Anthem SOCA BP 2019 Summary Annual Reports are Available

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The 2019 Summary Annual Reports (SARs) for participating employers in the Anthem SOCA BP are available for download in the group’s Manage Documents folder.

The Summary Annual Report is a summary of the group’s plan information for the plan year for employers enrolled in the Anthem SOCA BP between May 1, 2018, and April 30, 2019. If a group was not enrolled in the plan during this time, they will not receive a report. Additionally, churches and government entities enrolled in the Anthem SOCA BP will also not receive a report, as they are not subject to ERISA and exempt from SARs reporting.

To access the SARs report, the group’s 8-digit Anthem group number is required. For example, the 8-digit group number should be entered as: 00123456 when prompted.

The SARs reports are for informational purposes only, there is no action required by the broker or group.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Anthem MEWA Groups Will Receive Premium-Equivalent Credits

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As a response to the challenges presented by COVID-19, Anthem will provide premium-equivalent credits the MEWA benefit plan sponsor groups based on April 2020 medical invoices. If groups also have dental Fully Insured coverage with Anthem, they will receive a premium credit on that as well.

The groups will either see the credit on their August 2020 invoice (issued in July 2020) or receive a check for:

  • 10% of the April premium-equivalent for medical plans
  • 50% of the April premium bill for dental plans (if applicable)

Anthem is working to avoid negative impact to broker commissions.

MEWA sponsors issuing the credits include:

  • Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance (SOCA) Benefit Plan
  • Missouri Chamber Benefit Plan
  • Georgia Chamber SMART Plans and Georgia FARM Plans
  • ChamberAdvantage (Kentucky)
  • ChamberCare Health Alliance (Indiana)

Information About The Dental Care Plus Group’s Shelf Rate Reduction

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The Dental Care Plus Group has reduced all dental shelf rate premiums by five percent for effective dates of July 1, 2020, through December 1, 2020. These rates will be guaranteed for two years. Updated rate documents with plan designs and underwriting guidelines are available here on their website.

DCPG will also extend a rate hold on all shelf-rate renewals for those groups with renewal dates in July, August, September, and October.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Learn More About Companion Life’s 2020 Broker Bonus Program

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For cases of 10 or more enrolled with two coverages added per group (existing and new), brokers can earn a $100 bonus per coverage written with Companion Life’s Bonus Program. See the bonus flyer below for details. Companion Life offers Dental, Vision, STD, LTD, Life and Voluntary Life programs.

Click here for more information.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Network and Program Updates From Medical Mutual

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Medical Mutual recently announced that, effective July 1, 2020, Walmart and Sam’s Club will join VSP’s Choice network as retail providers. Also on July 1, groups and members who don’t currently have retail (i.e. COSE groups) and all new business will have access to retail providers as in-network options, including VisionWorks, Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Pearle Vision locations nationwide. This applies to individual, small group, 51 to 99, 100+, and MEWA clients.

In addition, Medical Mutual announced that, effective June 2020, and continuing through early fourth quarter of 2020, they are going to transition a majority of the approximately 9,750 members currently engaged in Optum’s telephonic Disease Management program to one of the following programs, depending n the member’s needs:

  • Digital health coaching through Lark Health
  • Automated self-monitoring and survey programs through Emmi Solutions
  • Medical Mutual CQHS telephonic chronic condition management
  • Medical Mutual CQHS complex case management
  • More advanced home monitoring through our regional health system partners

These changes apply to any group that is currently enrolled in our Chronic Condition Management program.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

WEBINAR: Learn About Anthem’s SmartShopper Cost of Care Tool

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Anthem is expanding its offering of SmartShopper to all Ohio fully insured groups and will be offering to ASO clients starting July 1, 2020.

SmartShopper is a cost of care tool your clients can share with their employees to support their health and economic security. SmartShopper empowers members to save money and earn a reward by giving them full transparency into alternative, high-value, low-cost facilities for a number of established services.

You may have received an email related to SmartShopper webinars in May, which we unfortunately had to reschedule. The good news is that we have two upcoming webinars to review how SmartShopper works and how you can promote and sell the product. We will list the care services included, the member incentives and explain where and how members can self-serve.

Register for one of the two webinars below to learn more on how to leverage this great product.

Tuesday, June, 16th 10:00-11:00am ET

Thursday, June, 18th 12:00-1:00pm ET

Upon registering, you will receive an email with information about logging in to the webinar online or listening by phone.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

SOCA Benefit Plan and MEWA.io Walkthrough Video

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You may have recently received a series of messages from MEWA.io, a digital MEWA management system, highlighting Anthem’s SOCA BP Medicare and Cobra administration. MEWA.io will help to simplify the administration processes and maintain compliance to ERISA.

This system will manage the Medicare Small Employer Exception process with CMS for groups under 20 with members turning 65 years old. It will also streamline confirming required information with the employer on a recently termed employee prior to sending a COBRA or state continuation notice. These were both functions that were previously happening behind the scenes.

With MEWA.io, groups are getting a new, more efficient experience! Below is a link to a quick video from Anthem, which gives you an inside look into the new system. Cornerstone has highlighted some of the new features below.

MEWA.io will be launching June 8, 2020, for Anthem SOCA BP groups.

MEWA.io is designed to simplify administration, maintain compliance with ERISA, and keep plan costs down—all at no cost to the group.

Coordination of Coverage

  • When a plan participant terms coverage, an email is generated to the employer to verify the information on file, which can be verified with single click.
  • If changes need to be made, they can click on a link and make the changes right there if needed. In the case of multiple term records for a month, they can do this all at once. Once complete, MEWA.io will send continuation information to plan participant.

Medicare Eligible Employees

  • By default, Medicare is secondary.
  • If your group is fewer than 20, your group can use the exception request.
  • io will notify employers via email when a member becomes eligible.
  • Employers complete the forms and sign digitally. Plan administrators will confirm, countersign, and submit to CMS.

Document Center

  • Anytime an employer signs a form using MEWA.io, and the document will be stored in document center.
  • Other documents to be stored will include the MEWA agreement, MEWA information, SPD, etc.

Click here to access the walk through: https://mewa.io/soca/employer-walkthrough-email/#video

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

UnitedHealthcare Announces Premium Credits for Clients

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As you may have heard, UnitedHealth Group recently announced more than $1.5 billion in assistance and premium support to customers. These measures build upon UnitedHealthcare’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 as follows:

  • The premium credit will equate to roughly 10 percent of the group’s May 2020 fully insured medical invoice and will be reflected on their July 2020 invoice (typically issued mid-June).

*Credit percentage amount is State specific, 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.

Note that clients don’t need to take any action to receive the credit, as it will be automatically applied to their 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.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Aetna Funding Advantage Announces New Plan and Network Options

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Aetna Funding Advantage recently announced new plan and network options, pharmacy offerings, and member programs and resources for small business clients. Effective September 1, 2020, with quoting available as of June 1, 20202, here is what they’re offering:

New, lower-cost plans, locally-based networks and updated pharmacy benefits that provide more choices, cost savings and convenience

  • Nine new plans, including the Value plan and Essentials plans, which provide lower-priced options. These plans offer 5 to 12 percent1 lower expected total monthly costs than their standard AFA plans.
  • Your clients can get a jump start on the savings, with five new plans available for quoting now (for July 1, 2020, effective dates). Click here for the details.
  • Locally-based networks, with 25 of 40 offering Essentials/Value plans, increase the new plans’ savings and offer additional discounts of 8 to 15 percent2 compared to Aetna’s broad networks.
  • New Advanced Control Plan – Aetna formulary, and additional choices for members with specialty and maintenance medications. Stayed tuned for more information on these enhancements.

Refer to the plan grids on Producer World® for specifics on the new AFA portfolio options.

Value-add resources and programs that meet members where they are with affordable care

  • Virtual capabilities to help members care for their health and wellness are critical, now more than ever:
    • Members can talk directly to a doctor through Teladoc®, with 24/7 access to board certified, telemedicine-trained doctors via phone and video through the website and mobile app.
    • The Aetna Resources For LivingSM Employee Assistance Program3 assists members with all aspects of life. Aetna provides free, unlimited, in-the-moment support from consultation and guidance on emotional well-being and substance misuse, to childcare and financial challenges – 24/7 by phone or mobile app.
    • Programs like PeerFitSM, where employees can attend live and on-demand digital fitness classes, and the Attain by Aetna appSM, which offers personalized goals4 and rewards, help members meet their health goals.
  • New, through the ExtraCare® Health Program, employees can use their ExtraCare card to get 20% off thousands of CVS Health® brand products5.

Click here to learn more.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

Ameritas Offers COVID-19 Benefit Enhancements

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In an effort to help customers maintain their benefit coverage and good health during the pandemic, Ameritas as extended premium grace periods for all their customers and eliminated renewal rate increases for many groups. Ameritas has also included the following updates:

  • Elimination of dental deductibles. They will waive the deductible for all dental claims incurred July 1 through December 31, 2020. The deductible waiver does not apply to orthodontia claims.
  • Elimination of dental exam and cleaning frequency limitations. Plan frequency limitations for periodic dental exams and cleanings will be waived July 1 through December 31, 2020.

These benefit enhancements apply to fully insured group and individual policyholders.

Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.

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