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Title	Issued Date
We’re With You As You Get Ready To Reopen We’ve been by your side as our schools, favorite restaurants and places of employment closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. And now, we’ll be with you as our communities begin to reopen as New York State’s PAUSE initiative sets to expire by region. Ready To Reopen	June 2, 2020
Individual & Small Group – NYS Prior Approval of Rate Changes We know the focus for everyone the past two months has been the coronavirus pandemic. And now, our attention is turning to efforts to reopen businesses in accordance with state and local guidelines. While all of this is happening, there are still mandates set by New York...	June 2, 2020
Celebrate Wealth of Health...Virtually Each year in the Rochester market, we partner with the Rochester Business Journal to honor area employers who promote health and wellness in the workplace. This year, finalists will be celebrated through a new virtual format using multimedia storytelling. The event is...	June 2, 2020
COVID-19 Pharmacy Update Our pharmacy team has been closely monitoring the supply of medications that are available during the COVID-19 outbreak. We’re taking several actions to ensure our members have access to clinically appropriate medications. Providing early refill overrides....	April 27, 2020
Don’t Fall For Fraud During COVID-19 Fight Please remind your employees to be aware that there are various scams and fraudulent activities that can occur during this difficult time. As is often the case, a national and global emergency brings out people who prey upon the fears and vulnerabilities of...	April 27, 2020
Telemedicine Visits Covered At No Cost To Members A reminder for your employees; telemedicine visits are being covered at no cost to members for 90 days beginning with NYS’s State of Emergency issued on March 13, 2020. The purpose is to help alleviate the burden on provider offices, urgent care centers and hospitals as a...	April 27, 2020
Small Group Extended Grace Period In these uncertain times, we’re doing everything we can to fulfill our corporate mission: to provide the people in the communities we serve with access to high quality, affordable health care. One way we can help is by providing some financial relief for those small...	April 20, 2020
Finding Coverage During Job Loss Finding Coverage During Job Loss We’re all facing an uncertain future, but for many employer groups this is a particularly anxious time. We have resources for groups and members, including those members who may be facing job loss and the loss of their...	April 15, 2020
Cost Relief Available With Mid-Year Plan Changes For Groups Excellus BCBS wants to ensure as many of our group members as possible can maintain their health insurance benefits. Through June 1, 2020, we are allowing mid-year plan changes to allow for lower cost employer and employee plans to accommodate the COVID-19 impacts on both...	April 10, 2020
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Waives COVID-19 Cost Sharing Excellus BCBS will waive out of pocket costs for COVID-19 medical testing, diagnosis and treatment for its fully insured employer groups, individual market qualified health plans and Medicare Advantage members for the next 60 days. This waives the member’s...	April 10, 2020
Can the CARES Act Help Your Business? We’re all continuing to navigate these unchartered waters while striving to find our new normal. Last week, the Federal government signed a stimulus package to help businesses with 500 or fewer employees to stay afloat as the country continues to battle the COVID-19...	April 6, 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources During these uncertain and challenging times, our Excellus BCBS team is here to provide access to resources to help your business and employees. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has programs and initiatives in place as a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and...	March 31, 2020
Protecting the Health of Our Communities The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting life for everyone as our communities battle this deadly virus. Those being hit hardest include many small businesses around the country and in our own communities, and many we insure. We have options for those employers who...	March 25, 2020
We're All In This Together To Our Valued Employer Groups: These are anxious and unsettling times. We’re bombarded by wall-to-wall news and around-the-clock social media about coronavirus (COVID-19) – and the impact on the economy. I want you to know that the Health Plan is well prepared and...	March 24, 2020
Pending Federal Regulations on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Member Cost Share The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting life for everyone as our communities battle this deadly virus. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to grow in New York state and across the country. New York state is requiring all insured health...	March 18, 2020
Update On COVID-19 (Coronavirus) We know there are many ongoing questions regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and how it impacts everything from your businesses, your employees and even your own families. Please know that we have an internal team dedicated to researching and vetting the most...	March 13, 2020
Wealth of Health 2020 - Nomination Deadline is March 13 Each year, Excellus BCBS and the Rochester Business Journal (RBJ) honor Rochester area employers who promote health and wellness in the workplace. Visit the RBJ’s website for more information. And save the date for the event: Wednesday, June 10 7:30 a.m. Registration...	February 25, 2020
Committed to Lowering the Cost of Select Generic Drugs The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), 18 independent and locally-operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies—including Excellus BCBS—and Civica recently announced their partnership to create a new subsidiary dedicated to lowering the cost of select...	February 25, 2020
Finding a Doctor and Comparing Costs Just Got Easier Empower employees with an easier way to connect with care and understand costs. Our new-and-improved online search tool makes it easy for your employees to estimate medical costs and find local and national providers. They can view estimated out-of-pocket costs across...	February 24, 2020
Q2 Small Group Rates & Brochures Available on Blue on Demand Use Blue on Demand to view our SimplyBlue Plus medical plan options, rates and enrollment forms for small businesses of 100 or fewer full-time equivalent employees: Access Blue on Demand Print versions of the 2020 Excellus SimplyBlue Plus Designs At-A-Glance...	January 29, 2020
New Year, New Mandates The beginning of a new year also means state mandated changes to some of our plans. The Healthy NY wage level for small employers is now in line with federal poverty guidelines. Read more about the increase and eligibility criteria. NYS now requires insurers to cover...	January 29, 2020
Update on 1095-B Form for Tax Season Beginning this year, health insurers—including Excellus BCBS—will no longer be 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...	January 29, 2020
Flu Season Going Strong Flu season runs through May—so there's still time for employees to get the flu vaccine. As of November 30, 2019, New York state logged 3,158 confirmed cases of the flu, compared to 1,462 confirmed cases at this time last year. There is still time to get your flu shot....	January 29, 2020
Member Webinars - "Making the Most of Your Health Plan" Do you have members that need a refresh on the wellness tools and resources available to them within their health plan coverage? Our Workplace Wellness & Telemedicine team will host live monthly webinars for members in 2020. "Making the Most of Your Health...	December 18, 2019
Important Reminders for HealthyRewards The end of the calendar year also means the end of the plan year for many members. Please have them keep in mind these important deadlines about HealthyRewards if this is the end of their plan year. For members renewing their HealthyRewards plan (subscriber ID not...	December 18, 2019
Underwriting Guideline Changes Filed With The Department Of Financial Services Changes to our underwriting guidelines were recently filed for reference with the Department of Financial Services. There are changes in several areas including group and subscriber eligibility. Please contact your broker or account consultant with any...	November 22, 2019
Our Wellframe^® Toolkit Helps Provide Members With Continuous Care—Right At Their Fingertips Available to most Excellus BCBS members, the Wellframe® App provides instant access to a dedicated care manager, dieticians, nurses, and other health care professionals to help members meet their health and wellness goals. And with our Wellframe® Toolkit, you...	October 29, 2019
New Feature for HealthyRewards Members - Rally Marketplace™ Starting January 1, members with HealthyRewards will have an additional option for using the coins they earn from completing tasks through the Rally platform. Previously, members only had the option of donating their coins to a charity of their choice. With the launch of...	October 29, 2019
Annual Rate Notices Being Mailed Groups will receive their Annual Rate Notices (ARNs) at the end of October. Also, at the end of October, groups will be able to access the Monthly Rate Summary report through Information Connection with their January 2020 renewals. This includes: Small Group...	October 29, 2019
Employer-Based Waiting Periods for Medical and Dental Please remember, when an online request is submitted to add a new hire for medical and dental, you need to be aware of your company's employer-based waiting period. If your company's waiting period for medical is different than the waiting period for dental, the request...	October 29, 2019
2020 Community Rated, Small Group Medicare Advantage plans are now available on Blue on Demand You can now view 2020 Community Rated, Small Group Medicare Advantage Plans on Blue on Demand. Blue on Demand allows you to compare plans and access 2020 benefit summaries and rate sheets. Please contact your broker or Group Medicare Sales Consultant with any questions....	October 29, 2019
Compliance With New York State Insurance Law and Small Group Eligibility As part of our ongoing commitment to maintain compliance with New York State Insurance Law 4317(a)(1), we will continue to verify that our small groups are receiving community rates. As has been our practice, this process will include our request for confirmation of...	September 26, 2019
Get Your Employees Ready For Open Enrollment We have received great feedback about our member portal and the personalized information members can access when they register for an online account. This is a great way to educate your employees about their health insurance and to prepare them for this year’s open...	September 26, 2019
Small Group Rates And Plans For 2020 Now Available! Small Group plans and rates for 2020 and stand alone small group dental plans 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...	September 26, 2019
Have Your Employees Changed Their Password Yet? On August 3, we made enhancements to our website including our member portal. At that time, members were asked to reset their password when they visited the site to login. If they HAVE NOT accessed their online account since August 3, they will be prompted to...	September 26, 2019
Small Group Plans, Rates and Product Updates for 2020 Small Group plans and rates for 2020 will be available on Blue on Demand in early September, tentatively the week of the 9th. Updated Open Enrollment tools, including At-A-Glance Brochures and Product Guides will also be available. Good news—no discontinuances for 2020! ...	August 26, 2019
Care That’s Always In Your Corner We believe that health insurance isn’t something to be used once in a while. That’s why we want to give you everything you need to help employees take control of their health each and every day. Introducing Wellframe®, a free and convenient way for your employees and...	August 26, 2019
Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) Letters Coming soon, 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 2020 benefit changes. Your members will receive their 2020 ANOC, along with...	August 26, 2019
Site Changes Coming The Weekend Of August 3 This includes a password change, so have yours ready! Updates to our Employer web portals, which include a new look and menu options, will be going live on Saturday, August 3. The new look includes a simplified layout giving you easy access to the tools you...	July 30, 2019
Prepare Your Employees for Open Enrollment With Online Accounts If your employees haven't done so already, now is the perfect time to register for an online account on our website. Many questions they have—especially as we enter into open enrollment—can be answered by accessing their personalized information online. This is...	October 3, 2018
Save Time Using Our New AGIF Online Tool We understand completing the Annual Group Information Form (AGIF) can be time-consuming. Now, if you submit the form using our online web tool, you may be exempt from completing the form the following year. Any group that submitted their AGIF in 2017 using the web...	August 5, 2018
Healthy New York Program Updates The following article provides information on Healthy New York from the NYS Department of Financial Services: Excellus BCBS requires employees to work a minimum of 20 hours per week to be eligible for coverage. Effective immediately, this requirement will also apply to...	June 4, 2018
Important Information to Qualify for Small Group Health Plans In order to comply with the Affordable Care Act, an employer must have at least one common-law employee enrolled to qualify as a group health plan. Businesses that do not have any common-law employees enrolled are no longer eligible for a group health plan and must...	April 4, 2018

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