July 2013
In This Issue |
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Blue Points Expire July 30th |
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Mellon HSA Changes |
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SBC Update |
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Ask George |
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NCMS Plan Announces New Wellness Parter--The EI
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Blue Points Expire July 30th
Effective July 30th, Blue Points will be discontinued for all
participating practices in the NCMS Plan, regardless of your benefit
period or renewal date.
Blue Points is the program that rewards
members for health and wellness activities. Points earned for completing a
health risk assessment or for physical activity could be redeemed for gift
certificates, sports apparel, and other items.
Please inform your
employees and encourage them to log in, check their balance, and redeem
any rewards before the program ends. Members can log in and redeem Blue
Points up until July 30, 2013.
The Member Services website will
notify members of this program change when they log on and members with
Blue Points balances will also receive a letter notifying them of this
change.
If you would like to discuss wellness incentive ideas you
might use to replace Blue Points, contact Jason Horay, the NCMS Plan
Health Promotion Coordinator, at Jason.Horay@mmicnc.com or
919-878-7530.
Mellon HSA Changes
Over the past few months, ACS|BNY Mellon HSA Solution has made several
changes to improve the service to HSA account holders and to reduce fees
associated with HSA accounts.
First, a newly designed website was
launched in March. The new website was developed to give members instant
access to key account information in a more user-friendly format. Member
will access the newly designed website the same way they access it today,
hsamember.com.
Second, the $15.00 initial one-time account setup fee has been
eliminated.
Lastly, effective October 1st, ACS|BNY Mellon HSA
Solution will change its name to BenefitWallet. With this change, account
holders will continue to receive the same service they receive today, and
the Bank of New York Mellon will remain the HSA custodian. However,
beginning October 1, 2013, members will automatically be redirected to the
new BenefitWallet site and all communications will be in the new
BenefitWallet branding.
SBC Update
In the December 2012 issue of CHOICES, we addressed the ACA
requirement that the NCMS Plan develop and issue a “summary of benefits
and coverage” (SBC) which went into effect September 23, 2012. This
requires plan sponsors like the NCMS Plan to provide an SBC to employers
for eligible employees, members, new hires and special enrollees upon
application, on the first day of coverage, upon renewal and upon request.
SBCs must be provided beginning on the first day of the first plan year
that begins on or after September 23, 2012. The NCMS Plan's plan year
begins annually on August 1st which means that the SBC requirement will
apply to the NCMS Plan and its participating practices effective August 1,
2013 and at subsequent individual practice renewals thereafter. For
practices with Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), you may be
required to provide a separate SBC for your HRA. Consult your HRA vendor
for further information.
The NCMS Plan has produced and made
available SBCs to members through Member Services (the BCBSNC website)
like the benefit booklets are now. We have also posted digital copies of
SBCs on our website for access by practice administrators who need
to give copies to new employees and others who may request a copy.
Ask George
Question: Our group health renewal was April 1, 2013. We sent our
renewal information back to you on March 29th. When I contacted Member
Services on April 1st to verify coverage, I was told our practice had not
been renewed yet. What can I do to ensure our renewal is processed so our
health insurance will show active on the effective date?
Answer: The NCMS Plan sets a deadline for renewal submissions
approximately three weeks prior to the coverage effective date. This
deadline is important because it provides sufficient time to process all
renewals. If renewals are submitted by that deadline, members will be
active on the first day of the new benefit period.
Renewals that
are submitted after that deadline, and especially those submitted the week
prior to the coverage effective date, are less likely to be processed in
time for coverage to be active on the first day of the new benefit period.
Renewal processing can take 5-7 business days to complete and for member
ID cards to be issued. Renewals will be processed in the order that they
are received. Submitting your renewal as early as possible will allow
sufficient time to complete processing and have ID cards received by your
employees by the renewal date.
Even if your renewal is submitted
after the deadline and your group is not active on the first day of the
new benefit period, members will still have coverage and any claims
initially denied, will be adjudicated per benefits retroactively to the
beginning of the benefit period.
If you have questions about
renewal submission and deadlines, call me at (919) 878-7561 or e-mail george.fanelli@mmicnc.com.
NCMS Plan Announces New Wellness Parter--The EI Group
The NCMS Plan is excited to announce its new partner to conduct
biometric screenings for participating practices. As part of the Practice
Wellness initiative, the NCMS Plan and the EI Group, Inc. (EI) will work together to encourage
medical practices to participate and adopt an effective and sustainable
wellness culture with biometric screenings as a key component.
EI
will support the NCMS Plan's Practice Wellness initiative by providing
onsite biometric data collection from participants at a competitive and
preferred rate. This includes the following:
– Cholestech; finger
stick technology in conjunction with CLIA protocols for blood cholesterol
and glucose levels – Blood Pressure – Height and Weight for
calculation of body mass index (BMI) – Body Composition –
Flexibility testing – A summary of results to the participant along
with brief wellness coaching session – Data integration with the NCMS
Plan’s Health Assessment – Aggregate reporting after each screening
event to the practice
The NCMS Plan and the EI team look forward
to working with your practice. Please contact Jason Horay at Jason.Horay@mmicnc.com or
919-878-7530 if you are interested in learning more about the Practice
Wellness program or if you have questions about conducting a biometric
screening event.
About the North Carolina Medical Society
As the largest physician organization in the state, the North Carolina
Medical Society (NCMS) is devoted to representing the interests of
physicians and protecting the quality of patient care. The NCMS Plan,
sponsored by the NCMS, is the only statewide employee benefits plan
designed specifically for North Carolina physicians.
For more
information about many other benefits of NCMS membership, visit http://www.ncmedsoc.org/. |