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Title	Issued Date
Gag Clause Prohibition Attestation Under The Consolidated Appropriation Act The gag clause prohibition under the Consolidate Appropriations Act (CAA) prohibits health plans from entering into contracts that restrict specific data and information that a plan can make available to another party. Plans must annually submit an attestation that they...	November 28, 2023
Sunsetting Wellbeing Programs & How Members Can Claim Their Rewards With the much-anticipated transition to our new digital, wellbeing engagement program, ThriveWellSM, we will be sunsetting several of our wellbeing programs. The following programs* will be discontinued the last day of a groups’ benefit year (*program participation varies...	November 28, 2023
Tell Us What You Think! In the coming weeks, you will receive an email inviting you to take an Excellus BCBS satisfaction survey. This survey is an opportunity to provide feedback on your interactions and experiences with the health plan. Your feedback is confidential, and your participation is...	November 28, 2023
Fully Insured Large Groups To Move To Preferred Value Formulary Please be advised that all Commercial Fully Insured Large Groups will move from the current 3 Tier Open Formulary to our Preferred Value Formulary (PVF) based on their plan year. This change excludes Minimum Premium groups, who will continue to have the option to choose...	November 28, 2023
Updated Annual Group Information Form And Web Tool Available An updated version of the Annual Group Information Form (AGIF) is available for Large and Small Groups. The only change in this version is that a question has been added to the AGIF and online AGIF Web Tool which requires employers who offer a dental plan through the...	November 28, 2023
Check Out Our Community Check-In Podcast! The Common But Preventable Disease: Pre-diabetes, With Dr. Fitzpatrick Have you checked out our Community Check-In podcasts? Each week, we have conversations with local experts about all things health, sharing the latest info and tips to support you and your employees in managing your health and wellness. Our latest episode: The Common But...	November 28, 2023
Updated Brochures Now Available We’ve updated the brochures below with our new Everybody Benefits logo. Questions? Contact your account manager. Out-of-Pocket Protection Program Brochure (PDF) Rx Home Delivery Brochure (PDF)	November 28, 2023
December Wellbeing Tip: Where To Go For Care Understanding where to go for medical care before you need it can help you and your employees minimize frustration, time, and cost. Your primary care provider should be your first choice for routine medical care or minor illnesses or injuries that are not an emergency. A...	November 28, 2023
Kicking Off A New Social Media Campaign We launched a new campaign on our social media channels that will feature some of the positive feedback we receive from our health plan members. Topics will vary monthly so be sure to bookmark our various social media sites and check back often. This month we’re...	November 28, 2023
The Right Meds At The Best Value An Excellus BlueCross BlueShield program is focusing on medication safety while saving millions of dollars in prescription drug costs. The program, Pharmacy Concierge, is available to most midsize and large employers through the health plan. “Improving care is the...	November 28, 2023
Medicare Recognizes Excellus BlueCross BlueShield For Quality The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its 2024 quality ratings, and again this year recognized Excellus BCBS for its Medicare Advantage plans. This is the eleventh consecutive year the health plan has ranked above average or higher for its...	October 26, 2023
2024 Individual Market Plans If you have an employee who is not eligible for an Employer Group Plan, Medicare, or COBRA, we’re here to help connect them with NY State sponsored Safety Net coverage, Qualified Health Plans (metal level plans) and stand-alone dental plans. If you would like to review...	October 26, 2023
Annual Rate Notices Being Mailed Groups will receive their Annual Rate Notices (ARNs) at the end of October. This includes the following products: Small Group Individual Large Group HMO Medicare Supplement Medicare Advantage, Simply Prescription, Dental prospective pooled and dental/vision...	October 26, 2023
Check Out Our Community Check-In Podcast! Episode: Why Health Insurance Matters With Dr. Cohen Have you checked out our Community Check-In podcasts? Each week, we have conversations with local experts about all things health, sharing the latest info and tips to support you in managing your health and wellness. Our latest episode: Why Health Insurance Matters With...	October 26, 2023
November Is Diabetes Awareness Month Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how your body turns food into blood sugar to use for energy. According to the CDC, one in three people have prediabetes and more than 37 million Americans (11.3% of the population) have diabetes. Because blood sugar in the body...	October 26, 2023
Leading The Industry In Our Pursuit Of Biosimilars In our ongoing efforts to ensure access to high quality, affordable health care, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield leads the insurance industry in pursuing biosimilar drugs for our health plan members. According to the FDA*, biosimilars are safe and effective treatment...	September 27, 2023
Coming Soon: Annual Notice Of Change Letters This month, group benefit administrators with Medicare Blue Choice (HMO-POS) or Medicare Blue PPO (PPO) plans will be mailed an Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). The ANOC provides details on 2024 benefit changes. Your members will receive their 2024 ANOC, along with...	September 27, 2023
2024 Community Rated, Small Group Medicare Advantage Rates And Plans Are Now Available On Blue On Demand You can now view 2024 Community Rated, Small Group Medicare Advantage Plans on Blue on Demand. Blue on Demand allows you to compare plans and access your group's 2023 benefit summaries and rate sheets. Please contact your Group Medicare account manager with any...	September 27, 2023
Small Group Materials Now Available For ThriveWell℠ Every business wants to help their employees live their best and so we’re providing the tools and resources to help make it easier. ThriveWell, powered by Virgin Pulse, is a new digital tool we’re equipping members with to help them engage in healthier choices and get...	September 27, 2023
Together We Can Move Towards Health Equity Health care should meet the needs of everyone – no matter who you are, where you live or who you love. This is something we are taking very seriously at Excellus BCBS. Health equity is when everyone has the chance to be as healthy as possible. To improve health equity in...	September 27, 2023
October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the United States among people who were born female, after skin cancers. About one in eight women will have breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. While white women are more likely to develop breast cancer, Black...	September 27, 2023
Excellus BCBS Launches Innovative Program To Reduce Costs The Medication Assurance Program is a new initiative of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield aimed at reducing self-funded employer group overall spend. This program is designed to reduce spend on medications by holding manufacturers accountable for drugs that were approved...	September 27, 2023
Small Group Rates And Plans For 2024 Are Now Available! 2024* Plan Highlights: With a new year comes exciting changes to bring groups and members better coverage and greater peace of mind. Take a look at what’s to come for 2024: *Subject to DFS approval NEW ThriveWell℠ Introducing ThriveWell, a digital home base...	September 11, 2023
Large Group HMO & Medicare Supplement – NYS Prior Approval Of Rate Changes On July 1, 2023, we submitted an application requesting 2024 premium rate changes in accordance with New York state prior approval law. This rate application applies to Community Rated Large Group HMO and Medicare Supplement products. The following products are included...	August 30, 2023
We Want To Hear From You! In the coming weeks, you’ll receive an email inviting you to complete a brief Excellus BCBS satisfaction survey. This survey is an opportunity to provide feedback on your interactions and experiences with the health plan. Your responses are confidential, and your...	August 30, 2023
Request For Missing Social Security Numbers Under the Affordable Care Act, the Internal Revenue Service requires health insurers to request missing subscriber and dependent Social Security numbers from their members. In August, we will send Social Security number request letters to individuals who had health...	August 30, 2023
Coming Soon! Enrollment Inquiry & Support Updates We’re excited to announce that updates to our Enrollment Inquiry & Support tool are coming soon. You’ll access an enhanced submission form that better supports the enrollment process from start to finish with features like: An option allowing the form to be...	August 30, 2023
Check Out Our Community Check-In Podcast! Episode: Menthol Cigarettes - Targeting Youth and Exploiting Communities Episode: Menthol Cigarettes - Targeting Youth and Exploiting Communities In a new episode of the Community Check-In podcast, Dr. Lisa Harris, senior vice president and corporate medical director for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield sheds light on the controversy surrounding...	August 30, 2023
The Importance Of Taking Medications As Directed Did you know that not taking medications the way they were prescribed leads to 125,000 deaths in the US every year? In addition to death, not taking medications as directed costs nearly $300 billion per year in additional doctors’ visits, trips to the emergency room, and...	August 30, 2023
Accurate Effective Dates Help Ensure Your Employees Are Covered Any employers who use the online Enroll & Update tool on the Excellus BlueCross BlueShield website to enroll a new employee in medical or dental plans must select the correct effective date in the online tool — a date that is in alignment with the new employee’s...	July 31, 2023
Making It Easier To Reinstate & Update With the click of a button, we’re making it easier for you to track and view requests to reinstate health plan policies for your members. Today on ExcellusBCBS.com, employers can go to the View/Update Policy tool to view or reinstate their members’ cancelled policies...	July 31, 2023
Wellbeing For All, All In One Place New for 2024: Introducing ThriveWell℠ Powered by Virgin Pulse We’re excited to announce our new digital home base dedicated to engaging teams in health and wellbeing, called ThriveWell! This tool will be embedded for our fully insured group plans and will be available as...	July 31, 2023
Looking For Something? Ever found yourself looking for a certain employer news article or announcement? You know you read it and filed it away but now you can’t locate it! Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We archive all our employer news articles and announcements chronologically on the...	July 31, 2023
Preparing A Child For Peak Asthma Season If you have a child with asthma, now is the time to revisit their asthma action plan so you are prepared for the annual increase in asthma attacks that occurs each year as kids return to the classroom. A dramatic rise in the number of asthma flare-ups occurs each year...	July 31, 2023
Vaccines Are Important For Adults, Too Vaccinations are not just for children – adults need vaccinations, too. Immunity from some childhood vaccines can wear off over time and adults are at risk for different diseases (shingles, for example) than children. Vaccines are important during pregnancy too. According...	July 31, 2023
2024 Large Group Product Updates With a new year comes exciting new changes to bring groups and members even better coverage. Take a look at what’s in store for 2024.* Here’s What’s New for 2024: ThriveWell℠ ** Introducing ThriveWell, a digital homebase dedicated to engaging teams in health and...	July 5, 2023
Prescription Drug Data Collection (RxDC) Report Submitted On June 1, 2023, we submitted the Prescription Drug Data Collection (RxDC) report as required under Section 204 of Division BB, Title II of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2021. The submission included information for fully insured policies issued and for...	June 27, 2023
Breaking Down The Barriers To Better Health Advancing health equity is central to our mission and is woven throughout the work we do day in and day out. It’s good for your group, your members, and your community. With this, it’s important to recognize the diversity of employees and how their different backgrounds,...	June 27, 2023
Healthy NY Group Recertification Forms Excellus BCBS was set to begin requiring the Healthy NY (HNY) Recertification form and Supplemental form from all HNY groups upon renewal starting July 1, 2023. We are postponing the requirement of the HNY Supplemental form at this time; however, all HNY groups will...	June 27, 2023
Check Out Our Community Check-In Podcast! Episode: The Power Of Early Detection Episode: The Power Of Early Detection In a new episode of the Community Check-In podcast, Dr. Angel Kerney, board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) and medical director at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield dives into the significance of preventive screenings,...	June 27, 2023
The Benefits Of Getting Outdoors According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. But going outside actually has lots of benefits to our mental and physical wellbeing. Summer is a wonderful time to enjoy the benefits of getting outdoors in nature, whether...	June 27, 2023
Offering Members Added Convenience And Accessibility To Care Site of Care is an Excellus BlueCross BlueShield program that provides valuable options to group members who are currently receiving infusion drugs at high-cost facilities. Our program provides cost savings by transitioning members from receiving their treatment at a...	June 27, 2023
Individual & Small Group – NYS Prior Approval Of Rate Changes On May 10, 2023, an application was submitted requesting 2024 premium rate changes in accordance with New York state prior approval law. This rate application applies to Community Rated Individual and Small Group products. The following products are included in this 2024...	June 2, 2023
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Recognized By Forbes As One Of The Nation’s Best Employers For Diversity Excellus BCBS was one of 500 companies on the Forbes Best Employers for Diversity 2023 list. Excellus BCBS ranked 135th overall on the nationwide list Excellus BCBS ranked 17th overall in the insurance industry This was Excellus BCBS’s first time on the Forbes Best...	May 30, 2023
What Happens With Claims, COBRA And Special Enrollments Once The National Emergency Ends? As you may recall, due to the COVID-19 National Emergency, the Department of Labor provided relief via extensions for filing and appealing claims, electing and paying for COBRA, and notifying administrators of disability notices and special enrollments. The extensions...	May 30, 2023
How Safety Net Plan Renewals Impact Your Business And Members As we’ve been sharing for the past few months, Safety Net recertifications resumed in April, with the first of our members receiving notifications in May. We understand that not all groups typically engage with our Safety Net population, but it’s important to understand...	May 30, 2023
Well-Child Visits Over Summer Break: Book Them Now It’s not too early to arrange the medical and dental visits your kids will need over the summer break from school. “Don’t wait too long to make your child’s summertime medical and dental appointments because your doctor may not have openings when you want them,” says...	May 30, 2023
Check Out Our Community Check-In Podcast! We’re kicking off another season of Community Check-In, our podcast series that features conversations with local experts about all things health, sharing the latest information and tips to support our groups and their employees in managing your health and wellness. ...	May 30, 2023
June Is Men’s Health Month Men's health is a critical issue. Unfortunately, many men tend to neglect their health until they experience a severe illness or injury. This leads to a higher risk of chronic diseases, disability, and premature death. Additionally, men also tend to engage in riskier...	May 30, 2023
COVID-19 National Emergency And Federal Public Health Emergency To End May 11, 2023 The federal government announced the COVID-19 National Emergency and Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has been reviewing the guidelines surrounding COVID-19 related vaccines, testing and telehealth services and...	April 27, 2023

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