News

Blue Shield has released an alert reminding Small Business brokers of existing guidelines, producer rewards programs, their latest digital enhancements, and product updates.

Enrollment and termination guidelines
The 2024 Small Business Plan Administrator’s Guide includes new timelines for coverage changes and cancellations.

• Now, cancellation requests must be submitted within 60 days of the termination date.
• Additionally, groups eligible for Cal-COBRA will need to submit the Cal-COBRA Employer Notification of Qualifying Events form within 60 days.
• Review the full Plan Administrator’s Guide on Broker Connection, page 15 feature cancellation information.

Producer Rewards and bonus programs
Blue Shield offers a range of bonus and rewards programs to make sure you are rewarded for your hard work. A full listing of programs is available on the Producer Rewards page. For all programs, commission schedules, and a payout calendar visit the Rewards and Commissions page.

Digital Enhancements
Broker portal: Broker Connection is your go-to source for all things Blue Shield. From open enrolment materials to new group submissions, from plan details to managing your client list, Broker Connection helps you digitally manage your book of business.
Employer Enrollment Tool (EET): Shop, quote, enroll, and maintain your Blue Shield business in one system with the EET. Online enrollments use real-time integration, reducing processing times by 99%. Find guides and tutorial videos on your dedicated Employer Enrollment Tool resource page.
Autopay: The autopay capability lets you set up automatic payments for your clients directly from your Client List. Some of the benefits of using autopay are ensuring your clients never miss a payment, selecting the best payment type and amount for your clients, and sharing payment confirmation.
Broker Hierarchy: With Blue Shield’s improved broker hierarchy, Primary Agents can easily manage, activate, deactivate users within their agency on Broker Connection. Plus, multiple users under the same tax ID can seamlessly find information across accounts.
Broker Chat: The chat feature is available on all pages once you log in and their team is available 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST Monday to Friday. 

Product updates
Pharmacy Reimagined: In 2023, Blue Shield of California announced our next phase of reimagining pharmacy care. Collaborating with like-minded companies such as Amazon Pharmacy, Mark Cuban’s Cost-Plus Drug Company, and others, the goal is to make a more transparent and affordable pharmacy supply chain model. 
Virtual Blue: Blue Shield’s innovative Virtual Blue plan offers your clients an affordable and convenient virtual-first (with in-person care included) healthcare experience for their employees. Watch demos, member testimonials, and view a complete list of Fully Insured Virtual Blue plans for 2024.
EyeMed transition: EyeMed is the administrator of all Blue Shield of California vision plans effective 1/1/24. Members continue to have access to national retailers and the Vision Member Services number (877-601-9083) will remain the same.
Withdrawn Dental plans in 2024: Thirteen DPPO plans and one DINO plan were withdrawn from our Specialty portfolio beginning January 1, 2024. You can refer to the plan mapping grid and choose any of our other available plan options, and check out the Q2 Specialty Sales Guide.

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