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Beginning on January 1, 2026, Aetna CVS Health individual and family plans will no longer be available. Aetna CVS Health plans were designed to offer the best value to its members, and they remain committed to helping members make the most of their benefits in 2025. You can count on the same plan benefits and service you have today for the rest of 2025. The last day of your Aetna CVS Health coverage is December 31, 2025. There is nothing you need to do at this time. By July 1, 2025, you will receive a letter from Aetna with more information and next steps. During the fall Open Enrollment season, you will need to choose a new health insurance plan with a different company to be covered in 2026. Open Enrollment begins on November 1, 2025, in most states. You can visit HealthCare.gov to get started. There you can view available health insurance plans or find a link to your state’s marketplace. Compare plans to save money and find a plan that best meets your needs and budget. You can call Aetna at the toll-free number on the back of your Aetna ID card if you have questions. You can also chat through your Aetna member website. For help choosing a new plan during open enrollment, please contact your Dickerson Sales Rep .

While it’s no secret among business and HR leaders that Captive Insurance has become the option of choice for organizations willing to take a non-traditional approach to managing employee benefits costs, some organizations remain wary. Alera Group’s recent webinar “Balancing Cost and Care: Could a Captive Solution Be the Right Fit for You?” dispels any exotic notions about Captives, outlining the forms they take, how they work and what kinds of businesses are best suited to them. Rise of the Captives market In one form or another, Captive Insurance has existed as a risk management solution for many decades — originally for property and casualty coverage and primarily for large employers. But its viability as a solution for employee benefits and for midsized businesses has increased dramatically in recent years, fueled by volatility in the insurance market in general and by the skyrocketing cost of health insurance in particular. As Alera Group reported in our 2025 Employee Benefits Market Outlook, “Despite inflation cooling, healthcare spending is outpacing GDP and continuing to drive premiums, as employers turn to self-funding and Captives to help contain costs.” In short, there are two main reasons more businesses are opting for Captives and choosing Alera Group as their broker: 1. Captive Insurance can provide significant cost savings opportunities, including underwriting savings, improved cash flow efficiency and elimination of volatility, and increased control over claims. 2. Alera Group’s expertise in the space has brought market leading solutions to the table, with employers seeing substantial savings, over 20% in many cases. According to the 2024 nationwide survey that informed our Market Outlook, 16% of businesses with 10-49 employees were self-funding or using some form of Captive for health insurance, with the percentage progressively greater for each size category: 19% for organizations with 50-99 employees, 33% for those with 100-499, 60% for 500-999 and 68% for companies with 1,000 or more. To Read More Click Here

It’s now easier for your clients to find and book in-network care. Blue Shield of California has launched a new online appointment scheduling feature, integrated directly into our Find a doctor tool. This new capability is powered by Zocdoc and is now available to members across all lines of business. With just a few clicks, members can check if their preferred providers offer online scheduling and book in-network medical, dental, vision, and behavioral health appointments—no phone call required. Members will see a Book appointment button next to participating providers when searching in the Find a doctor tool. Appointment availability is shown in real time, making it easier to get the care they need without unnecessary delays. Please note: This is a phased rollout. Not all providers are participating at launch . Availability will continue to grow throughout the year as more providers opt in. Highlights: • Integrated directly into the Blue Shield member website; mobile app access coming in June. • No additional account or login required; members just need to sign in to their Blue Shield account. • More than 10,000 behavioral health providers and approximately 2,300 medical providers, including primary care and specialists, are already participating. • Support for both in-person and virtual visits. For More Information or Help Quoting Blue Shield, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

California Senate Bill 729 (SB 729) was signed by Governor Newsom in 2024 and provides coverage for medically necessary diagnosis and treatment of infertility. It covers both men and women with certain group coverage and includes fertility services such as office visits, labs, imaging, drugs, and procedures, including In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Kaiser Permanente is awaiting final regulatory approval from the DMHC for our benefit offerings and implementation timing. There is a possibility that implementation may be delayed from July 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. We will release an update if any changes are required from the DMHC. Large Group Update: Access to fertility care will be expanded because of the new California Senate Bill 729. With a current effective date of July 1, 2025, as contracts renew, Kaiser Permanente will provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility/fertility treatments. Coverage details are currently being reviewed by the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC). Once the DMHC approves Kaiser Permanente's implementation approach, plan documents such as EOCs will be updated accordingly for all fully insured large employer groups that offer fertility service in accordance with SB 729. Kaiser Permanente will continue to provide additional information as it becomes available. In the meantime, you can review the coverage details below (pending DMHC approval). Please share the coverage details with your employees who will receive the expanded fertility benefits. SB 729 offers coverage for the following fertility treatments and procedures, including: • Diagnosis and treatment of infertility • Artificial insemination (IUI) • In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) *If the lifetime maximum for egg retrievals is reached, Kaiser Permanente will not cover any future services related to egg retrievals including prescription drugs. Cost share and accumulations for fertility services will match the plan's cost sharing that applies to non-fertility medical services (e.g., plan’s cost share for the same type of service, lab, imaging, etc.). Fertility drugs will be covered, equal to plan’s generic/brand /specialty cost share. For large group customers renewing between July and December 2025, the benefit will be included as part of the renewal. As a contract renews and SB 729 coverage is included, this expanded benefit will act as a benefit reset. A covered member will be eligible for SB 729 services, regardless of whether the member has accessed or exhausted any previous supplemental fertility services coverage. Small Group Update: All existing employers and brokers with INF plans, both ACA-metal and grandfathered, will receive a one-time email notification informing them of the benefit enhancements at time of renewal, beginning mid-June (pending DHMC approval). I’ll be sure to forward this update to you, our GA partner. How will a member be informed of SB 729 fertility coverage? Kaiser Permanente will provide information about fertility benefit coverage and how to access care to your employees who are members. Kaiser Permanente members can always reach out to the Member Services at kp.org/supportcenter or call 1-800-464-4000, 711 TTY available 24/7 for most services and more than 150 languages using interpreter services. Kaiser Permanente’s Member Services representatives will be able to respond to any member questions about SB 729. If a member has any questions or wants more information about these changes, they can contact member services at kp.org/supportcenter or call 1-800-464-4000, 711 TTY available 24/7 for most services, offering more than 150 languages using interpreter services. Where can a Kaiser Permanente member receive fertility services? In Northern California, Kaiser Permanente provides comprehensive fertility care at our Kaiser Permanente’s Centers for Reproductive Health (CRH) - California Fertility Clinic (Bay Area) | Kaiser Permanente Centers for Reproductive Health. In Southern California, the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) REI physicians provide IVF care in a variety of high-quality, conveniently located non-KP IVF centers within the Southern California region. All covered patients are seen at a Kaiser facility by an SCPMG REI physician who coordinates their care. Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) procedures are performed at a Kaiser facility and In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) services are performed by KP physicians at contracted facilities. For More Information or Help Quoting Kaiser Permanente, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

Health Net offers a broad suite of products and network options that bring you choice and flexibility. Here is some things you need to know regarding network participation when selling Health Net. Employers Under 250 Eligible Lives Minimum of 33% Participation Required 33-49% - Employer Selects Up to 4 Plans 50% or Greater Participation - Employer Selects Up to 6 Plans Employers with 250-500 Eligible Lives 50% Participation Required Employer Selects Up to 6 Plans Alongside Kaiser or Groups without Prior Coverage - All Groups Under 500 Eligible 33% Participation and Up to a Choice of 4 Plans Allowance for out of state PPO participation Up to 30% Out of State is Standard with Allowance for Exception Up to 60% For More Information or Help Quoting Health Net, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

Protect ACA Subsidies: There is a potential reduction in ACA subsidies on the horizon. NABIP has organized an advocacy campaign, and they need agents to participate. Congress is considering the Healthcare Affordability Act (H.R. 247 / S. 46) , which would permanently extend the enhanced ACA premium tax credits , which expire at the end of 2025. If this legislation is not passed, the impact will be swift and severe for your clients, your business, and the broader health insurance marketplace. If these credits vanish, millions of Americans will see their premiums spike or lose coverage altogether. Clients you've helped enroll in affordable plans could be priced out overnight, seriously undermining your ability to serve and support them. The Healthcare Affordability Act would protect and improve affordability by: • Setting a 0% premium contribution for households earning up to 150% of the federal poverty level • Maintaining the existing income-based sliding scale for households between 150% and 400% • Eliminating the subsidy cliff by extending credits to those earning over 400%, capped at 8.5% of income These provisions have already helped more than 20 million Americans access affordable coverage since 2021. Without action, that progress is at risk. The result? Higher uninsured rates, disrupted care, and a destabilized individual market affect every professional in our field. As trusted experts in health benefits, you understand these stakes better than anyone. Now, Congress needs to hear from you. To Read More Click Here