News
Dickerson brings you the latest weekly industry, legislative and carrier updates.
AFA Quoting, Anthem ABF Quoting, Blue Shield new Biosimilar Drug, CaliforniaChoice Q4 New Business Deadlines, Humana January Renewals & Launch My Group, Updates, News & More
Thursday, October 10 2024
Carrier Updates
Aetna Funding Advantage (AFA) quoting is simple and easy. Submitting the right information at the right time ensures a smooth process. Your steps to get a quote: Fill out the quote cover sheet and member level census. Quote Cover Sheet Quoting Resource Guide For More Information or Help Quoting Aetna, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.
Carrier Updates
Anthem continues to have success in the “level funded” space with Anthem Balanced Funding (ABF) products. Anthem is now able to quote if you have RFPs for 1/1/25 groups. For More Information or Help Quoting Anthem, Please Contact your Dickerson Sale Rep.
Carrier Updates
Blue Shield of California has drastically cut the price it will pay for an FDA-approved biosimilar of blockbuster drug Humira – purchasing the medicine at a transparent net price of $525 per monthly dose, compared to the market reported net price of Humira of $2,100.1 Starting January 1, 2025, most Blue Shield commercial members will have access to this drug with $0 out of pocket cost. These cost savings are made possible through an innovative agreement with drug manufacturer Fresenius Kabi, an operating company of Fresenius, and Evio Pharmacy Solutions, which facilitated the deal. This unique collaboration allows Blue Shield to provide members with better access to biosimilar medications with the same clinical effectiveness of a branded version at a significantly lower and transparent cost by eliminating the barriers and excessive markups often found in a traditional pharmacy benefit manager model. To Read More Click Here For More Information or Healp Quoting Blue Shield, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.
Carrier Updates
Reminder: Below are the new business submission deadline dates for Q4 of 2024: November submission deadline for CaliforniaChoice Online Enrollment/paper and ChoiceBuilder – November 7, 2024 December submission deadline for CaliforniaChoice Online Enrollment/paper and ChoiceBuilder – December 6, 2024 For More Infomation or Help Quoting CalChoice, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.
Carrier Updates
Humana has shared that January renewals are expected to be online around October 18th with employer letters following about a week afterwards. Requests for alternate plan options or rates for additional lines of coverage can be submitted via email. Launch My Group (LMG) Updates LMG allows 24/7 online availability for 2-299 new business enrollments and existing business plan adds and changes. Temporary dental ID cards can be downloaded shortly after the group number is issued (excludes Dominion DHMO). The LMG ABOUT MY GROUP template helps you collect employer-level information in advance of starting installation, see attached. To ensure the smoothest process, install the quote VERSION that reflects accurate enrollment, sold plan with riders, any applicable SCA or sales discretion and ensure that you are tied to the case as the General Agency. For More Information or Help Quoting Humana, Please Contact Your Dickerson Sales Rep.
Industry News
(By AHIP) - September marks the 50th anniversary of the bipartisan enactment of the Employee Retirement Income Savings Act (ERISA), which has ensured that generations of American workers and their loved ones can count on stable, affordable, quality health coverage. ERISA was enacted to incentivize employers to offer robust coverage to employees across the country, which is the leading source of affordable, comprehensive, and high-quality health coverage in the U.S. A 2024 AHIP survey found a growing majority of consumers (75%) with employer-provided coverage (EPC) are satisfied with their current coverage and a strong majority (74%) prefer to get their coverage through their employer rather than through the federal or state government. Seventy-one percent believe the quality of their plan is "high." A key feature of ERISA is that it established uniform standards that apply to all employees and their beneficiaries – including those residing in different states. These uniform standards enable health plans, employers, and labor unions to provide affordable, consistent and equitable coverage to all of their employees and their dependents. Among the many significant downsides that would result if ERISA were undermined, is the fact that workers and their dependent children who reside in different states would have different coverages to navigate. ERISA’s framework enables health plans to keep administrative costs low by adhering to a uniform, national standard for regulation instead of attempting to provide health plans that meet the different, and at times conflicting, requirements of each state. This framework allows employers to create flexible plans with robust coverage without the added cost of compliance with a patchwork of differing, conflicting and costly state regulations. Health insurance should be simple and effective. Patients and employers shouldn't have to jump through hoops or navigate complex regulations to get the care they need at a cost they can afford. But if each individual state sets their own unique and conflicting rules and mandates, health insurance and health care will become even more complex and costly...not less. ERISA has been central to ensuring generations of American workers and their loved ones could count on stable, affordable, high-quality health coverage. A patchwork of state-by-state regulations would increase costs and make health care harder for employers, employees, and their familes to afford, access and navigate. Protecting ERISA will help to ensure stable coverage for America’s workers and their loved ones for generations to come.
Industry News
(By Julie Appleby) October 8, 2024 - The ACAs annual open enrollment season for health plans begins Nov. 1 and lasts through Jan. 15. Current enrollees who do not update their information or select an alternative will be automatically reenrolled in their current plan or, if that plan is no longer available, into a plan with similar coverage. Last year marked a record enrollment of about 21 million people. This time around, consumers will find a few things have changed. Don’t Fall for Advertising Scams While some health plans offer small-dollar gift cards or other incentives to encourage participation in wellness efforts, they would not offer cash cards worth thousands of dollars a month to help with groceries, gas, or rent. Even so, social media and online sites are rife with such promises. Such ads are among the avenues allegedly used by unscrupulous brokers who enroll or switch plans without the express permission of consumers, according to a lawsuit filed in Florida. Also, be cautious about the websites you use to search for coverage. Type “Obamacare” or “cheap health insurance” into a search engine and often what pops up first are sponsored private sector websites unaffiliated with the official state or federal government marketplaces for ACA coverage. While they may try to look official, they are not. Many such sites offer various options, including non-ACA coverage with limited benefits, a “secret shopper” study found in 2023. Such non-ACA coverage would not qualify for federal subsidies to help consumers pay premiums. The fine print on some websites says that consumers who provide personal information automatically consent to be contacted by sales agents via phone calls, emails, text messages, or automated systems with prerecorded messages. When exploring plans, always start with the official federal marketplace’s website, healthcare.gov. Even if you don’t live in one of the 29 states served by the federal marketplace, its website provides the link to your official enrollment site when you select your state, or the District of Columbia, from a drop-down list. The federal and state marketplaces also have call centers and other ways to get enrollment assistance. The “find local help” link on healthcare.gov, for example, gives consumers a choice of finding assisters or sales agents near them. To Read More Click Here