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Title	Issued Date
Our Opioid Management Strategy Over 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States between May 2019 and May 2020. This is the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdose deaths were already...	June 30, 2021
Individual & Small Group – NYS Prior Approval Of Rate Changes On May 12, 2021 an application was submitted requesting 2022 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 2022...	May 27, 2021
Our Pandemic Response And Support For Pharmacy Members Our number one priority is to always provide our members with high-quality, low-cost care. The importance of doing this came to the forefront at the height of the pandemic; especially when the search for therapies to treat COVID-19 were at a peak. Early in the pandemic,...	May 27, 2021
24/7 Access With Our Mobile App Remember, our mobile app offers members 24/7 access to their health plan. They can view member cards, find participating doctors, view plan benefits and claims, at home or on the go. Creating an account is easy with a quick scan of their member card or by typing their...	May 27, 2021
Excellus BCBS Website Now Supports Edge Our website now officially supports the Edge browser and will no longer be supporting Internet Explorer, since it is being retired by Microsoft. Please change to either Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. Edge or Chrome continue to be supported and are more secure. Browser...	May 27, 2021
Overview Of The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2021 The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, contains multiple provisions that will affect group health plans and the health care system, overall. The timeline to implement these provisions is an aggressive one with many effective dates of January 1, 2022. Mental Health...	April 30, 2021
May Is Mental Health Awareness Month Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. Now—more than a year into a global pandemic—isolation, anxiety, and loneliness have made a difficult time more challenging for many people. Learn more about how to fight the stigma of mental...	April 30, 2021
Changes To Member ID Cards Coming In April In December, the NYS Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued new minimum standards for the content on health insurance identification cards. Changes apply to MEDICAL and MEDICAL/PHARMACY IDENTIFICATION CARDS ONLY (changes will not apply to dental only and pharmacy...	March 31, 2021
MDLIVE Partnership Excellus BlueCross BlueShield partners with MDLIVE for its telemedicine services. We are aware that Evernorth has entered into an agreement to acquire MDLIVE and is expected to complete the acquisition in second quarter 2021. At this time, Excellus BCBS...	March 31, 2021
Tools To Help Members Make The Most Of Their Health Plan It’s easier than ever for your employees to navigate and use their high deductible health plans (HDHP). Did you know? Groups and employees new to HDHP take time to transition, and satisfaction is often lower the first year. An online member account, paired with a health...	March 31, 2021
Helpful Information For Advance Care Planning April 16th is National Healthcare Decision Day (NHDD). Per the CDC, whether someone is facing an acute illness, a long-term chronic or a terminal illness, Advanced Care Planning can help alleviate unnecessary suffering, improve quality of life and provide a better...	March 31, 2021
We’re Here To Help You Navigate The Individual Market The Open Enrollment Period for uninsured individuals has been extended to May 15, for qualified health plans or stand-alone dental. In addition, we continue to be here to support you and help with the many questions you may have about free or low-cost health insurance...	February 26, 2021
Small Group Dental Changes To Minimum Enrollment Requirements For Orthodontic Coverage Any New Dental groups looking to obtain dental coverage that includes Class IV Ortho coverage will only be required to have 5 enrolled as opposed to the 10 previously required. Additionally, any Existing Dental groups that are looking to align their Medical and Dental...	February 26, 2021
Call Out COVID-19 Vaccine Fraud With NYS Hotline New York State has established a hotline that anyone can call to report suspected COVID-19 vaccine-related fraud or scams. Remember, it’s a red flag if anyone is promising individuals the vaccine in exchange for payment. To make a report, please direct individuals to...	February 26, 2021
March Is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Did you know one in 20 people develops colon cancer in their lifetime? The good news is Colon Cancer can often be prevented through regular screenings and screening is recommended for adults ages 50-75. Learn more by downloading and sharing this poster. Poster - Facts...	February 26, 2021
Your Employees Have Questions; We Have Answers COVID-19 has dominated every aspect of our lives for nearly a year. While the approval—and pending approval—of new vaccines offers hope, they also raise many questions. Is a vaccine that was created so quickly actually safe? Can I stop wearing a mask if I receive the...	February 17, 2021
COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage By mid-2021, it is believed that FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines will be available to the general public. Once available, under state and federal mandate, vaccines will be provided at no cost* to our members during the public health emergency. Key facts about COVID-19...	January 28, 2021
Relief Provided For Flexible Spending Account Plans In Stimulus Bill On December 27, 2020, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2021. This new law provides relief options related to Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). Employers can choose to adopt any of these provisions or to keep their plan the same. Optional...	January 28, 2021
Tax Form 1095-B Health insurers—including Excellus BCBS—are no longer mailing tax form 1095-B to members. Because taxpayers are not required to include the form when filing their taxes, the IRS no longer requires us to mail the form. Members can still download the form or request it by...	January 28, 2021
In A Year Like No Other... A COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE LIKE NO OTHER As the COVID-19 crisis escalated through 2020, we worked (and continue to work) relentlessly to protect and serve our members, partners and communities during this critical time of need. We are working to ensure that members have access to the care they need and are...	January 28, 2021
Revised Guidelines For ExerciseRewards Excellus BCBS members can now earn ExerciseRewards for at-home workouts through the end of 2021. We are waiving our standard guidelines for this program due to continued gym closures, mask mandates, and other requirements, as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Members are...	January 28, 2021
Small Group Dental Rates Now Available For All Quarters New in 2021, Small Groups can align their medical and dental plan years. Rates for all effective dates in 2021 are now available on Blue on Demand. This includes the following products: Dental Blue Options SimplyBlue Plus Dental Be sure to note, a new section has...	January 28, 2021
Update On Pre-Authorizations For fully insured employer group plan members, pre-authorization is waived beginning on December 23, 2020 through February 21, 2021 for scheduled inpatient surgeries, inpatient mental health services, hospital admissions, inpatient rehabilitation, in-network home health...	January 28, 2021
2021 Large & Small Group Product Updates 2020 was a challenging year in ways we’ve never experienced before. Financial solvency remains a real concern and, through it all, businesses are seeking new ways to support and protect the health and wellbeing of one of your biggest assets: your employees. Excellus BCBS...	January 8, 2021
Updated Microsite And New COVID-19 Resources Keeping you informed throughout this global pandemic is one of our top priorities. Earlier this year, we launched a dedicated COVID-19 Resource Website: ExcellusBCBS.com/covid19. We are closely monitoring COVID-19 and vaccine developments and this website has a...	December 18, 2020
Stay Safe. Spread Joy. Though this holiday season may look different than what we’re used to, we’d like to encourage you to celebrate the things we can do. Sending cards. Keeping in touch with friends and family. Virtual gatherings. Learning to cook something new. Having a snowman contest. ...	December 18, 2020
Our Best Wishes For A Healthy Holiday Season As we come to the end of an historic year, we want you to know how truly grateful we are for your business. Entering 2021 amid a global health crisis will continue to be a challenge for everyone. Please continue to wear a mask, wash your hands and social distance, so...	December 18, 2020
COVID-19-Related Exceptions For Blue Healthy Dollars Due to Covid-19, the reimbursement criteria will be expanded to allow reimbursement for the following new items: At-home online workout subscriptions (i.e., Daily Burn, Beach Body, etc.) At-home fitness equipment (i.e., dumbbells, Peloton bikes, ellipticals, etc.) ...	December 18, 2020
The Power To Quit Smoking Beginning January 1, 2021, smoking cessation support will be provided through our Wellframe app. Members have access to a comprehensive program that includes program modules, videos, and articles to support them on their journey to quit smoking. And they can access all...	December 18, 2020
Authorization Required To Pay Out-Of-Network Dentists Directly Effective January 1, 2021, dental members will have the option to choose how they want to provide payment to out-of-network dental providers. They can choose to assign payment directly to their dentist or for payment to go directly to the member. In order to assign...	December 18, 2020
New Group Bill Pay Features - What You Need To Know As we shared in October, as a result of the feedback provided by both brokers and employer groups, we’re improving our online bill pay features and invoices, so they are easier to use. In mid-January 2021, we will launch an improved online invoice and payment feature...	December 18, 2020
Medicare Advantage Recognized For Quality The federal government’s latest quality ratings have awarded the Medicare Advantage programs from Excellus BCBS with some of the highest ratings in the state. Medicare awarded Excellus BCBS with 4.5 stars out of a possible 5-star rating for its Medicare Blue Choice HMO...	November 20, 2020
Connecting More Aspects Of Your Employees' Wellbeing This is Synchronized Health™. At Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, we believe that guiding your employees to proper care means looking at all aspects of their wellbeing and meeting them where they are. That’s why we take an approach to helping people lead healthier lives...	November 20, 2020
Premium Payment Processor Change On January 1, 2021 our premium payment processor will change from Chase Paymentech to InstaMed®, a J.P. Morgan company. Groups that have scheduled online automatic premium payments and invoice delivery preferences will continue uninterrupted. The AutoPay feature will be...	November 20, 2020
Why A Synchronized Approach To Care Is Needed Now More Than Ever The Path to Wellbeing Includes Emotional Health. Employer focus on mental and behavioral health has grown in recent years. In fact, as a society, we're talking more about emotional health than ever before. As the acknowledgment of mental health issues gains greater...	November 20, 2020
Resources For Supporting A Healthy Team And Business Beyond our Synchronized Health™ approach, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield takes great pride in being a local and reliable resource for our groups and members to support more complete wellbeing. To help you protect your employees’ physical, emotional, and financial health,...	November 20, 2020
New Individual Medicare Toolkit Now Available With many people continuing to work past age 65, employees are turning to their employers for guidance when making important decisions about their health insurance. The right advice may save employees money by avoiding lifetime late Medicare enrollment penalties. We’re...	October 30, 2020
Annual Rate Notices Mailed Groups will receive Annual Rate Notices (ARNs) at the end of October. This includes: Small Group Products Large Group HMO Individual Medicare Advantage, Simply Prescription and Dental prospective pooled group notices and rates will be issued and...	October 30, 2020
Pharmacy Network Change As of September 1, 2020, Kroger, Albertson’s and Publix pharmacies are no longer part of the Excellus BlueCross BlueShield network.* Express Scripts (ESI), our pharmacy benefit manager, is working hard to help reduce overall costs for members by removing higher-cost...	October 30, 2020
Simplified AGIF Now Available A shorter, simpler version of both the web and paper versions of the Annual Group Information Form (AGIF) are now available. We redesigned the look and feel of the form and reduced the number of fields by over 60 percent—just in time to help simplify your open...	October 30, 2020
PPE Notification to Members The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) is requiring us to notify members that our participating providers cannot bill their patients for the costs related to their purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE). Providers may only collect any...	October 30, 2020
ExcellusForBusiness.com Has a New Look We’ve refreshed ExcellusForBusiness.com to reflect our Synchronized Health approach to supporting complete employee wellbeing. Our free employer resources are now organized based on the three pillars of Synchronized Health: Member Health Management ...	October 30, 2020
Flu Prevention is More Important Than Ever This Year The flu is a contagious respiratory disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. Because of COVID-19, it’s even more important to do everything you can to keep yourself and your family healthy this flu season. Our Flu Toolkit can help. It includes: ...	September 29, 2020
Small Group Rates and Plans for 2021 now Available! Small Group plans and rates for 2021 are now available on Blue on Demand. Updated Open Enrollment tools, including At-A-Glance Brochures and Product Guides are also available. Now available: SimplyBlue Plus Small Group Medical Plans SimplyBlue Plus...	September 29, 2020
We’re Here to Help You Navigate the Individual Market The Special Enrollment Period has now been extended to December 31, 2020. We continue to be here to support you and help with the many questions you may have about free or low-cost health insurance alternatives to COBRA. We have engaged with many of our Broker...	September 29, 2020
Helpful Guidelines As New York Goes Back to Work As more businesses, schools and other organizations continue to reopen, reminding everyone of important safety measures is more important than ever. That’s why we’ve pulled together a toolkit with resources to help you provide a safer and healthier work environment. ...	August 27, 2020
Simplified AGIF Coming in September We’ve received feedback from brokers and groups letting us know that our Annual Group Information Form (AGIF) is too long and overly complex. We listened and are pleased to let you know a shorter, simpler version of both the web and paper versions will be available by...	August 27, 2020
Mini-COBRA Timeframe Extension Information The recent Department of Labor (DOL) regulation requiring COBRA timeframe extensions DOES NOT apply to mini-COBRA groups. COBRA regulations state that an employer qualifies as mini-COBRA if they employ fewer than 20 employees on at least 50 percent of the employer’s...	August 27, 2020
2021 Large Group Product Updates 2020 has been a challenging year in ways we’ve never experienced before. Financial solvency is a real concern and, through it all, businesses are seeking new ways to support and protect the health and wellbeing of one of your biggest assets: your employees. Excellus BCBS...	July 16, 2020
Special Enrollment Period Extended to June 15 The Special Enrollment Period for enrolling in Qualified Health Plans has been extended through June 15, 2020. Individuals can enroll between May 16 and June 15, and their coverage will begin June 1, or July 1. Our customer care advocates can assist with any questions on...	June 2, 2020

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