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WELCOME TO NEWS FROM BLUE,SM CREATED TO HELP YOU BETTER MANAGE YOUR HEALTH PLAN BY KEEPING YOU UP-TO-DATE ON THE LATEST INFORMATION FROM WELLMARK BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD. NEWS FROM BLUE WILL BE E-MAILED TO YOU MONTHLY, AND ARCHIVED ON WWW.WELLMARK.COM.
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Upcoming Changes to Wellmark Member Health Programs
Over the next few months, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield will be making some new and exciting enhancements to our member health programs. The first of many changes takes place in March with two member health programs — disease management and pregnancy care.
Pregnancy Care Program — Wellmark’s prenatal program is expanding to include all Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield fully insured groups. Wellmark’s pregnancy program offers online access to valuable tools and information for moms-to-be to help them avoid pregnancy complications that may cause preterm birth or other poor birth outcomes. Members are identified for the program through claims data, clinician referral, or self-referral. The program provides members:
- 24/7 telephonic access to an obstetrical nurse
- Two confidential assessments that provide information regarding a mother’s past and current medical history, lifestyle behaviors, medication review, and past and current obstetrical status (assessments are completed between 12 and 16 weeks and around 27 weeks of pregnancy and are shared with clinicians)
- A primary nurse assigned to members identified as high risk
- Electronic newsletter sent every two weeks with information based on the gestational age of the baby
- A copy of the book Your Journey Through Pregnancy, available in three reading levels – standard, lower reading level, and Spanish
- Web site that includes educational materials and stores the member’s assessments behind security
Members enrolled in Wellmark’s current Better Beginnings maternity program remain with that program through their pregnancy. Members filing pregnancy-related claims in March roll into the new pregnancy care program.
Disease Management — The disease management program that is offered to all fully insured plans is being enhanced to deliver even greater value to you and your employees:
- Primary Nurse Model — Members who need more support are assigned a primary nurse who calls each time, helping build better rapport and understanding of the steps needed to make health improvements
- 24/7 Nurse Support — Members in the disease management program can call 24/7 for support and advice, and their primary nurse will receive notification about all calls into the 24/7 nurse support so that follow up calls can be made, if necessary
- Welcome Call — All members identified for the program receive a welcome call by an enrollment specialist; this results in higher program participation
- Educational Materials — Quarterly information mailed to members’ homes
There are five disease management programs: asthma, diabetes, coronary (heart) artery disease, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Impact conditions will be available as buy-up options. In late February, members enrolled in Wellmark’s current disease management program will receive a letter describing the change and a magnet with the new phone number. |
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Keep reading News From Blue for more information on additional enhancements to Wellmark’s health management programs. |
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New Laws Make HSAs More Flexible and Attractive
In December 2006, President Bush signed the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (“the 2006 Act”) that greatly expands the use, flexibility, and tax savings associated with health savings accounts (HSAs). The new law includes several HSA provisions that provide more flexibility for consumer directed plans:
- Earlier cost of living indexing for deductibles and contribution/out of pocket expense limits
- HRA/FSA rollovers into HSAs
- Increased annual contribution limits
- Increased contributions for mid-year enrollees
Click here for more detailed information on the changes.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) was active in shaping and lobbying for these new HSA provisions as part of a coalition of insurers, employers, and others. The changes are good news for employers who want to offer consumer-directed health care (CDHC) plans. Wellmark offers a complete array of CDHC options to fit your needs. |
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Find out how to put Blue Priority Solutions to work for you. Talk with your account manager or broker today, or visit bluepriority.wellmark.com. |
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Health Savings Account Tax Hotline Available
It’s time to start thinking about taxes, so Wellmark’s financial partner for health savings accounts (HSAs), First Horizon Msaver, wants to remind all HSA account holders of their HSA tax information customer service hotline at (866) 495-9038. Operators are trained to answer basic HSA questions regarding tax filings for 2006 tax year and the changes recently signed into law for 2007. Operators can connect members to resources for more in-depth tax issues and information. |
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Employers interested in using First Horizon’s online employer portal to manage account contributions can call (866) 495-9038 to sign up for weekly training sessions held every Thursday. |
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New Blue Priority FLEX Member Enrollment Materials
Wellmark’s flex products are now branded Blue Priority — and along with the
re-branding, we’ve made some exciting changes to the member enrollment materials. The new Blue Priority FLEX Member Enrollment Guide (H-8129) replaces the previous enrollment kits, and includes:
- Condensed copy from multiple brochures into one eight-page guide
- All the information your employees need to know about Wellmark’s flexible benefits
- Stitched-in enrollment form
- Fresh, new look and feel
In addition, the Spring 2007 Blue Priority FLEX Update is now available on www.wellmark.com/flex, and will be mailed to all members along with their confirmation statements. |
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For more information on Blue Priority FLEX, contact Wellmark’s Flexible Benefits department at (800) 624-2755. |
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Late Fees Take Effect with March Billing Cycle
As a reminder, Wellmark begins assessing late fees on all premium payments received and posted after the fifth calendar day of the month, beginning with the March billing cycle. The late fee will be calculated at the prime rate (as published in the Midwest edition of The Wall Street Journal) plus two percent of the group’s monthly premium amount due. Remember, you can view bills online if you are registered to use Blue Connection tools on www.wellmark.com:
- Click on the Employer tab
- Type your Log In and Password
- Click on View Your Group Statement
- Add in your group number and billing unit
- Use the drop down box to select the billing period then click on the desired Group Statement
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For questions on late fees, contact your account manager or broker. |
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Take a Walk With Us on National Walk@Lunch DaySM
Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield is gearing up for National Walk@Lunch Day on Wednesday, April 18, 2007, and we want you to join us! National Walk@Lunch Day is an all-new workplace walking initiative, supported by Blue Plans around the country, to encourage Americans to take a 30 minute walk on their lunch break. In addition to supplying participating employer groups with event toolkits and fun giveaways, Wellmark will also provide on-going facilitation services to ensure you and your co-workers enjoy a successful walk. |
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Check the March issue of News From Blue for more information about this exciting national event! |
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