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Title	Issued Date
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
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

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