Group Benefit Updates

Allstate

• Whole Life Complete: Group Life Insurance With an Accelerated Death Benefit for Long-term Care (LTC)
  • Click here to learn more.

BCBS of South Carolina

• My Health Toolkit – New Look, New Features for Members
  • New Features
    • Online bill pay
    • New claims experience
  •  My Health Toolkit offers access to many resources, including:
    • Claims, eligibility, and benefits information
    • Contact preferences
    • Authorization status
    • ID card – save a digital version of your ID card for faster access
    • Make payments (New for Medicare Supplement and U65 legacy plan members!) 
  • Click here to learn more.
  • Updated 04.24.

BlueChoice HealthPlan

• New Business and Retention Teams for Small Group and Individual
  • Click here to learn more.
  • Updated 04.24.

• Comprehensive 2024 Blue Option^SM Pharmacy Benefits
  • Click here to learn more.

• Women’s Health is Now Included in My Health Novel^SM
  • The Women’s Health Chapter of My Health Novel provides free support and solutions for the health struggles women face at various stages of life. Women can choose from a range of programs that will support them as they pursue their unique goals.
  • To learn more about how BlueChoice can assist you on your health journey, click here.
  • Click here to learn more.
  • Updated 03.24.

• Government Requires Annual Reporting on Pharmacy/Medical Spending
  • BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina is notifying employer groups that requests for their 2023 Pharmacy Benefits and Drug Costs (RxDC) reports will be sent on Friday, March 1, 2024. Requests will be sent by email from BCHP CAA Reporting via Smartsheet and will explain the data we need for the 2023 calendar year.
  • Please note: Group information must be sent to us by April 1, 2024, in order for us to meet the June 1, 2024, filing deadline.
  • Click here to learn more.
  • Updated 04.24.

• Blue Option – With Blue Option, your clients will have access to care, wherever they are!
  • BlueCard^® Program Provides Access to Care Nationwide
    • Your Blue Option clients traveling outside of South Carolina can locate participating doctors and hospitals nationwide. When they use a doctor or hospital through BlueCard, they receive the highest level of benefits.
    • Members should talk to their providers, including facility, lab, etc., to ensure they are participating in our network or the BlueCard network prior to having services rendered.
  •  Blue Cross Blue Shield Global^® Core Provides Access to Care Worldwide
    • Blue Option members take their health care benefits with them when they are abroad. Through the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Core program, they have access to doctors and hospitals around the world.
  • If you have questions, please contact your BlueChoice^® representative.
  • Updated 04.24.

Cigna Healthcare

• An Important Update From Cigna Healthcare
  • Cigna Pharmacy Management is pleased to provide you with the formulary updates that will be effective July 1, 2024.
  • As clients and customers continue to face financial burdens, lowering drug cost is more important than ever. Cigna Pharmacy Management’s July 2024 formulary changes – which encompass our low net drug cost approach – center around better affordability and improved pharmacy plan performance. If your clients have customers impacted by these changes, we will send notifications to them in late March and reminders in April and July.
  • Click here to learn more.

• Client Action Requested: All Payer Claims Database Opt-In, Opt-Out
  • Twenty-three states have laws requiring third-party administrators, health insurers, and other entities to report health care eligibility and claims to the state for compilation in a database referred to as an “All Payer Claims Database” (APCD). The APCDs use the data to help improve health care quality, reduce costs, and promote transparency.
  • APCD Eligibility and Claims Client Communication

• Cigna Healthcare Digital Enhancements
  • We are committed to delivering a superior experience for our customers and clients through frequent enhancements and updates to our digital experience. When Cigna Healthcare^℠ customers are digitally engaged the better the care, the outcomes and the costs.
  • Click here for details on our exciting new enhancements completed March 14 through April 10, 2024.

Cigna+Oscar (TN & GA)

• Georgia

  • Looking for more information on our 2024 Cigna + Oscar rates, plans and value adds? Click here to see more!

  • Our Silver $5000 plan is by far our most popular plan, four years running. However, did you know you can save about 7% off of those competitive rates with the Silver $6550 plan? Check out out plan grid here.

• Tennessee

  • Did you know? Cigna + Oscar Open Access Plus Bronze $9400 plan is the lowest cost option of its kind in the market! The plan is priced below their competitors AND includes a national PPO network. Check it out here!

  • Did you know that Talkspace has a partnership with Cigna + Oscar? It is a convenient and valuable addition to mental health services. It enables clients to access therapy from the comfort of their own home, promoting convenience and accessibility and allows them to prioritize their overall well-being. Click here for more information.

Companion Life

• Ward’s 50 Life-Health Companies
  • The business consulting firm, Ward Group named Companion Life Insurance Company one of its top 50 performing life and health insurance companies for the eleventh consecutive year. Cincinnati-based, Ward Group, a provider of benchmarking and best-practices services to the insurance industry, annually analyzes the financial performance of hundreds of life and health insurance companies in the United States to identify the top performers. It recognized Companion Life for achieving results in the areas of safety, consistency, and performance.

• New Portal Enhancements
  • Companion Life’s portal now includes a “Chat Now” feature that connects users to a member of their service team. It’s a simple way to get answers to questions regarding an enrollment, bill or ID card. Try it out today!

• Defined Contributions: Non-Medical Offerings
  • Click here to learn more.

Guardian

• Top Broker News-You-Can-Use for February
  • Click here to learn more.
• Guardian announces streamlined supplemental health with disability and mandated leave for a better employee experience.
  • Get a claims experience employees can count on — to learn more, click here or contact your Guardian Group Sales or Service Representative.
  • Updated 04.24.

Humana

• 2024 Humana Marketing Kit for Brokers
  • Our Broker Marketing Kit is a one-stop shop for product flyers, promotional materials, open enrollment resources, portal guides and current bonus information.

• 2024 Producer Partnership Plan
  • This document contains information on our 2024 Growth Bonus, as well as general information on our products and standard commissions.

• Dental Benefits with Humana
  • Dental Bundling Bonus
    • Just Announced! Our new Dental Bundling Bonus for April – September 2024 Effective dates.
    • To earn a bonus, place a NEW Humana dental line of coverage with at least one additional Group Benefits line of coverage with the same employer during qualifying period.
  • Humana is making leaps and bounds over what is standard in the market:
    • 3 cleanings per year instead of just 2
    • 4 Periodontal cleanings per year in Preventative as opposed to market only 2 per year and in basic
    • 9,999,999 Max available
    • Extended annual max in place of carryover account
      • Extended annual max can be used year 1
      • No thresholds or limitations are applied to this benefit

• Humana has extended deadline to April 19th to provide data for the Prescription Drug Data Collection Requirements
  • View Humana’s email update here.
  • Under the CAA, health insurers and fully-insured and self-funded (ASO) group health plans are required to report data annually regarding prescription drugs and health care spending to the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury (Tri-Agencies). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is collecting the information on behalf of the Tri-Agencies.
  • Here’s what you need to know:
    • Prescription Drug Data Collection (RxDC) reporting for the 2023 plan year is still required to be sent to CMS no later than 6⁠/⁠1⁠/⁠2⁠0⁠2⁠4.
    • For your convenience, see the new links below to the surveys as you may need to assist your clients with providing this information:
      • Humana RxDC for fully-insured groups
      • Humana RxDC for self-funded groups
  • Process for submissions that are missing or incomplete by 4⁠/⁠19/⁠2⁠0⁠2⁠4
    • Humana will proceed to submit the report without the required plan sponsor data. Failure to respond will impact the ability to accurately report on the plan sponsor’s behalf, and Humana will not be responsible for any liability associated with the inaccurate report.
    • If the data is not submitted to Humana, your clients would be required to submit the 2023 information directly to CMS by 6⁠/⁠1/⁠2⁠0⁠2⁠4 to fulfill their RxDC requirements.
    • If you have any questions or need more information, please view the FAQ or contact your Humana representative.
    • Updated 04.24.

Kansas City Life

• Marketing Resources
  • KCL Company Group Benefits Product Brochure
  • KCL Product Guide
  • 10 Reasons To Do Group Business with Kansas City Life Insurance Company

• Life & Disability Insurance Marketing News
  • Business owners want to protect what they’ve built. You can offer solutions. See how our life and individual disability insurance (IDI) capabilities can help you stand out in the business market.
  • Visit our business solutions website for more resources.

• 6 ways your clients can upskill and reskill employees
  • 59% of employees are considering a job change. That could be expensive for your clients with the estimated cost to replace employees at three to four times their salary. Some employers are turning to upskilling and reskilling to help keep them.
  • Click here to learn more.
  • Updated 03.24
• Upcoming Principal Business Owner Insights Producer Webinar
  • 6 in 10 business owners want to offer additional benefits.
  • More than 1,000 business owners shared their thoughts with us on their priorities and what plans they have in place as part of our annual business owner survey. Most business owners (82%) offer non-medical benefits. And they’re offering many group benefits at record levels.
  • Find out more about what business owners said in our annual survey in the New Principal Business Owner Insights Producer Webinar on April 17 at 10:30 AM CDT.
  • Click here to learn more.
  • Click here to register.
  • Updated 04.24.

Sun Life

• Digital Education Hub
  • Broker education and training is a focal point for the agencies Sun Life partners with. In addition to event education and ongoing webinars, we have launched a digital education hub for our Broker Partners to utilize at their own discretion. This hub contains videos, recorded webinars, presentations, and job aids to assist with your educational needs. Click here to get started.

• Mployer’s New 5500 Prospecting Tool: Catalyst
  • Thanks to our preferred partnership with Mployer Advisor, we are excited to bring out MVP partners a 30-day free trial of Mployer’s new 5500 prospecting tool: Catalyst. Use this link to request your complimentary access and an email with your log-in information will be sent within the hour. Unlimited company dashboards and exports of employer insights are available with up to 20 decision-maker psychographic credits during the trial period, and you can select up to 3 states. Be sure to check out the video link within the landing page for an overview of the tool.

• RollMax Calculator and Preventative Rewards Dental Plan Options
  • Help your Clients save by quoting Sun Life’s RollMax and Preventative Rewards dental plan options. Don’t leave annual maximum dollars behind-roll them over for future Dental Care with RollMax. The Preventive Rewards option incentivizes people to get regular cleanings by adding money to the annual maximum covered by their policy when they maintain Preventive Care.
  • Try the new calculator to see how or contact your Employee Benefit Sales Representative to learn more.

• Benefits Explorer
  • Sun Life is excited to announce the launch of Benefits Explorer to help educate and prepare employees for benefits enrollment. Benefit Explorer provides access to direct links to their employer’s online enrollment, the digitally powered platform offers employees a guided path to learn about their benefits and benefits package based on their specific needs. For more information click here to watch a short demo or contact your Employee Benefit Sales Representative.

• SunLife’s Partnership with AbleTo
  • Sun Life partners with AbleTo to provide virtual behavioral health therapy and coaching for eligible members receiving Short-Term Disability or Critical Illness benefits due to cancer. Early results show that participants had improved depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Click here to read a full report of the results.
  • Last year, Sun Life also began partnering with Goodpath to provide access to virtual whole-person care and coaching for eligible members receiving benefits due to musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions affecting the back and neck or for long COVID symptoms. After receiving care for three or more months from Goodpath, participants whose condition severity was moderate or greater reported a reduction in their symptom severity. Read more here about these early results and Sun Life’s expanded health-related services.
  • Updated 04.24.

• SunLife MVP Webinar: “The Future of Human Resources: Taking A New Road Less Travelled” on Wednesday, May 1st at 1:00 PM CDT.
  •  As an MVP Partner of SunLife, The Cason Group has the opportunity to extend the invitation to SunLife’s upcoming webinar, “The Future of Human Resources: Taking A New Road Less Travelled” on Wednesday, May 1st at 1:00 PM to our advisors.
  • In a world where innovation is the most valuable currency and engagement is fundamental to future success, it is time for ‘people practices’ to become more consistent with what we know about why people make commitments— and why they don’t make commitments. In this session, Gary Heil, founder, The Center for Innovative Leadership, author, and internationally recognized expert on service and leadership, will discuss:
    • How HR professionals can more effectively measure and manage culture
    • How to develop Performance Management Processes that are more effective and more equitable
    • And more!

• Health-Aligned Portfolio
  • In an increasingly competitive labor market, prospective employees may be more attracted to benefits that facilitate access to increasingly scarce care. Sun Life is preparing for this challenge, to help you manage risk and offer a strong, health-aligned benefits portfolio. Sun Life works collaboratively to bring innovative solutions that help expand access to healthcare and benefits, reduce costs, and improve outcomes. Read more here about Sun Life’s expanding portfolio.
  • Updated 04.17.24

United Healthcare

• UnitedHealthcare + Mineral
  • Looking to keep your business ready and resilient for whatever lies ahead? Mineral™ is included as part of your UnitedHealthcare plan to help you handle even the most complex compliance issues with confidence.
  • What can Mineral help you with?
    • Keeping track of new laws and regulations
    • Reducing your administrative burden
    • Operating successfully in multiple states
    • Addressing harassment, diversity and inclusion
    • Supporting and motivating your employees
  • For more information on Mineral, click here.

• 3 Health Care Trends Expected to Impact Employers in 2024.
  • Click here to view.

• Looking for UHC marketing materials to share with clients?
  • Click here to Log in with your One HealthCare ID to access and download marketing materials.
  • Updated 04.24

• Important Reminder Regarding CAA Pharmacy Data Collection
  • We request your support in completing the necessary questions in the CAA Pharmacy Data Collection (RxDC) request for information (RFI) located on the employer/broker portal that opened Feb. 21. This will ensure that UnitedHealthcare can successfully submit the RxDC data report to CMS for any active coverage you have with UnitedHealthcare or our affiliates during the reference year. Your timely response is of utmost importance as the deadline for submitting the information to us is April 10, 2024, so the data can be prepared for submission to CMS by June 1, 2024.
  • Click here to learn more. 
  • Updated 04.24.

• Consider UnitedHealthcare’s specialty lines for your groups. We have several promotional programs that may be available to your groups.
  • Packaged Savings Program
    • 5-50 Level-Funded and 2-99 Fully Insured groups can earn a credit up to $7 PEPM on their monthly bill for adding UHC specialty lines.
  • Financial Protection Pricing
    • Ask your Sales Representative for details on how to get the most competitive specialty quote.
  • 2nd Year Dental Rate Cap
    • New UHC dental customers can get a 5% second year rate cap when they add a dental plan by 6/30/24.
  • uBundle
    • UHC Fully 51-99 Insured Customers can save up to 4% on their first year medical premiums by bundling UHC medical with UHC specialty. Click here to learn more.
    • UHC Level Funded 51-99 Customers can save up to 4% on their medical premiums by bundling All-Savers medical with UHC specialty. Click here to learn more.
  • For more information, or a UHC specialty proposal, please reach out to your United Healthcare Sales Representative.
  • Updated 04.24.
• Pharmacy Benefits and Costs Reporting Approach
  • Click here to view the United Healthcare Request for Information (RFI) Training and Overview Presentation 
  • Brokers, consultants and customers are encouraged to listen to this informational training. Viewers can also review any topic, print and download information as needed.
  • Updated 04.24.
• UnitedHealthcare and UNC Health Renew Relationship
  • UnitedHealthcare and UNC Health have agreed to a new multi-year contract as of 4/1/2024. Click here to learn more.
  • Updated 04.24.

• UHC & Employee Navigator Integration Webinar
  • Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, April 24th at 3:00pm EST to learn about the Employee Navigator and UnitedHealthcare integration and how this integration is helping 1,000+ brokers and 5,000+ companies reduce their workloads.
  • The webinar will cover:
    • Overview of Employee Navigator’s integration strategy
    • UnitedHealthcare integration details and best practices
    • A review of API features
    • Live demo of the integration process
    • Open forum Q&A
  • Click here to register.

Unum

• Introducing Mutual of Omaha as a Carrier Partner in Group Benefits
  • Starting 4/1/24, TCG will be partnering with Mutual of Omaha in Group Benefits. Contact your dedicated Sales Representative to learn more about this new partnership!
  • Updated 04.24.