Some BCBSAZ Individual and Family plans will increase on average by 2.9 percent beginning on July 1, 2012

Broker Alert: Third Quarter Individual Plan Rate Changes Rates for BCBSAZ Individual and Family plans with deductibles of $5,000 or greater and BluePortfolio Plus plans with deductibles of $3,000 or lower will increase on average by 2.9 percent beginning on July 1, 2012. Only Suite C plans are impacted.  Third quarter 2012 premium rates will be effective from July 1 through September 30, 2012. The new rates are available for quoting at azblue.com beginning May 1 and via your Broker...

Protected: iHealthBrokers.com Phone Service

iHealthBrokers.com phone service is provided by Nextiva Communications. The cost is $35 a month flat with no taxes or extra fees. Unlimited U.S. Calling Unlimited Faxing Toll Free # with extension Local # with extension Local direct dial # Your billing will occur every month on the same day of the month that you start the...

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Broker Notes Online Volume 1, Issue 7

Volume 1 Issue 7 February 2012 New IU65 plan rate-up tier expands range of premium options Based on your feedback, BCBSAZ implemented a new rate-up tier for IU65 plans on Oct. 19, 2011. With this change, underwriting now applies one of four rate-up tiers for applicant underwriting, in contrast to the three previous rate-up tiers. The additional tier allows for a broader range of premiums depending upon the outcome of underwriting. The new rate-up structure is as follows: Current...

Protected: Agency IQ Signup

Protected: Lead Order Form

States Requested: ...

HHS Issues Essential Health Benefits Bulletin on Benchmarking

HHS Issues Essential Health Benefits Bulletin on Benchmarking Gives States Greater Flexibility in Determining What’s Covered Under New Exchange Plans in 2014 On December 16, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a bulletin outlining proposed policies and the approach it intends to pursue in rulemaking for defining Essential Health Benefits (EHB). Per the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), beginning on January 1, 2014, non-grandfathered Individual and...

Blue Shield of California’s Provider Network Update on UCLA

Blue Shield of California is currently in discussions with Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center (UCLA Medical Center), and UCLA Medical Group (includes UCLA Medical Group-Santa Monica Bay Physicians (SMBP) and UCLA Medical Group), all located in Los Angeles County, to renegotiate the terms of our HMO/PPO hospital agreements and medical group agreements for PPO and Medicare plans. If we are unable to reach an agreement, the contracts are scheduled to terminate effective 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2012.

Blue Shield of California Announces a New 2 Percent Pledge Giveback

We are pleased to announce a second give-back as part our 2 Percent Pledge commitment to customers and the community. This time we will return an estimated $295 million based on our 2011 net earnings by the end of the year. We announced the 2 Percent Pledge in June, as part of our commitment to affordability. We pledged to limit our annual net income to 2 percent of revenue, and any year that we earn more than 2 percent net income, to return the difference to our customers and the...

Institute of Medicine Issues Essential Health Benefits Recommendations

On October 7, 2011, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) publicly issued its highly anticipated “essential health benefits” (EHB) policy principles to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Among the proposals included in the 297-page report, the IOM recommended that the package of “essential health benefits” be based upon a typical small employer plan in today’s market and linked to the national average premium cost of a “silver” level plan in the Exchange.