Please be advised that Independence Blue Cross (IBC) is offering a new portfolio of Dental and Vision Care plans for adults (aged 19 and older) featuring low out-of-pocket costs and access to a large network of providers. These plans will be available for sale online, by phone, and by mail beginning on April 30, 2014, for June 1 effective dates. Offering individual customers Specialty Services products like Adult Dental and Vision Care emphasizes customer choice and helps give members the protection they need by protecting one of their most valuable assets — wellness. 15% discount on Bundled Dental and Vision IBC offers two Dental PPO plans and two Vision Care… Read More
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IBC: Special Care program ending
As you may already know, the Independence Blue Cross Special Care SM* health care plan will terminate on June 30, 2014. Because the Special Care plan is ending, the individuals who are currently enrolled in this plan will be eligible for a special enrollment period to sign up for a plan that is compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Special Care members qualify for a special enrollment period All Special Care members will be eligible for a special enrollment period , which will allow them to enroll in an individual or family health plan. Members will have from May 1 to August 29, 2014 to enroll in a health plan… Read More
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SHOP for Small Group Customers Buying a plan through SHOP versus direct
SHOP for Small Group Customers Buying a plan through SHOP versus direct Buying plans through the Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP, provides an advantage only for employers with fewer than 25 employees that are eligible for a tax credit provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). If customers are not eligible for this tax credit, there is no advantage to purchasing a plan through SHOP. This is because… Click here to download the SHOP bulletin
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IBC and DaVita HealthCare Partners Announce Joint Venture
Tandigm Health’s innovative coordinated care model will provide higher-quality care, lower costs Independence Blue Cross (Independence) and DaVita HealthCare Partners today announced the creation of Tandigm Health. This unique joint venture, based in Philadelphia, Pa., will help deliver high-quality, affordable care to the region by combining the expertise of one of the country’s largest, most innovative Blue insurers and a nationally recognized pioneer of physician-centric coordinated care. Click here to read the bulletin Click here to read the press release from the IBC website
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HR360: Job Description Builder
HR360: Job Description Builder A well-developed job description will help you review employee performance, and hire the best candidates. Our online Job Description Builder is so simple to use. With our efficient tool, you can transform a blank page into a professionally-developed job description in minutes. Just follow these simple steps: Choose from our comprehensive library of job descriptions Check off tasks and activities as well as skills associated with the job Select from the list of physical demands or the job/ work environment or add your own. Print out a complete job description in Word or in an Excel Spreadsheet—it’s that easy! HR360 is a web based subscription service… Read More
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Health Reform: Law Repeals Deductible Limits for Small Group Plans
The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, legislation extending the “doc fix” for Medicare payments, also includes a provision that repeals the maximum deductible limits applicable to many small group health plans. As you recall, deductible limits for non-grandfathered small group plans are capped under the ACA at $2,000 for single coverage and $4,000 for family coverage effective for the first plan year on or after January 1, 2014. This legislation repeals the deductible limits as of the date health care reform was enacted (March 23, 2010). Click here to download the bulletin
Continue ReadingEd MacConnell earns Voluntary Benefits Certification
We are pleased to announce that Edward T MacConnell, President of Total Benefit Solutions has earned the certification of Certified Voluntary Worksite Professional from the National Association of Health Underwriters. Voluntary/Worksite products are not new to the employee benefit industry. However, the surge of interest in these products has accelerated as employers seek ways to help attract and retain talent. The industry has responded swiftly with new products, new features, new enrollment technologies and many changes to the underwriting rules of these products. This has created new responsibilities for agents, brokers and consultants as advising clients in this area will differentiate their value to the consumers they serve. Certified Voluntary Worksite… Read More
Continue ReadingMy Experience with Obamacare: A Freelancer Applies for Health Insurance
Our friends at Zane Benefits recently shared this comic and I enjoyed it so much I thought you might like it too: Click here to see the rest of the comic on zanebenefits.com Click here to see the rest of the comic on zanebenefits.com
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Feds: Navigators don’t need E&O coverage
Enclosed in the 279 pages of proposed rules released Friday by the Department of Health and Human Services for the public health insurance exchanges is an answer, sort of, to a question brokers have raised for more than a year — who will be liable for navigators’ mistakes? n the section of the rules discussing navigators, the Obama administration’s document says “a state or an exchange must not require that all navigators be agents or brokers or carry errors and omissions coverage.” Further, the rule says that if navigators were to be required to carry E&O insurance, this would disqualify them from being considered a “community and consumer-focused nonprofit group.” Federal law… Read More
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IBC: July 1 rate increase for individual medically underwritten plans
IBC: We want to let you know that the monthly rates for our individual medically underwritten plans will increase in July 2014. We are notifying members muchearlier than is required to give them the opportunity to enroll in a plan that is compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The reason for the rate increase. We understand that it can be difficult to afford quality health insurance coverage. While we continue to work hard to keep costs down, the cost of health care continues to rise along with our member utilization. This is why it’s necessary for Independence Blue Cross (IBC) to implement an 11.5 percent rate increase. Click the link below to read… Read More
Continue ReadingTotal Benefit Solutions Now Offering Online Enrollment with Consult-A-Doctor PLUS
Healthcare… the way it should be! Are you tired of waiting multiple weeks to go see your doctor, only to find yourself taking time off work so you can drive through traffic and sit in the waiting room for what seems like forever? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the stress and anxiety of a difficult life situation and wished you had someone you could trust to hold your hand and walk you through to the other side? Then welcome to CADRPlus, an innovative new health care program that gives you unlimited, 24/7 access to doctors and other industry professionals from the comfort and convenience of your phone or computer,… Read More
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