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Title	Issued Date
Individual & Small Group Rate Requests Filed With NYS In May 2026, an application was submitted to the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) requesting 2027 premium rate changes for...	2026-06-01
Mona's Minute: The Pharmacy Landscape and Three Things You Should Know A Message From Mona Chitre The Pharmacy Landscape and Three Things You Should Know The prescription drug market is evolving rapidly, driven by...	2026-05-28
Excel Your Well: May - Upcoming Webinars Help your employees stay engaged and inspired—our monthly webinars offer fresh, practical insights to support our members’ health and wellbeing....	2026-05-20
Helping Your Employees Navigate Pharmacy Prior Authorizations With Less Friction Prior authorizations can be a point of confusion and frustration for employees. If a doctor prescribes a medication that needs approval before it...	2026-05-20
June Wellbeing Tip – Men’s Health Awareness June is Men’s Health Awareness Month. Long work hours, busy schedules, and lingering stigma around seeking care often lead men to delay routine...	2026-05-20
Rx News - Last Chance To Register For Our May Pharmacy Webinar! May Topic: "Beyond the Buzz: Managing Rising Pharmacy Costs Amid Expanding Drug Utilization" Date: Thursday, May 28 Time: 3:00 – 3:30...	2026-05-20
Rx News - Rethinking How Specialty Pharmacy Fits Into Your Health Plan How you manage specialty medications matters just as much as the medications themselves. With costs continuing to rise, even a small number of...	2026-05-20
Rx News - Supporting Medication Adherence And Helping Manage Costs “With the deep discount on my medication it has given me more room in my budget for groceries and other necessities.” This feedback from an...	2026-05-20
Supporting Your Employees Health While Tackling Rising Costs We know that any increase in costs these days is difficult to absorb. From the grocery store to the gas pump, rising prices are affecting all areas...	2026-05-20
Excel Your Well: April - Upcoming Webinars Help your employees stay engaged and inspired—our monthly webinars offer fresh, practical insights to support our members’ health and wellbeing....	2026-04-24
May Wellbeing Tip: Getting Outdoors To Support Your Mental Health May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to reflect on simple, effective ways to support our mental wellbeing. One of the most...	2026-04-24
REMINDER: How Small Businesses Can Get The Most Value From Their Health Plan Health and wellness benefits are an important employee attraction and retention driver for many businesses. With the ongoing rising costs of health...	2026-04-24
REMINDER: Updated Medical Commercial Community Rated Underwriting Guidelines The Medical Commercial Community Rated Underwriting Guidelines have been updated to include the newly implemented Out of Area (OOA) and...	2026-04-24
Rx News - Pharmacy Concierge: A Smarter Way To Manage Pharmacy Costs Now more than ever, rising pharmacy costs can have a real impact on your bottom line—but the right strategy can help you stay ahead. Our updated...	2026-04-24
Rx News - Register For Our May Pharmacy Webinar! May Topic: "Beyond the Buzz: Managing Rising Pharmacy Costs Amid Expanding Drug Utilization" Date: Thursday, May 28 Time: 3:00 – 3:30...	2026-04-24
Rx News - Supporting Employees With IBD—And Managing The Impact On Your Business Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can drive higher health care costs, increased absenteeism and reduced productivity, making it an important...	2026-04-24
April Wellbeing Tip: Sleep Smarter Sleep is when the body and brain restore energy, strengthen the immune system, and support learning and memory. Regularly getting less sleep than...	2026-03-17
Creating A Workplace Culture That Supports Preventive Care Paul’s doctor recommended he get a colonoscopy but, even if he could get the time off work, his co-workers would give him a hard time. Maria can’t...	2026-03-17
Empower Your Workforce: Register Now For Upcoming Excel Your Well Webinars Empower Your Workforce: Register Now For Upcoming Excel Your Well Webinars Help your employees stay engaged and inspired—our monthly webinars offer...	2026-03-17
Quarterly Legislative Update - March In this quarter’s Legislative Update, we highlight key political, legislative, and regulatory developments that may impact our industry. New...	2026-03-17
Reminder: Please Submit Group Data Using The RxDC Form As a reminder, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) will complete the required pharmacy benefit and prescription drug cost reporting for all fully...	2026-03-17
Rx News - A Better Path For Employees Managing Inflammatory Bowel Disease Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) can affect productivity, morale, and overall wellbeing for employees navigating complex symptoms and treatments....	2026-03-17
Rx News - Specialty Medication Support That Helps Employees Stay On Track Specialty medications can feel overwhelming for employees, especially when they’re newly diagnosed or starting a complex therapy. Accredo,...	2026-03-17
Rx News - What Expanded Indications Mean For Your Workforce Specialty mediations continue to evolve, and many are now being prescribed for broader sets of conditions than originally intended. While this...	2026-03-17
Side By Side: A Payer And Provider Conversation We continue our efforts to create strong provider partnerships that help drive better member and patient outcomes. Dr. Lisa Harris recently sat...	2026-03-17
Updated Medical Commercial Community Rated Underwriting Guidelines The Medical Commercial Community Rated Underwriting Guidelines have been updated to include the newly implemented Out of Area (OOA) and...	2026-03-17
Key Updates Regarding Annual RxDC Prescription Data Submission The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) requires group and individual health plans to report annual data about prescription drugs and health care...	2026-02-25
Excel Your Well: February - Upcoming Webinars Help your employees stay engaged and inspired—our monthly webinars offer fresh, practical insights to support our members’ health and wellbeing....	2026-02-18
Get Proactive With Preventive Care At Work Preventive care helps employees stay healthier—and can help avoid unnecessary complications and costs down the road. Our preventive care toolkit...	2026-02-18
How We’re Supporting Your Team’s Health While Tackling Rising Costs When we support your team’s health, we’re also helping to control rising health care costs. Read more to learn about how we’re helping to prevent...	2026-02-18
March Wellbeing Tip: Food As Medicine The food you choose every day has a powerful impact on your health, energy, and overall wellbeing. The concept of “food as medicine” highlights how...	2026-02-18
New AGIF Requirement For Community Rated HMO Groups And Additional Underwriting Updates Starting in 2026, Community Rated HMO groups will be required to provide an Annual Group Information Form (AGIF) for renewal. Community Rated HMO...	2026-02-18
Promote Better Wellbeing With Our New ThriveWell℠ Toolkits ThriveWell℠, in partnership with Personify Health, is a digital wellbeing program dedicated to engaging your team in their health and wellbeing....	2026-02-18
Streamline Employee Support By Ensuring Broker Authorization As a reminder, our online tools offer valuable convenience for your employees. To ensure fast, efficient support, it’s important that brokers are...	2026-02-18
Tax Form 1095-B Health insurers—including Excellus BlueCross BlueShield—are no longer mailing tax form 1095-B to members. Because taxpayers are not required to...	2026-02-18
2026 - January - Pharmacy Updates From Mona Chitre A Message from Mona Chitre As we enter 2026, we’re reflecting on the progress we made through collaboration and partnership, and we’re looking...	2026-01-26
Excel Your Well: January - Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars Help your groups stay engaged and inspired—our monthly webinars offer fresh, practical insights to support our members' health and wellbeing....	2026-01-23
Excellus BCBS Earns #1 Spot In NY For Medicare Advantage Customer Satisfaction—Three Years Running For the third year in a row, Excellus BCBS has been named #1 in New York for Medicare Advantage Plan Customer Satisfaction and Most Trusted by J.D....	2026-01-23
Expanding Access To Behavioral Health Care: What Employers Need To Know The rapidly growing need for mental health services and the limited availability of service providers has been well-documented. In addition, those...	2026-01-23
February Wellbeing Tip: Heart Disease Heart disease is a broad term for conditions affecting the heart, most commonly Coronary Artery Disease. One of the most serious outcomes of heart...	2026-01-23
Gag Clause Certificate Of Attestation Now Available On December 30, 2025, Excellus BCBS completed the Gag Clause Attestation on behalf of our fully insured and minimum premium groups who have our Rx....	2026-01-23
How Small Businesses Can Get The Most Value From Their Health Plan Health and wellness benefits are an important employee attraction and retention driver for many businesses. With the ongoing rising costs of health...	2026-01-23
Preventive Care: Better Health Today, Lower Costs Tomorrow Preventive care is one of the simplest ways to support employee health while helping manage long-term costs. In our latest blog, we share four...	2026-01-23
Enhancing Our Commitment To Improving The Prior Authorization Process In support of our ongoing mission to help members access quality, affordable health care, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has joined the Blue Cross...	2025-12-17
Excel Your Well: December - Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars Help your groups stay engaged and inspired—our monthly webinars offer fresh, practical insights to support our members' health and wellbeing....	2025-12-17
January Wellbeing Tip: Building A Healthier You A new year brings new opportunities to focus on your health and wellbeing. While resolutions can be exciting, they often feel daunting—and it’s...	2025-12-17
Rx News - The Future Of Prescription Drugs: 5 Trends Shaping Benefits Prescription drug costs continue to rise, and many organizations are feeling the pressure. As we look toward 2026, several key trends are reshaping...	2025-12-17
Save The Date: Upcoming ThriveWell Webinars For Employees! ThriveWell℠, in partnership with Personify Health, is a digital home base dedicated to engaging our members in their health and wellbeing. Through...	2025-12-17
Season’s Greetings From Our Team To Yours As the year draws to a close, we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for trusting us with the health and wellbeing of your employees. It’s...	2025-12-17
Updated Forms For Commercial Medical And Healthy New York Products Underwriting has recently updated several forms for our Commercial Medical and Healthy New York (HNY) products. The new group instructions, new...	2025-12-17
2026 Wellbeing Resources Many members are not aware of the programs, resources, and tools available to them through Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. We want to help close...	2025-11-14
December Wellbeing Tip: Healthy Eating During The Holidays Navigating food choices during the holiday season can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to maintain balance. If you’ve ever felt...	2025-11-14
Excel Your Well: November - Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars Help your employees stay engaged and inspired—our monthly webinars offer fresh, practical insights to support our members health and wellbeing....	2025-11-14
Why You’re Paying More For Health Insurance — And What Impacts Costs Rising costs and the growing demand for health care — especially for hospital services and prescription drugs — are challenging patients, doctors,...	2025-11-14
2025 Gag Clause Attestation Process & Separate Letter Notification As part of our ongoing support for the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) gag clause attestation, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) will...	2025-10-22
2026 Individual Market Plans If you have an employee who is not eligible for an Employer Group Plan, Medicare or COBRA, we are here to help connect them with Qualified Health...	2025-10-22
2026 Medicare Star Ratings The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its 2026 Medicare Star Ratings. These ratings measure our plan’s performance in...	2025-10-22
3 Practical Ways Small Businesses Can Help Manage Rising Health Care Costs At Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, we understand the pressures small businesses face in today’s economic climate. Rising costs and growing demand...	2025-10-22
ACTION REQUIRED: Multi-Factor Authentication Launching In The Coming Days For Employer Web Accounts To improve account security, multi-factor authentication (MFA) will be enabled in the coming days. What you can do to prepare for this change: ...	2025-10-22
Donate Life Registry Question Added To Health Plan Applications A new question regarding the New York State Donate Life Registry has been added to select health plan enrollment forms and online tools. This...	2025-10-22
Excel Your Well: October - Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars We are excited to host the following upcoming wellbeing webinars, geared toward helping our members learn about various topics that can support and...	2025-10-22
Leadership Announcement: Dr. Martin Stallone To Join Excellus BCBS Executive Team We’re pleased to announce that Martin Stallone, M.D. has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Healthcare Services Officer for Excellus...	2025-10-22
November Wellbeing Tip: Diabetes Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common – and preventable – chronic conditions. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and...	2025-10-22
Rx News - Watch the Recording: August Pharmacy Webinar Featuring OncoHealth Thank you to everyone who joined us live! If you missed it—or want to revisit the insights—the recording is now available. (VIDEO) This session...	2025-10-22
2026 Annual Rate Notices Being Mailed The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has finalized the 2026 rate adjustments for the following products: Small Group ...	2025-10-21
ANSI Submission Deadline As we prepare for the upcoming Open Enrollment season, we want to ensure a smooth experience for your organization and employees. To help us manage...	2025-09-29
Formulary Updates - Employer With the rising costs of health care, we are committed more than ever to identifying opportunities for group savings. We also know it is our...	2025-09-29
Legislative Updates – September 2025 With Federal officials back from their summer recess, we’re closely monitoring upcoming budget and policy negotiations and awaiting further...	2025-09-29
A Message From Medical Governance And Healthcare Engagement As we progress through 2025 and into 2026, we’re pleased to share our collective efforts to engage members, enhance outcomes, and expand services...	2025-09-25
ACTION REQUIRED: How To Prepare For Multi-factor Authentication As previously communicated, multi-factor authentication (MFA) will soon be required to access your Excellus BlueCross BlueShield employer web...	2025-09-25
Excel Your Well: September - Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars We are excited to host the following upcoming wellbeing webinars, geared toward helping our members learn about various topics that can support and...	2025-09-25
Introducing Teledermatology – Powered By MDLIVE® We are proud to partner with MDLIVE to offer convenient telemedicine services for Acute Medical and Behavioral Health needs. Starting January 1,...	2025-09-25
Last Chance to Register: Making the Most of Your Health Plan for Small Groups! Many Small Group members are not aware of the various programs, resources and tools available through their Excellus BlueCross BlueShield...	2025-09-25
October Wellbeing Tip: Menopause & Midlife Wellness Most women experience menopause between ages 45 and 55. Whether you’re approaching menopause, currently experiencing it, or have already gone...	2025-09-25
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...	2025-09-25
The Power Of Communication: Maximizing Employee Engagement In Your Workplace Wellness Program You have 2.7 seconds to catch someone’s attention with your message. So, if you want your employees engaged in your workplace wellbeing program, it...	2025-09-25
Small Group Rates And Plans For 2026 Are Now Available At Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, we recognize the pressures small businesses face in today’s evolving health care landscape. Rising costs,...	2025-09-15
Attention Small Groups, Upcoming Member Webinar – Making The Most Of Your Health Plan! Looking to educate your Small Group employees on the benefits, tools and resources available through Excellus BlueCross BlueShield?* Encourage...	2025-08-20
Excel Your Well: August - Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars We are excited to host the following upcoming wellbeing webinars, geared toward helping our members learn about various topics that can support and...	2025-08-20
Legislative Updates - One Big Beautiful Bill Act On July 4th, 2025, following months of Congressional negotiations, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law. Included in...	2025-08-20
REMINDER: Multi-factor Authentication Coming Soon For Employer Web Portal Starting in September, we will be enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) for our employer portal. Implementing MFA will not only prevent cyber...	2025-08-20
Rx News - REMINDER: Register For Our August Pharmacy Webinar Featuring Our Oncology Management Partner Topic: Beyond the Buzz: The power of partnership with OncoHealth Date: August 26, 2025 Time: 2:00 – 2:40 p.m. ET This is your opportunity to...	2025-08-20
September Wellbeing Tip: Mental Health And Substance Use Disorders A substance use disorder (SUD) is a medical condition (not a character flaw) that affects both the brain and behavior. It can impact people of all...	2025-08-20
2025 - August - Pharmacy Updates From Mona Chitre A Message from Mona Chitre As we move through 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on the work we’re doing together to support access to care...	2025-08-06
August Wellbeing Tip: Immunizations Vaccines have saved millions of lives and continue to save lives every day! Vaccines are remarkable scientific achievements that greatly reduce...	2025-07-23
Excel Your Well: July - Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars We’re excited to host a series of upcoming wellbeing webinars designed to help our members explore a variety of health topics that support a...	2025-07-23
How We Support Access And Community On June 26, we began a campaign that reflects the work we do every day. Our work includes strengthening our connections within the communities we...	2025-07-23
Large Group HMO And Medicare Supplement Rate Requests Filed With NYS On July 1, 2025, an application was submitted requesting 2026 premium rate changes in accordance with New York state prior approval law. This rate...	2025-07-23
MDLIVE 6/1/2025 Increases Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) is excited to announce that we have renewed our partnership with our telemedicine partner, MDLIVE, for Medical...	2025-07-23
Multi-factor Authentication Coming Soon For Employer Web Portals Starting in mid-September, we will be enabling multi-factor authentication for our employer portal. Multi-factor authentication is a way for us to...	2025-07-23
Rx News - Register For Our August Pharmacy Webinar Featuring Our Oncology Management Partner Topic: Beyond the Buzz: The power of partnership with OncoHealth Date: August 26, 2025 Time: 2:00 – 2:40 p.m. ET We recognize that providing...	2025-07-23
Using Incentives To Engage Employees In A Wellbeing Program Incentives are a powerful tool for your wellbeing program as they can motivate or encourage a desired behavior. Incentives can be anything from...	2025-07-23
2026 Large Group Product Updates And Reminders Take a look at what’s in store for 2026 and rediscover the great programs and services already available. Wellbeing And Incentive Programs...	2025-07-01
Current Injectable GLP-1 Mail Order Prescriptions From Express Scripts® Pharmacy Transitioning To EnGuide Pharmacy Express Scripts® is launching EnGuide Pharmacy, a new home delivery pharmacy that will exclusively dispense injectable GLP-1 medications. It...	2025-06-23
Excel Your Well: July - Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars We are excited to host the following upcoming wellbeing webinars, geared toward helping our members learn about various topics that can support and...	2025-06-23
July Wellbeing Tip: Physical Activity Physical activity is one of the best things you can do to improve your health and wellbeing. For adults, the Centers for Disease Control and...	2025-06-23
Prescription Drug Collection (RxDC) Report Submitted On May 28, 2025, we submitted the Prescription Drug Data Collection (RxDC) report as required under The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA). The...	2025-06-23
Rite Aid Pharmacy Closures Rite Aid has announced the closure of all 178 store locations in New York state. Our pharmacy team is working to understand the impacts of the...	2025-06-23
Rx News - Keeping Pharmacy Services On Track Pharmacy costs can be one of the biggest drivers of overall healthcare spending. That’s why we offer tools and support that help employers stay in...	2025-06-23
Rx News - Unlock Smarter Pharmacy Spending: Top 3 Takeaways Whether you joined us live or couldn’t make it, our recent webinar Beyond the Buzz: Introducing our Core Pharmacy Suite delivered key insights into...	2025-06-23
Updated Fully Insured And Minimum Premium Documentation For 2025 CAA Gag Clause Attestation For 2025, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield will continue to attest on behalf of our fully insured and minimum premium groups for the Consolidated...	2025-06-23
We Want To Hear From You! At some point throughout the year, you should receive a satisfaction survey from us. The second quarter survey is being sent to some of our...	2025-06-23
Individual And Small Group Rate Requests Filed With NYS On May 15, 2025, an application was submitted requesting 2026 premium rate changes in accordance with New York state prior approval law. This rate...	2025-06-03
What’s Driving The Rising Costs Of Health Care, How This Influences Premiums, And What We’re Doing To Help Our Members We know any increase in costs these days is difficult to absorb. At Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, we’re working to ensure rising costs don’t get...	2025-06-03
2025 Exclusive Pharmacy Update From Mona Chitre A Message from Mona Chitre As your partner in managing pharmacy benefits, we routinely share the latest news impacting health care in our...	2025-05-22
Employer Community Spotlight: Making A Difference Through Our Foster Care Team Inspired by a friend's words over 15 years ago, Megan Bunce, a licensed social worker, is on a mission to uplift children in foster care. Since...	2025-05-19
Excel Your Well: May & June - Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars We are excited to host the following upcoming wellbeing webinars, geared toward helping our members learn about various topics that can support and...	2025-05-19
June Employer Wellbeing Tip: Musculoskeletal Health If you have ever had back, joint, or muscle pain, you know how much it can affect your quality of life and ability to do your job. Musculoskeletal...	2025-05-19
Rx News - Last Chance To Register: Pharmacy Cost Savings For Your Business Webinar Topic: Beyond the Buzz: Introducing Our Core Pharmacy Suite Date: May 20, 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. ET It’s your last chance to register for...	2025-05-19
Upcoming Webinar For Fully Insured, Large Groups – Making The Most Of Your Health Plan!* Date: Thursday, June 26, Noon - 12:45 p.m. ET Many of your employees may not be aware of the many wellbeing programs, tools and resources...	2025-05-19
Community Spotlight: The CNY Ronald McDonald House This community spotlight sheds light on the remarkable services offered by the CNY Ronald McDonald House, an organization that supports families...	2025-04-11
Excel Your Well: Join Us For Our Upcoming Wellbeing Webinars For April & May We are excited to host the following upcoming wellbeing webinars, geared towards helping our members learn about various health topics that can...	2025-04-11
May Employer Wellbeing Tip: Stroke Awareness May is National Stroke Awareness Month. A stroke occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain...	2025-04-11
Rx News - $27.77 PMPM Savings To Reinvest – Every Member, Every Month Webinar Topic: Beyond the Buzz: Introducing Our Core Pharmacy Suite Date: May 20, 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. ET At Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, we...	2025-04-11
With Our New Comprehensive Care And Disease Management Resources, Everybody Benefits Health care works best when it works together. In 2024, we launched our Commercial Value Story highlighting our approach to health care surrounding...	2025-04-11
Annual Group Information Renewal - Webtool Update The webtool used to submit the annual group information form for small groups has been updated. The year dropdown has been updated to include 2026,...	2025-03-12
April Wellbeing Tip: Breaking The Stress Cycle April is National Stress Month. Stress is a natural response to challenges we face in everyday life. Common stressors include relationships,...	2025-03-12
Excel Your Well: 2025 Wellbeing Webinar Series We are excited to host a new wellbeing webinar series in 2025, geared towards helping our members learn about various health topics that can...	2025-03-12
REMINDER: It’s Time To Report Your 2024 Prescription Data This is a reminder for the Employer News eblast that was sent on Wednesday March 5, 2025. You can read that full eblast in the news archive at:...	2025-03-12
Rx News - Inflammatory Bowel Disease Management: How We’re Making A Difference Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, affects millions of people worldwide. IBD can...	2025-03-12
Rx News - When Powerful Pharmacy Solutions Meet Personalized Care, Everybody Benefits^® Many people count on prescriptions every day to stay healthy. For businesses, that means pharmacy benefits are a large part of taking care of their...	2025-03-12
Small Group Healthy New York Application And Forms Updated For 2025 The Healthy New York (HNY) maximum wage has been increased to $53,650 and the HNY New Business form and HNY Recertification form have been updated....	2025-03-12
The Value Of A Wellbeing Strategy Your employees are your organization’s greatest asset. Creating a culture of wellbeing where employees feel holistically supported by their...	2025-03-12
It’s Time To Report Your 2024 Prescription Data The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) requires group and individual health plans to report annual data about prescription drugs and health care...	2025-03-05
2025 Pharmacy Updates From Mona Chitre A Message from Mona Chitre The year is off to an exciting start! As a pharmacy partner, we consistently monitor market trends to ensure our...	2025-02-27
Enrollment Portal Reminder – Accuracy Is Important There has been an increase in keying errors submitted from the web and requests submitted through the enrollment portal. This has resulted in ID...	2025-02-18
Excel Your Well: 2025 Wellbeing Webinar Series We are excited to host a new wellbeing webinar series in 2025, geared towards helping our members learn about various health topics that can...	2025-02-18
Managed Care Organization Tax The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently approved New York's Managed Care Organization tax (MCO), effective 1/1/2025. This...	2025-02-18
March Wellbeing Tip: Healthy Eating On A Budget According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), good nutrition is essential for well-being across all stages of life. A...	2025-02-18
New Web Enrollment And Online Bill Pay Trainings Now Available Web Enrollment and Online Bill Pay trainings are now available on the web under Employers > Resources > Employer Training Materials. These...	2025-02-18
New Year, New Start: Get Proactive with Preventive Health Preventive care can help catch potential issues early before they develop into more serious health conditions. Things like routine checkups,...	2025-02-18
Rx News - Introducing Our Automatic Prescription Discount Program Members who currently pay 100% out-of-pocket for certain medications outside of their pharmacy benefit now have access to automatic prescription...	2025-02-18
Rx News - Reduce Risk And Control Costs With Integrated Pharmacy Benefits Available To Your Team Experience a more comprehensive approach to pharmacy care when your team has integrated medical and pharmacy with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield....	2025-02-18
Tax Form 1095-B Health insurers—including Excellus BlueCross BlueShield—are no longer mailing tax form 1095-B to members. Because taxpayers are not required to...	2025-02-18
The Importance Of A Primary Care Provider (PCP) Individuals with a PCP may receive higher value healthcare. PCPs provide preventive care such as cancer screenings, identify and treat common...	2025-02-18
Voted #1 In NY For Customer Service – Again! For the second consecutive year, J.D. Power has ranked Excellus BlueCross BlueShield #1 in New York for Medicare Advantage Plan Customer...	2025-02-18
Excel Your Well: 2025 Wellbeing Webinar Series We are excited to launch a new wellbeing webinar series in 2025, geared toward helping our members learn about various health topics that can...	2025-01-17
February Wellbeing Tip: Heart Health February is American Heart Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death...	2025-01-17
Gag Clause Certificate Of Attestation Now Available On December 30, 2024, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield completed the Gag Clause Attestation on behalf of our fully insured and minimum premium groups...	2025-01-17
Rx News - Pharmacy Savings Toolkit Available Health care costs continue to rise, affecting both businesses and employees alike. High prescription drug prices, increased outpatient procedures...	2025-01-17
Starting The Year Off Right January is a great time of year for employees to review their online account information or register for an account if they don’t already have one....	2025-01-17
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and St. Joseph’s Health Announce A Contract Agreement Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (Excellus BCBS) and St. Joseph’s Health have reached a multi-year contract agreement effective Jan. 1, 2025, that...	2025-01-07
2025 Workplace Wellbeing Resources The new year brings new resources to help you support your employees wellbeing. Engage, educate and empower your workforce with these helpful...	2024-12-19
An Update On St. Joseph’s Health Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and St. Joseph’s Health have entered into an agreement to extend our in-network contract for both the hospital and...	2024-12-19
Automatic Payment Error Impact Some of your employees may have received an email from us via our vendor, Instamed, saying that their automatic payment agreement has been...	2024-12-19
January Wellbeing Tip: New Year, Well You The new year is a great time to reflect and set intentions for the upcoming year. Many resolutions center on health and wellness, highlighting the...	2024-12-19
Reminder: We Want To Hear from You! At some point throughout the year, you should have received a satisfaction survey from us. Your feedback and experience are valuable, and we want...	2024-12-19
Season’s Greetings From Our Team To Yours As the year comes to a close, we extend our warmest appreciation and gratitude for trusting us with the health care of your employees. May the year...	2024-12-19
Upcoming Member Webinar For Small Groups Making the Most of Your Health Plan! Thursday, January 9 1:00 P.M. - 1:45 P.M. ET Online event for all small group members Looking to educate your...	2024-12-19
FamilyCare Medical Group Remains In Network Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and FamilyCare Medical Group (FCMG) have announced a new contract agreement effective Jan. 1, 2025, that will keep...	2024-11-21
December Wellbeing Tip: Self Care & Seasonal Blues While the holiday season can be a time of joy, it may bring added stress, anxiety, and depression for some people. According to the American...	2024-11-19
Health Status Questionnaire We encourage all plan members to complete a health status questionnaire upon enrollment and annually thereafter. We use this information to...	2024-11-19
Healthy New York - New Group Application and Recertification Form The new Healthy New York – New Group Application is now available for small groups. The New Group Application should only be used when a...	2024-11-19
Incorrect ID Card Mailing Impact Excellus BCBS has identified that incorrect ID cards were recently mailed out to some small groups. Since ID cards are mailed in batches, not all...	2024-11-19
REMINDER: Gag Clause Prohibition Attestation Under the Consolidated Appropriation Act As a reminder, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (Excellus BCBS) has determined that we will be completing the attestation on behalf of our fully...	2024-11-19
Rx News - Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Humira and Biosimilar Formulary Updates for 2025 Biosimilars represent one of the biggest opportunities to improve access and affordability for our community. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield...	2024-11-19
Rx News - Smart RxAssist is Now HelpScript! In July, we announced our partnership with Smart RxAssist to help maximize savings available from drug manufacturer assistance programs. This...	2024-11-19
We Want to Hear from You! At some point throughout the year, you should receive a satisfaction survey from us. The fourth quarter survey is being sent to the remainder of...	2024-11-19
Contract Reached with WellNow Urgent Care We are pleased to announce that Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and WellNow Urgent Care have executed a new provider contract agreement. Starting on...	2024-11-14
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...	2024-11-12
2025 Individual Market Plans If you have an employee who is not eligible for an Employer Group Plan, Medicare or COBRA, we are here to help connect them with Qualified Health...	2024-10-29
Annual Renewal Request Submissions For Groups that are submitting their annual renewal requests through the Annual Group Information Form (AGIF) Webtool, please ensure that you or...	2024-10-29
Medicare Recognizes Excellus BlueCross BlueShield For Quality The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its 2025 quality ratings, and again this year recognized Excellus BlueCross...	2024-10-29
Member Mailing Notification Due to new requirements of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, we are required to send an annual Notice of Nondiscrimination and Notice of...	2024-10-29
New: Affordability Pages Increasing costs and growing demands for medical care are leading to premium rate increases and higher out-of-pocket expenses for members and...	2024-10-29
November Is Diabetes Awareness Month Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how your body turns food into blood sugar to use for energy. There are three types of diabetes: type 1,...	2024-10-29
Chamber Series Part 4 \| How You Can Support Your Team with the Rise of Health Care Costs: Care Management Support For Members With Complex Conditions Chamber Series \| Part 4 of 6 We’re back with Part 4 of our high-quality care and cost savings series. \| View Part 1 to learn more about...	2024-10-01
Chamber Series Part 6 \| How You Can Support Your Team with the Rise of Health Care Costs: Resources and Tools to Help Improve Quality of Care While Combating Costs. Chamber Series \| Part 6 of 6 We’re back with Part 6 the final part in of our high-quality care and cost savings series. \| View Part 1 to...	2024-10-01
Provider Contract Updates As you may have noticed, there has been an increase in discussions surrounding contract negotiations, both locally and nationally. Providers and...	2024-09-26
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...	2024-09-23
REMINDER: Medicare Part D Creditable Coverage As part of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), employers and union groups offering prescription drug coverage must disclose to Medicare eligible...	2024-09-23
Rx News - Lowering Costs And Protecting Employees With Diabetes Our model is built to bring all your benefits together, providing an integrated and holistic approach to health care by leveraging medical and...	2024-09-23
Rx News - Support For Rising Health Care Costs: Pharmacy Programs We know the upward trend of health care costs is expected to continue, impacting employers and individuals alike. High prescription drug prices,...	2024-09-23
Upcoming Member Webinar For Small Group Plans* Looking to educate your employees on the benefits, tools and resources they have available through their Small Group plan? Thursday, September 26...	2024-09-23
Chamber Series Part 1 \| How You Can Support Your Team With The Rise Of Health Care Costs: Pharmacy Programs Chamber Series \| Part 1 of 6 We know the upward trend of health care costs is expected to continue, impacting employers and individuals alike....	2024-09-19
Chamber Series Part 2 \| How You Can Support Your Team with the Rise of Health Care Costs: Medical Cost Savings Programs Chamber Series \| Part 2 of 6 We’re back with Part 2 in our cost saving series. \| View Part 1 to learn more about pharmacy saving programs. ...	2024-09-19
Chamber Series Part 3 \| How You Can Support Your Team with the Rise of Health Care Costs: What You Need To Know About Premium Rates Chamber Series \| Part 3 of 6 We’re back with Part 3 in our series. \| View Part 1 to learn more about pharmacy saving...	2024-09-19
Small Group Rates And Plans for 2025 Are Now Available! 2025 Plan Highlights*: Our 2025 plan updates are aimed at making care more accessible and affordable, helping members see the true value in their...	2024-09-12
Enterprise File Transfer Service Updates As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the highest standards of digital security, we are updating our encryption protocols in line with...	2024-08-28
Large Group HMO & Medicare Supplement – NYS Prior Approval Of Rate Changes On July 2, 2024, an application was submitted requesting 2025 premium rate changes in accordance with New York state prior approval law. This rate...	2024-08-28
Medicare Part D Creditable Coverage Medicare beneficiaries can receive subsidized prescription drug coverage through the Medicare Part D program. Beneficiaries who have other sources...	2024-08-28
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...	2024-08-28
Rx News - Preparing For The Biosimilar Landscape As new biosimilars enter the market, increased competition brings down the price of the biosimilar and reference product. As biosimilars continue...	2024-08-28
September Wellbeing Tip: Substance Use Disorders According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 17% of people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder (being addicted to,...	2024-08-28
The Gateway To Member Benefits Many people are getting ready for fall, a new school year, and open enrollment, making it the perfect time to check out their online account and...	2024-08-28
2024 Pharmacy Updates From Mona Chitre A Message from Mona Chitre As we look to the rest of the 2024 plan year, I wanted to take a moment to share all that has been happening in the...	2024-08-15
August Wellness Topic: The Importance Of Vaccines Most of us probably don’t remember when people regularly died from smallpox or polio. There have been no cases of smallpox anywhere in the world...	2024-07-26
Rx News - Site Of Care For Infusion Drug Therapy We are continuously looking for ways to promote member convenience while lowering overall costs. The Site of Care (SOC) program provides outreach...	2024-07-26
Take Good Care Of Your People, And They’ll Help You Take Good Care Of Your Business It’s a simple concept – and it’s why you want to provide great health coverage for your employees. Coverage that helps them live healthier lives....	2024-07-26
Warby Parker Added To Vision Network Together with our partner, Davis Vision, we are excited to announce the expansion of our vision network to include Warby Parker as of July 1, 2024....	2024-07-26
2025 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 2025. Here’s...	2024-06-27
July Wellness Topic: The Benefits Of Physical Activity Exercise gives you energy. That may seem counterintuitive, but exercise boosts energy levels. Even occasional exercise improves your mental...	2024-06-26
Rx News - New! Pharmacy Concierge Program Video Series Now available! A new series of videos highlighting our Pharmacy Concierge Program. Mona Chitre, Chief Pharmacy Officer, and President Pharmacy...	2024-06-26
Rx News - Reduce Risk And Control Costs With Integrated Pharmacy Benefits Available To Your Team Experience a more comprehensive approach to pharmacy care when your team has integrated medical and pharmacy. We now have Integrated Pharmacy...	2024-06-26
We Want To Hear From You! At some point throughout the year, you should receive a satisfaction survey from us. The second quarter survey is being sent to some of our...	2024-06-26
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,...	2023-05-30
August Wellbeing Tip: 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...	2022-07-28
Large Group HMO & Medicare Supplement – NYS Prior Approval Of Rate Changes On July 1, 2022, an application was submitted requesting 2023 premium rate changes in accordance with New York state prior approval law. This rate...	2022-07-28
2023 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 2023.* Here’s...	2022-07-12
2023 Small Group Package Update The following SimplyBlue Plus packages will no longer be offered directly through Excellus BCBS or on the New York State of Health (SHOP)...	2022-06-29