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Anthem Blue Cross and Scripps Health have agreed to a commercial contract, effective retroactively to January 1, 2025. Ongoing discussions resulted in the successful negotiation of this contract. Scripps Health includes the entities listed below: Hospitals- 050424 - Scripps Green Hospital 050503 - Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas 50324 - Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla 050077 - Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego 005520 - Scripps Mercy Chula Vista Other Entities- HMO Medical Groups Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines (AAB) Scripps Coastal Medical Center Hillcrest (ABA) PPO Medical Groups* Scripps Clinic Scripps Coastal Medical Center *Note: The PPO MA is on an LOA which was NOT included in the hard term Anthem has initiated the process to notify all parties who received a hospital termination letter (members, clients, brokers, agents-ABC*, physicians, and HMO groups). *ABC communications (via Broker News and Employer Access) and letter copies will be shared when the mailing is underway. The Scripps Health HMO Medical Groups are available to all members for prospective enrollment by contacting Anthem using the toll-free customer service number, 1-844-971-0117, OR the toll-free member services number on their current ID card. For More Information or Help Quoting Anthem, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

Allstate is providing three-way protection, with Group Whole Life (GWL) Complete . It helps employers offer comprehensive life coverage and helps employees get the financial protection they need to make the journey a little easier. WEBINAR: Please join us on Wednesday, May 21st at 10AM to learn more about this new benefit and how you can now offer financial protection in more ways than one with GWL Complete. Register Here The GWL Complete portfolio offers a "complete" experience for employees and their families no matter what path life takes: • Traditional life insurance that provides a death benefit for beneficiaries when a covered person dies, or • Long-term care benefit that sends the insured a monthly death benefit advance to help pay for long-term care services if needed, or • Cash value that a covered person may access if needed for an emergency With GWL Complete from Allstate Benefits, employees can expect broad permanent life protection and employers can expect customizable plan options to suit the needs of their workforce. Best of all, rates are guaranteed for the life of the policy. GWL Complete portfolio of products and optional riders: • Group Whole Life with Accelerated Death Benefit for Long Term Care Rider • Group Whole Life with Accelerated Death Benefit for Long Term Care with Restoration of Benefits Rider • Group Whole Life with Accelerated Death Benefit for Long Term Care with Extension of Benefits Rider • Group Whole Life with Accelerated Death Benefit for Long Term Care with Restoration of Benefits and Extension of Benefits Rider For More Information or Help Quoting Allstate, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

Blue Shield continues to work to implement SB 729, and they intend to be fully compliant by the July 1, 2025, deadline. For groups looking to provide support and education for their members with the new fertility coverage mandated in SB 729, as well as control costs associated with the benefits, Maven is Blue Shield’s premier women’s and family health partner. Maven’s Family Building program is available for buy-up for fully-insured and ASO and Shared Advantage clients who wish to supplement SB 729’s mandated fertility coverage with comprehensive coaching, education, and care navigation. Maven Family Building members can access: 24/7/365 dedicated care advocacy and benefits navigation within the Maven program, the Blue Shield network, and employer benefit ecosystem. Unlimited and on-demand access to a diverse virtual network of providers specialized in fertility and family building at no cost to the member. Personalized and guided content, including care plans, articles, assessments, live and on-demand classes, and community forums. Blue Shield will communicate any updates as they become available. If You Have Any Questions or Would Like More Information, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

Covered California for Small Business (CCSB) is committed to providing employers with the tools and resources to simplify managing employees' benefits. They have created ASKCCSB to answer your frequently asked questions. ASKCCSB answers some of the most frequently asked questions that their Call Center receives. If you have any additional questions, please contact your Dickerson Sales Rep. #1 How can an employer establish an employer account and apply for coverage? To apply for health care coverage, start by visiting the Covered California for Small Business website and selecting "MyCCSB Login." Then, choose "Create an Employer Account" to begin your application. Keep an eye on your email for a message from Covered California for Small Business, containing a link to establish your username and complete your account setup on the portal. For further assistance, download our detailed step-by-step guide. #2 How to establish a username and password for the MyCCSB portal? Username: Must consist solely of alphanumeric characters and may not contain any spaces or special characters. Password: Must be at least 8 characters long and include at least one uppercase letter (A-Z), one lowercase letter (a-z), one digit (0-9), and one special character (e.g., !, @, #). #3 What does selecting the 'paperless' option through the MyCCSB Portal mean? Employers will transition from receiving paper copies of invoices and notices by mail to receiving email notifications when a document is ready for review on the MyCCSB Portal. You must log in to the portal to access the document, as it will not be sent directly via email. Additionally, you can update your delivery preferences at any time through the MyCCSB Portal. #4 How to request a quote for a new hire? A new quote can be requested by sending an email to smallbusiness@covered.ca.gov. For further details and resources, please visit Covered California for Small Business and refer to our Employer Guide for information on managing your company's health benefits. #5 What is an Authorized Representative? An Authorized Representative is an individual who has been given the authority by an account holder to handle and discuss specific matters related to the account holder's coverage or services. #6 What is the benefit of designating an Authorized Representative? To ensure your privacy and the confidentiality of your sensitive health information, it's essential to designate an Authorized Representative. This enables them to manage or discuss your account on your behalf, including matters related to billing or invoices, as Covered California for Small Business Customer Service will only discuss account details with designated Authorized Representatives. #7 When can an Authorized Representative be added? In the event that an Authorized Representative was not designated at the time of your group's registration, you have the option to add one by completing and submitting the CCSB Employer Change Form, which is available for download in the 'Applications and Forms' section. For More Information or Help Quoting CCSB, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

Health Net Small Group has made enhancements to their Enhanced Choice underwriting promotion. Health Net is making it simpler than ever to enroll your small groups, effective immediately minimum enrollment is only 4 employees and no participation requirement when 10 or more employees enroll. Here’s what’s new: Minimum enrollment just dropped to 4 employees No participation requirement when 10 or more employees enroll T Groups with 4–9 enrolling employees, only need 25% participation. Plus, your clients get full flexibility to mix and match any of our plans and networks with no restrictions. Any employees who are covered under another carrier through the same employer won’t count against participation, making it even easier to qualify. Groups with 10 or more enrolling employees, there’s no participation requirement at all. Click Here for Details For More Information or Help Quoting Health Net, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

Humana has announced their expanded life rating program to include Voluntary Life, and with their simplified rating bundling with dental, vision and disability is so much easier. They also shared an annual increase option is now available, which allows subscribers to increase their total volume by up to $25,000. Criteria: • 10-299 eligible lives • Voluntary Life: minimum 5 lives for 10-99 eligible, minimum 25% participation for 100-299 eligible lives • Applicable if adding both Basic and Voluntary Life Other Features included: Open enrollment allowed at takeover, Standard guarantee issue applies and available through October 1, 2025. Annual Increase option for Voluntary Life • Humana allows all subscribers to increase their total volume for Voluntary Life coverage by up to $25,000 at policy anniversary without an Evidence of Insurability (EOI) form. • Subscribers are allowed to increase over Guarantee Issue, but subject to plan maximum. • Annual elections of the $25,000 increase must be made timely, which is 31 days before to 31 days after the policy anniversary date. For More Information or Help Quoting Humana, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.

In Rev. Proc. 2025-19, the IRS released the inflation adjusted amounts for 2026 relevant to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). Out-of-Pocket Limits Applicable to Non-Grandfathered Plans In addition, the IRS announced Affordable Care Act (ACA) out-of-pocket limits for in-network essential health benefits, which also have increased for 2026. Note that all non-grandfathered group health plans must contain an embedded individual out-of-pocket limit within family coverage if the family out-of-pocket limit is above $10,150 (2026 plan years) or $9,200 (2025 plan years). Exceptions to the ACA out-of-pocket limit rule have been available for certain non-grandfathered small-group plans eligible for transition relief (referred to as “grandmothered” plans) since policy years renewed on or after January 1, 2014. Each year, CMS has extended this transition relief for any grandmothered plans that have been continually renewed since on or after January 1, 2014. However, in its March 23, 2022, Insurance Standards Bulletin, CMS announced that the limited nonenforcement policy will remain in effect until CMS announces that such coverage must come into compliance with relevant requirements. Thus, we will no longer see annual transition relief announced. Next Steps for Employers As employers prepare for the 2026 plan year, they should keep in mind the following rules and ensure that any plan materials and participant communications reflect the new limits: HSA-qualified family HDHPs cannot have an embedded individual deductible that is lower than the minimum family deductible of $3,400. The out-of-pocket maximum for family coverage for an HSA-qualified HDHP cannot be higher than $17,000. All non-grandfathered plans (whether HDHP or non-HDHP) must cap out-of-pocket spending at $10,150 for any covered person. A family plan with an out-of-pocket maximum in excess of $10,150 can satisfy this rule by embedding an individual out-of-pocket maximum in the plan that is no higher than $10,150. This means that for the 2026 plan year, an HDHP subject to the ACA out-of-pocket limit rules may have an $8,500 (self-only)/$17,000 (family) out-of-pocket limit (and be HSA-compliant), as long as there is an embedded individual out-of-pocket limit in the family tier no greater than $10,150 (so that it is also ACA-compliant). To Read More Click Here