Medical Mutual Archives - Cornerstone Broker Insurance Services Agency

Medical Mutual Small, Mid-Size Dental and Vision Plan Updates, Pricing, and Updated Materials

January 14, 2022/in Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

As of January 1 and February 1, 2022, there are pricing adjustments and one product update for Medical Mutual dental and vision small and mid-size group products. The pricing adjustments are reflected in the new selection sheets linked in the update. These selection sheets are also updated on MyBrokerLink (and cosemewa.com for the COSE MEWA versions).

Updates Effective January 1, 2022:

Dental Small Group of 1

Product update: For Dental small groups of 1, orthodontia is no longer included on plans for new business. Existing groups with orthodontia will be grandfathered.

Dental Small Group (2-50)

VSP (51-99)

(X10475) 51-99 VSP Vision Selection Flier

Update Effective February 1, 2022:

Dental mid-size (51-99)

(X10467) 51-99 Dental Selection Flier

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Medical Review Institute of America Data Incident Impacts Medical Mutual Groups

December 29, 2021/in Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

Medical Review Institute of America(MRIoA) is an independent review organization (IRO) that the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) and many health insurers use to review and make objective decisions on the medical necessity of certain healthcare procedures. While Medical Mutual does NOT contract directly with MRIoA, two of their partners –Express Scripts and MagellanRx Management (MRx)–do use them for review of prescription and medical drug prior authorization and/or appeal requests.

On November 20, MRx notified Medical Mutual that MRIoA experienced a data incident on November 9. Express Scripts notified them on December 1. The incident was due to a cyber-attack where an unauthorized individual infiltrated MRIoA’s system, made copies of certain records, and demanded a ransom for the deletion of the information. MRIoA received confirmation from the unauthorized individual that the copied data was deleted on November 16, 2021. Additionally, MRIoA confirmed, with the assistance of third-party computer specialists, that its network is fully secured. Around 2,300 Medical Mutual members were impacted through Express Scripts and 39 members were impacted through MRx.

By the end of the year, MRIoA will send a notification letter to alert these members of the incident and what actions, if any, they need to take. MRIoA will also offer all impacted members credit monitoring and a toll-free number they can call with questions. Please keep in mind that Medical Mutual systems were NOT involved in this incident. MRIoA received Medical Mutual member data directly from either Express Scripts or MRx.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Gender Affirming Surgery Exclusion Removed for Medical Mutual Small Groups

December 29, 2021/in Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

Medical Mutual is removing the benefit exclusion for gender affirming surgery currently in place for small groups. This change will allow services related to gender affirming surgery to be covered when deemed medically necessary. Grandmothered/grandfathered groups and COSE MEWAwill see the change take effect January 1, 2022, while ACA groups will see the change at their next renewal in 2022.

There will be no immediate impact to medical rates. Certificate books will be updated to reflect the change and we will send letters to affected group officials. Grandmothered/grandfathered groups will also receive an updated certificate amendment. As a reminder, Medical Mutual does not mail certificate books to members when there is a change. However, members can always access them on their My Health Plan accounts under Benefits & Coverage.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Important Update From MMO COSE MEWA Regarding Annual Membership Dues

December 3, 2021/in Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

Medical Mutual’s new COSE dues schedule (below) will take effect on January 1, 2022. This can also be found on the COSE MEWA website at the link below:

Number of Employees	COSE Annual Dues
1 to 9	$433
10 to 25	$498
26 to 50	$622

Click here to review the schedule

Earn More on New Sale MMO COSE MEWA Health Groups!

December 3, 2021/in Bonus Programs, Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

Medical Mutual recently announced an increase to the health commission rates on new COSE MEWA accounts with an effective date of January 1, 2022. This increase in commission results in an additional $180 per contract when annualized.

The new sale commissions are as follows:

ACCOUNT SIZE	NEW SALE COMMISSION RATE
2 – 9	$40.00 per employee per month
10 – 50	$50.00 per employee per month

Please note:

This new sale commission amount is payable for the first 12 months and will revert to standard Schedule A renewal commission after these 12 months are complete.
Sole Proprietors are not eligible for the increased commission and remains at $25.00 PEPM.
Existing Medical Mutual groups that transfer to a COSE MEWA plan from grandmothered/grandfathered plans, another MEWA or an ACA plan are not eligible.

These new sale commission rates will be included in the Ohio Standard Commission Schedule for Health and Life Accounts (Schedule A) which will be released prior to Dec. 1, 2021.

Medical Mutual also released information about their new bonus program. Click here to learn more.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Medical Mutual Annual Mailings to Collect Missing Dependent Social Security Numbers

October 22, 2021/in Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

Medical Mutual will soon send out a letter to members who have not submitted Social Security numbers for their covered spouses and/or dependents. To capture any members whose policies take effect after this mailing, another mailing is planned for December.

Click here to review the letter.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Updated MMO COSE MEWA Commissions for January 1 Effective Dates Only

October 18, 2021/in Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

Medical Mutual recently announced an increase to the health commission rates on new COSE MEWA accounts with an effective date of January 1, 2022.

The new sale commissions are as follows:

Account Size	New Sale Commission Rate
2 to 9	$40.00 per employee per month
10 to 50	$50.00 per employee per month

Please note:

This new sale commission amount is payable for the first 12 months and will revert to standard Schedule A renewal commission after these 12 months are complete
Sole Proprietors are not eligible for the increased commission and remains at $25.00 PEPM.
Existing Medical Mutual groups that transfer to a COSE MEWA plan from grandmothered/grandfathered plans, another MEWA or an ACA plan are not

These new sale commission rates will be included in the Ohio Standard Commission Schedule for Health and Life Accounts (Schedule A) which will be released prior to December 1, 2021.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

2022 Medical Mutual of Ohio COSE MEWA Benefit Plan Updates

August 20, 2021/in Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

2022 Medical Mutual of Ohio COSE MEWA Benefit Plan Updates

The COSE MEWA product portfolio is updated with plan changes for 2022. All 2022 COSE MEWA plan designs are targeted to be available for quoting by early September, coinciding with renewal releases, for an effective date of January 1, 2022. Plan details are laid out below.

Groups will be informed of these benefit changes in their renewal notification.

The COSE MEWA benefit designs have been updated for the preferred provider organization (PPO), health savings account (HSA) and health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) plan options. There are no changes for the 2022 benefit designs for MedFlex, CLE-Care, or COSE MEWA SuperMed Share.

Significant updates include:

PPO The 30-3000 w/Rx plan is replaced with the 30-3500 w/Rx plan. Maximum out-of-pocket amounts have been updated.
H.S.A The HSA 2000 w/MMRx is replaced with the HSA 2500 w/MMRx plan. The deductible and maximum out-of-pocket amounts have been updated.
HRA The HRA 30-3000 w/Rx plan is replaced with the HRA 30-3500 w/Rx plan. Deductible and maximum out-of-pocket amounts have been updated. Updated plan grids, employer application, summaries of benefits and coverage

(SBCs) and benefit highlight sheets, are available on www.cosemewa.com

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Medical Mutual’s Extended Grace Period for Premium Payments Ends October 1, 2021

July 26, 2021/in Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

The COVID-19 State of Emergency in Ohio has ended. As a result, Medical Mutual is ending the extended grace period for premium payments. Customers who are currently taking advantage of the extended grace period must bring their account up to date by October 1, 2021, to avoid an interruption in coverage.

Contact your Cornerstone representative for more information.

Medical Mutual Update: ARPA State Continuation Premium Exemption for Groups with Less Than 20 Employees

July 2, 2021/in Carrier, Employee Benefits, Medical Mutual /by Cornerstone

As previously announced, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), enacted on March 11, 2021, subsidizes the full continuation coverage premium for “Assistance Eligible Individuals” (AEIs) for periods of coverage from April 1, 2021, through September 30, 2021.

To assist groups with fewer than 20 employees during the state continuation subsidy period, Medical Mutual has received guidance to directly apply for federal tax credits for eligible existing state continuation contracts if the member completes a new AEI 2021 Subsidy Eligibility Attestation Form.

Previously, groups were billed for state continuation premiums after they collected the premium payments from the employee. However, with a completed and signed attestation form, Medical Mutual can apply for the tax credit directly and both the group and member will be exempt from making those payments.

Medical Mutual will send the form (with a letter) to groups to distribute to all identified AEIs, who must complete, sign, and return it to their group official. The group official must then complete the “Group Use Only” section, which includes the subsidized amount of that member’s premium, and return the completed form to Medical Mutual.

Note: Some employers are subsidizing a portion of the member’s state continuation premium. If they are offering a subsidy, they cannot claim a tax credit for that part of the premium and they will need to continue paying it.

While groups will continue to see state continuation premiums for eligible existing state continuation contracts on their invoices, they will also see credits applied.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Medical Mutual Small, Mid-Size Dental and Vision Plan Updates, Pricing, and Updated Materials

Updates Effective January 1, 2022:

Update Effective February 1, 2022:

Medical Review Institute of America Data Incident Impacts Medical Mutual Groups

Gender Affirming Surgery Exclusion Removed for Medical Mutual Small Groups

Important Update From MMO COSE MEWA Regarding Annual Membership Dues

Number of Employees

COSE Annual Dues

Earn More on New Sale MMO COSE MEWA Health Groups!

ACCOUNT SIZE

NEW SALE COMMISSION RATE

Medical Mutual Annual Mailings to Collect Missing Dependent Social Security Numbers

Updated MMO COSE MEWA Commissions for January 1 Effective Dates Only

Account Size

New Sale Commission Rate

2022 Medical Mutual of Ohio COSE MEWA Benefit Plan Updates

Medical Mutual’s Extended Grace Period for Premium Payments Ends October 1, 2021

Medical Mutual Update: ARPA State Continuation Premium Exemption for Groups with Less Than 20 Employees

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