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CCSB has been alerted to a phishing scam. Scammers are sending emails pretending to be from Covered California, asking you to click a link to verify your information. The fake emails might look like they're from admin@coveredca.com, sonicwall@holyfamilyaston.org, verify_admin@roxborochristianacademy.com or similar, with a subject line "2023-2024 End of the year Agent Information Verification." Please do the following: • Ignore and Do Not Click: Any email asking for your personal information verification through a link is not from us. Don't click on any links in such emails. • Check Email Addresses: Our emails only come from @covered.ca.gov addresses. Always check the sender's email before responding. • Report Suspicious Emails: If you receive a suspicious email, please let us know by calling the Agent Service Center at (877) 453-9198 or emailing smallbusiness@covered.ca.gov. For More Information, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

Effective immediately Anthem will now be accepting groups where the total number of Union and Non-Union exceed 100, but the Non-Union total employee count is under 100. Anthem will no longer include the Union employees when determining group size and those Union employees will not be considered eligible for Anthem Small Group coverage and therefore will not count towards participation. All other SG UW Guidelines will apply. Example XYZ Company has the following. 85 Union employes who are enrolled on the Union health plan 35 Non-Union employes Total Union and Non-Union count = 120 employees The 85 Union employes will be considered non eligible and will not count toward the total group size or participation. Anthem would now see this as 35 life group (35 eligible employees) and would allow them to apply for CA Small Group coverage. (all other UW guidelines will apply) Additional items • A copy of the Union Roster or Bargaining Agreement will be required when submitting these groups. • Compliance form accepted in lieu of DE9C or prior carrier bill for Non-Union • Attestation form not requiredis For More Information or Help Quoting Anthem, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

A New Chapter for Beam – With Your Support Beam has announced that the Beam Perks program has ended. Beam will continue to remain innovative, sustainable, and focused on what truly drives value to your clients. Beam is no longer just a dental company; they’ve evolved into a one-stop shop for all ancillary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, and Supplemental Health. With tools like the Beam Quoting Tool, BeamElect, and exciting new partnerships. Here’s what you need to know now: Key Dates: Groups with January, February, and March effective dates will have access to Perks as usual. For groups with April and later effective dates, Perks will be provided only if they were quoted before December 19, 2024. The program will officially conclude by May 2025. Inventory: We have sufficient stock to fulfill Perks through this transition, ensuring continuity for impacted members. Learn More at beambenefits.com For Help Quoting Beam, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

T he January account installation submission deadline has been extended to support the projected high volume of cases and delays caused by the upcoming holidays. New Business Submissions Launch My Group (LMG) – For 1/1/25 effective date, the user must click submit in LMG by 1/10/25 and electronic documents must be signed as soon as possible after submission. SG Sales via Paper – 1/1/25 effective date cases must be submitted to sbsales@humana.com by 1/10/25 . Existing Business Submissions Launch My Group (LMG) – For 1/1/25 effective date, the user must click submit in LMG by 1/10/25 and electronic documents must be signed as soon as possible after submission. Paper Plan Add/Changes – 1/1/25 effective date cases must be submitted by EOD 1/10/25 . For More Information or Help Quoting Humana, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

(December 12, 2024) IRS Releases PCORI Fee For Plan Years Ending Before October 1, 2025 The IRS has released Notice 2024-83, which sets the applicable PCORI fee for plan years ending between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, at $3.47 per covered life. The PCORI fee helps fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust, which was established as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to conduct research to evaluate the effectiveness of medical treatments, procedures and strategies that treat, manage, diagnose or prevent illness or injury. Under the ACA, most employer sponsors and insurers were required to pay PCORI fees until 2019 or 2020, as it only applied to plan years ending on or before September 30, 2019. However, the PCORI fee was extended to plan years ending on or before September 30, 2029, as part of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020. The amount of PCORI fees due by employer sponsors and insurers is based on the number of covered lives under each “applicable self-insured health plan” and “specified health insurance policy” (as defined by regulations) and the plan or policy year end date. The fee must be paid on or before July 31 each year. The fees due by July 31, 2025, are for plan years ending in 2024 and are as follows: For plan years ending between January 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024, the fee is $3.22 per covered life. For plan years ending between October 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, the fee is $3.47 per covered life. Insurance carriers are responsible for calculating and paying the PCORI fee for fully insured plans. The employer is responsible for paying the fee on behalf of a self-insured plan, including a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). In general, health flexible spending arrangements (FSAs) are not subject to the PCORI fee. Employers that sponsor self-insured group health plans must report and pay PCORI fees using the second-quarter IRS Form 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return. The second-quarter form is generally not released by the IRS until the second quarter of the applicable filing year (usually in or around May of the applicable filing year). Therefore, the Form 720 used for the 2024 filing deadline will not likely be available until around May 2025, and employers who sponsor self-insured group health plans subject to the PCORI fee must wait to file until the correct Form 720 is available. The average number of covered lives for the plan year is generally calculated using the snapshot, snapshot factor, actual count or Form 5500 method. These counting methods will be described in more detail in a future alert as we approach the 2025 filing deadline. Also note that because the PCORI fee is assessed on the plan sponsor of a self-insured plan, it generally should not be included in the premium equivalent rate that is developed for self-insured plans if the plan includes employee contributions. However, an employer’s payment of PCORI fees is tax-deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense. To Read More Click Here

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California has surpassed 1.8 million enrollees, reaching its record-high enrollment with over a week until the first open enrollment deadline on Dec. 31. This open enrollment, 143,686 Californians have signed up for 2025 coverage as of Dec. 14, marking a 3 percent increase over the same period last year. Another 1,647,162 Californians have renewed their coverage so far, a 4 percent increase over the same period last year. “We have a record 1.8 million Californians already enrolled for 2025 coverage, but history teaches us the next week will be our busiest for new sign ups,” Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman said. “We want to make sure every uninsured Californian understands that the most financial assistance ever offered through the Affordable Care Act is available here in California for 2025. Now is the time to take advantage of this financial assistance to start the New Year with affordable, name-brand health coverage and peace of mind for you and your family.” With the first open-enrollment deadline of Dec. 31 quickly approaching, Covered California is urging consumers to sign up now so they can have their health care coverage for all of 2025, beginning on Jan. 1. Open enrollment will end on Jan. 31. Nearly half of the new enrollees have come from four Southern California (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino) counties with 68,095 sign-ups. Also, nearly 39,000 new enrollees identified as Latino, while nearly 28,000 Asian Americans have signed up for coverage so far. Over 33,000 White Californians and over 4,000 Black Californians have enrolled, and over 28,000 Californians did not disclose their Race/Ethnicity. Despite the continued progress, the latest data from the California Simulation of Insurance Markets (CalSIM), a model created by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, shows that there are nearly 1.3 million uninsured Californians who either qualify for subsidies through Covered California (591,000) or are eligible for Medi-Cal coverage (675,000), and they reside all over the state. To Read More Click Here