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Anthem is offering small group employers in California a travel and lodging benefit option you can add to your 2023 health plans at no additonal cost. Unless prohibited by law, this coveage pays a benefit toward eligible travel expenses for individual who can only access care and treatment covered by their plan in another state because that care and treatment is unavailable in the state where they reside. Click here to see the flyer

As we prepare for the upcoming Open Enrollment season, consider alternatives for your Oscar Health and PPO clients. Yet another increase is on the horizon for PPO plans (Blue Shield 15%, Health Net 8.4%) and more clients want cost effective alternatives. With the exodus of Oscar Individual as of January 1, 2024 and no EPO alternatives, they're also having to choose either an HMO or PPO. More on rate increase here. Although historically, members wanted the freedom and access to care under the traditional PPO and EPO models; with an LA Care or Molina HMO, clients have access to a wide variety of hospitals still, including Sharp, UCLA, Cedars-Sinai and more. What you can do : Take a look at the Silver PPO vs HMO example and see the differences between costs and some of the available hosptials. With the high increases of the PPO plans; your clients may consider other options while still wanting access to popular hospitals. Molina and LA Care can provide both qaulity access to care and lower premiums. Contact Dickerson Today to Get Appointed and Started!

SACRAMENTO, Calif - Covered California announced its health plans and rates for the 2024 coverage year with a preliminary weighted average rate increase of 9.6 percent. The rate change can be attributed to many factors, including a continued rise in health care utilization following the pandemic, increases in pharmacy costs and inflationary pressures in the health care industry, such as the rising cost of care, labor shortages and salary and wage increases. "While this is a challenging year for health care costs, Covered California's market remains stable and continues to deliver more choices to our consumers," said Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman. "Despite this year's increases, because of the extension of enhanced federal subsidies through the Inflation Reduction Act and new financial support from the state, Californians will have more help paying for their plan than ever. In fact, many consumers who received financial help will see no change to their monthly premiums, and some will see their deductibles eliminated entirely." Click here to read more

Fourth Annual ‘Healthcare and Employee Benefits Benchmarking Survey’ Reveals Market Trends Deerfield, IL (July 19, 2023) — A new study measuring employee benefits and human capital management challenges reveals that after navigating through a period of unprecedented upheaval, the nation is gradually returning to “business as usual.” Findings in the 2023 Healthcare and Employee Benefits Benchmarking Report published by Alera Group shed light on the persistent challenges related to healthcare and pharmacy affordability while offering signs of plan-design stability in the market. The report also illustrates how employers are adopting strategic measures to address key drivers of healthcare utilization while offering benefits plans that help attract and retain high-caliber employees. This is the fourth annual nationwide study commissioned by Alera Group to gauge employer perceptions, benefits offerings and strategies for overcoming human capital challenges. For this year’s survey, over 5,000 employers and almost one million employees were represented from companies across various sizes and industries, including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail and more. Key findings from the analysis include: High-deductible health plans (HDHPs) decline in popularity : HDHPs are beneficial as they have a lower monthly premium and a higher deductible than traditional plans. However, only 29% of the plans survey participants offer are HDHPs. Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans are growing in popularity, as companies move away from HDHPs in favor of PPOs in part to help remove barriers to primary care. Medical plan rate increases are more predictable : Sixty-four percent of unchanged plans compared with 2022 saw an 8% median increase. As the conditions most commonly targeted by employers’ disease-management programs, diabetes (91% participants), obesity (62% participants) and hypertension (73% participants) are still cost drivers of increases. Pharmacy specialty tiers multiply : As pharmacy costs continue to skyrocket, more than half of survey respondents indicated that they now offer four or more tiers in their pharmacy plans. The vast majority of plans (87%) do not cover “new” drug therapies. Size dictates funding approach: When it comes to employers' funding mechanisms, the survey reveals a disparity based on size. Smaller companies persist in fully funding their medical plans, while larger organizations lean toward self-insurance. However, intriguingly, the data indicates that self-insurance is not the overwhelming choice even among companies with over 1,000 lives, with only 62% opting for this approach. “The results of this year’s survey reflect the continuing challenges of healthcare and pharmacy affordability but also show reassuring signs of plan-design stability after years of constant disruption,” said Sally Prather, Executive Vice President and Employee Benefits Practice Leader at Alera Group. “This survey will help employers to confidently plan ahead, addressing persistent employee benefits challenges and gaining insights into employee retention strategies and emerging trends.” The aggregate report with a summary of key findings was released Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 1 p.m. CT during the How Benchmarking Can Change the Game for Your Benefits and Your Business webinar. To connect with a benchmarking expert who can answer your questions, contact your local Alera Group firm or email info@aleragroup.com . About Alera Group Alera Group is an independent, national insurance and wealth services firm with more than $1.1 billion in annual revenue, offering comprehensive employee benefits, property and casualty insurance, retirement plan services and wealth services solutions to clients nationwide. By working collaboratively across specialties and geographies, Alera Group’s team of more than 4,000 professionals in more than 180 locations provides creative, competitive services that help ensure a client’s business and personal success. For more information, visit https://aleragroup.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn.

The Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury have issued a requirement for health plans and health insurance issuers to submit an annual attestation of compliance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act's (CAA) prohibtion of gag clauses, starting 12/31/2023. Plans and issuers must annually submit an attestation of compliance with these requirements to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury (collectively, the Departments). The Ceneters for Medicare & Medicaid Services is collecting GCPCAs on behalf of the Deparments. The first GCPCA is due no later than December 31, 2023. Subsequent attestations are due by December 31 of each year thereafter. Click Here to read more