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Aetna has announced starting January 1, 2024, on new sale or upon renewal, groups with 100-300 eligible employees will have access to a new offering – Mineral. This valuable resource is automatically included as part of eligible employer sponsored Aetna health plans. The Mineral Platform is a one-stop resource for small businesses, making management of HR needs a stress-free experience. Ensuring employers stay in compliance with local, federal, and state laws has never been easier. HR Experts Answer all HR and compliance questions Employee Handbook Builder Living handbook with multistate, send/acknowledgment and Spanish language functionalities. Hundreds of courses from workplace harassment and safety to professional development. HR and Compliance Library Forms, templates and other resources to keep on track and up-to-date. For More Information, Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep Today!

Blue Shield has announced updates to its COVID-19 policy for its members. While the federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) officially ended on May 11, 2023, fully-insured members can expect the following changes after November 11, 2023 (six months after the official end of the PHE) policy. Out-of-network cost-share waivers are no longer required, and cost-share may apply. There are, however, no changes to in-network coverage, and member cost-share for services received in-network will be waived. For those without out-of-network coverage, Blue Shield made a decision to continue to waive cost-shares. While members can continue to request reimbursement for up to 8 test kits per month, reimbursement will be limited to $12 per test. The member COVID-19 End PHE landing page is currently undergoing updates to reflect the changes in coverage. For more information, please contact your Dickerson Sales Rep Today!

(November 29, 2023) A health insurance megamerger is reportedly brewing. The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported on Wednesday that payer giants Cigna and Humana are exploring a combination that could shake up the power dynamics of the industry. The two insurers are discussing an all-cash deal that would be finalized by the end of 2023, according to the report. Cigna carries an $83 billion market value and Humana's market value is $62 billion, allowing a combined entity to rival the largest players in this space: UnitedHealth Group and CVS Health, WSJ reported. It would also give Cigna, and its massive pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts, a much larger foothold in the hot Medicare Advantage market. The two insurers did discuss the potential to merge in 2015, though a deal did not come together, according to the report. Click Here To Read More

Health Net issued a reminder of the regulatory requirement to make certain disclosures in connection with the offering for sale of a small employer health care service plan contract. Prior to submitting a small employer Group Service Agreement to HNCA, the solicitor’s obligation to obtain a signed statement from the small employer acknowledging that the small employer has received these disclosures. Please note that these disclosures are in the Health Net soliciting materials such as “Renewal Guides”, “Standard Proposal”, “Disclosure Form”, “Rate Guide”. These materials are available on Health Net's websites. For More Information, Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep!

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Revenue Procedure 2023-34, which increases the health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) salary reduction contribution limit to $3,200 for plan years beginning in 2024, an increase of $150 from 2023. Thus, for health FSAs with a carryover feature, the maximum carryover amount is $640 (20% of the $3,200 salary reduction limit) for plan years beginning in 2024. Of course, when carrying over funds from 2023 to 2024, 20% of the $3,050 salary reduction limit for 2023 is $610. For More Information, Click Here