/8/21: Broker Portal email – This will detail what actions brokers can take on behalf of employer groups in mewa.io
  • 1/3/22: Broker Mailing 4: Program is Live

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Anthem SOCA MEWA 2022 Product Guide

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The following benefit charts show network benefits for Anthem’s 2022 SOCA MEWA products. For more plan information, please refer to the Summary of Benefits (SOB). To find a specific SOB for any of these plans, visit https://plan-summaries.anthem.com/sobdps/.

All product offerings are subject to regulatory review and approval and are subject to change.

Click here to review the product guide.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Ohio Farm Bureau MEWA Announces New Plans for 2022

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Click here for the 2022 plan grid for the Ohio Farm Bureau. The new plans feature many of Anthem’s small group staples like the Smart Shopper program. If you’d like to learn more, please contact your Cornerstone Broker Advisor for the 2022 update webinar released last week.

Anthem Early Bird Small Group New Business Bonus

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Anthem announced a broker bonus for new small group business. The earlier you submit new business, the better the bonus. See the flyer below for details on how much you can earn!

Anthem Kentucky ChamberAdvantage MEWA Employee Application Update

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Anthem KY has recently updated the Chamber Advantage employee application/health questionnaire to include a question related to COVID treatment.  See below for the updated documents:

ChamberAdvantage Employee Health Questionaire

ChamberAdvantage Enrollment Application

Please discard any Chamber Advantage employee applications you may have saved and begin using the updated version immediately. Anthem has stated that underwriting will not be accepting outdated versions of these forms.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your Cornerstone Broker Advisor.

Anthem’s Virtual Care is Now Available 24/7 for No or Low Cost

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Anthem is now offering virtual care options through their Sydney Health app:

  • Access: Members can have a video visit, chat with a doctor, or use the symptom checker anywhere, at any time, from their mobile device. No appointment needed.
  • Affordability: Virtual care doctors are available 24/7. Video visits and chats are no or low cost, depending on the health plan.
  • Whole-health support: A full suite of services is included through Sydney Health. Doctors can diagnose hundreds of conditions, make referrals, and attend to everyday wellness needs such as refilling prescriptions.

Contact your Cornerstone broker advisor with any questions.

Consolidate Appropriations Act: Impact to Anthem’s Member ID Cards

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To ensure members know where to access current information about their benefits, Anthem will add verbiage to their ID cards advising members where on the Anthem website they can find helpful, easy-to-understand information regarding their benefits. As per the CAA, this information will include the amount of the in-network and out-of-network deductibles and the in-network and out-of-network out-of-pocket maximum limitations. The updated member ID card (in a physical or digital format) will serve as confirmation that Anthem has adhered to the CAA mandate.

Per the CAA, Anthem will reissue ID cards only to groups that have benefit changes. The statute applies prospectively to plans or identification cards issued to participants after the January 1, 2022, effective date.

Anthem is committed to full compliance along with the timely implementation and execution of the regulations for their fully insured and self-insured employer groups.  Anthem is continuing to monitor the CAA as it moves through the regulatory process and will provide guidance and updates as more information becomes available.

An email advising National Accounts, Large Group and Small Group clients about this CAA compliance update related to member ID cards was sent the week of August 16.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

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