In an effort to provide direct financial relief, Medical Mutual is issuing a premium credit to Small Group fully insured (off exchange, Grandfathered, Grandmothered) customers. The credit reduces the groups’ applicable December medical, dental and/or vision premiums by 30 percent.
Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.
Due to the public health emergency extension through January 20, 2021, UnitedHealthcare will take the following actions:
In addition to testing, other changes to treatment and telehealth/Virtual Visits are outlined below.
COVID-19 treatment
The cost-share waiver for COVID-19 covered medical expenses for in-network treatment (including telehealth) when associated with a COVID-19 diagnosis has been extended through December 31, 2020, (includes COVID-related ground transportation) for fully insured and ASO groups with fully insured standards. Starting October 23, 2020, out-of-network coverage when associated with a COVID-19 diagnosis will be determined by the member’s benefit plan.
Virtual Visits
UnitedHealthcare works with Teladoc®, Doctor on Demand™ and AmWell® to help provide telehealth services to members. As of October 1, 2020, members will pay the cost-share (copayment, deductible and coinsurance) upfront for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 services. The Virtual Visit cost-share reverted to the customer-specific pre-COVID-19 cost-share in the member’s benefit plan.
Members will be reimbursed for Virtual Visit cost-share for COVID-19 Virtual Visits through the national public health emergency — currently scheduled to end January 20, 2021. No action is required to facilitate reimbursement to the member. The provider will be responsible for member reimbursement, which may take up to 60 days.
Non-COVID-19 Virtual Visit coverage at no cost-share ended September 30, 2020.
Telehealth
The COVID-19 cost-share waiver for in- and out-of-network test and test-related visits has been extended through the national public health emergency — currently scheduled to end January 20, 2021.
The non-COVID-19 in-network cost-share waiver for telehealth services ended September 30, 2020.
UnitedHealthcare will extend in-network expanded telehealth through December 31, 2020. Expanded telehealth allows members to connect with their doctor through live, interactive audio-video or audio-only visits. This includes physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and chiropractic services (audio-video only). The expansion of out-of-network telehealth ended on July 24, 2020.
UnitedHealthcare is taking short-term actions to further encourage the adoption of virtual care, while keeping a long-term vision to leverage this technology to help build a health care system that works better for everyone. UnitedHealthcare is also expanding existing virtual care solutions and introducing new resources to encourage access to primary care.
UnitedHealthcare’s focus on virtual care is part of an investment in data, technology and innovation, helping to build a more seamless, personalized and connected health system. Beginning Jan. 1, 2021, UnitedHealthcare will introduce a permanent telehealth program that will support our commitment to continually look for new and innovative ways to remove barriers to cost-effective, quality care.
Benefits may vary for self-insured customers and will be adjudicated in accordance with the member’s health plan, if applicable.
Click here to review the information from UnitedHealthcare.
Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.
Earn a one-time, per-member bonus for new Ambetter members you enroll during 2021 Open Enrollment.
NEW ENROLLMENT BONUS |
||
|
All States* |
One-Time Bonus |
Number of New Enrollments |
|
$25 per new member |
25–49 new members |
|
|
$50 per new member |
50+ new members |
|
*New Mexico policies are not eligible.
You must be the broker of record from 1/1/21 to 3/31/21 for a policy to count toward the new enrollment bonus.
Not appointed with Ambetter? Contact your Cornerstone individual team today to get started.
DCPG’s 2021 dental shelf rates for your small (2–50) groups are now available for January 1, 2021, effective dates. New this year: shelf rates are guaranteed for a period of two years on new sales. There is no impact to the renewal strategy. All shelf rate documents can be accessed here.
Groups that have terminated coverage with DCPG are not eligible for the new sale shelf rates for two years from the date of termination.
DCPG’s vision shelf rate plans are available to groups with 2–200 eligible employees for January 1, 2021, effective dates. These rates are guaranteed for a period of two years (on new sales):
Vision benefits are offered through our partnership with Avesis and accessible through a nationwide network of more than 76,000 access points. The network is made up of both independent and retail providers (Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, etc.). Additionally, benefit frequencies are based on plan year versus date of service.
Groups that have terminated coverage with DCPG are not eligible for the new sale shelf rates for two years from the date of termination.
Molina Healthcare recently announced their “Camp Molina Bonuses,” which reward agents for new and renewing 2021 members.
Total # of New Members* |
One-Time Bonus Amount per Member |
|
10–24 |
$15 |
|
25–49 |
$25 |
|
50+ |
$50 |
*This agent bonus does not apply to the state of Washington. The enrollment of any new member in Washington will not count towards these totals.
Payment Details:
Program Terms and Conditions:
# of Renewed Members* |
One-Time Bonus Amount per Member |
|
10+ |
$10 |
*This agent bonus does not apply to the state of Washington.
Payment Details:
Program Terms and Conditions:
Cornerstone’s individual team has put together a convenient checklist and maps so you can easily track which carriers are in which Ohio counties for 2021.
The checklist and maps are consistently updated as new information is released. The most updated information can always be found on the Cornerstone Resource Center under the Document Search.
Not appointed with any of the carriers on this list? Contact Lead Broker Advisor Geoff Beglen to get started!
Join Ambetter, a member of America’s largest ACA carrier network, to learn about their 2021 individual and family offerings. They will be expanding into numerous counties in the coming year with some of the most affordable plans on the marketplace.
Note: This webinar will cover the entire Midwest region.
DATE: October 15, 2020
TIME: 3:00 pm EST
MEETING ID: 982-7452-0874
Not appointed with Ambetter? Contact Geoff Beglen today at 513-629-9358 to get started!
Consider Principal dental if you’re looking to move a client to a new dental carrier.
Principal offers the following:
Principal recently reduced rates in many states and may now be more competitive in your market.
Principal’s nationwide dental network has increased from 117,000+ to nearly 127,000 unique providers.
Contact your Cornerstone representative for more information.
Effective October 1, 2020, The Dental Care Plus Group’s commission payment process will be transitioned to their parent company’s (DentaQuest) payment system.
DCPG is making this change as part of an overall enhancement to their commission payment process—including online access to commission statements (launching in 2021).
For those of you who currently receive commission payments via paper check: your September commission check (paid in October) will be mailed from DentaQuest’s corporate office in Boston and will be branded with the DentaQuest logo.
If you are interested in receiving future payments electronically, please fill out this form and follow the submission instructions on the form.
Contact your Cornerstone representative with any questions.
Throught Aetna’s new plan sponsor engagement email campaign, your clients can easily educate their employees and share information with them about their AFA health benefits. The goal of the campaign is to drive engagement, raise awareness, increase product adoption and use, and strengthen the Aetna brand.
The campaign was launched at the beginning of September and will run through December. Three emails will be sent each month—near the beginning, middle, and end of the month. The topics include:
Click here to view a sample plan sponsor email.
The new commercial open enrollment portal is now live for ordering materials and kits through O’Neil Digital Solutions, Aetna’s new fulfillment supplier. The ONEkit portal is their exclusive resource to create dynamic open enrollment materials, which can be downloaded immediately and are free of charge. It also encourages using digital first, improves efficiencies, and supports the needs for customization. Aetna has integrated AetnaTrak and Communications Hub capabilities into this one-stop vendor solution—making it easier for you to help support your small group AFA clients’ open enrollments.
You can order enrollment kits and materials quickly and easily through Producer World. Prompts on the page will direct you, depending on whether you’re ordering materials for the first time or you’ve ordered in the past.
One of the big perks of AFA plans is that Aetna helps with the preparation, filing, and delivery of 1095-B tax forms for members.
For this tax year, they will soon be processing the 1095-B forms for AFA groups with 5 to 50 employees, who have not opted out. Be on the lookout for more information coming soon.
With Q4 2020 and Q1 2021 quickly approaching, please be sure to refer to the chart below for upcoming AFA effective dates’ submission deadlines:
|
Effective date |
IMQ Elite |
Underwriting |
Sales notice |
All required |
| October 1 | 9/15/20 | 9/20/20 | 10/2/20 | 10/8/20 |
| November 1 | 10/15/20 | 10/20/20 | 11/3/20 | 11/9/20 |
| December 1 | 11/15/20 | 11/20/20 | 12/3/20 | 12/9/20 |
| January 1 | 12/15/20 | 12/20/20 | 1/4/21 | 1/8/21 |
