Flashes

February 12, 2019

We finished mailing 1095-B forms to members on February 4, and members will receive them by February 11. The IRS extended deadline to send these forms to members is March 4, 2019.

If you have questions about these forms, contact your client consultant, or contact Client Support at 217-902-8151 or ClientSupport@healthalliance.org.

Individual Marketplace members will receive their 1095-A forms from the Marketplace and should contact the Marketplace with questions or concerns.

January 23, 2019

Our individual, fully insured and self-funded members with OptumRx pharmacy coverage through their Health Alliance plans now have access to Deterra^®, a safe and convenient way to dispose of unused medication. This program helps reduce the amount of drugs that enter our water system from flushing unwanted meds.

Any member with an OptumRx mail drug benefit can request up to two drug disposal kits per year. They must call OptumRx at 1-800-562-6223 and register a home delivery account.

An OptumRx customer service representative will answer the call, and the member or authorized representative should ask for a Deterra kit. The customer service rep will ask a few questions about why the kit is needed. All the member needs to say is that they need it for disposal of unneeded medication.

The kit should arrive in about 7–10 business days.

During the call, the customer service rep will also talk to the member about the benefits of home delivery and ask if they would like to use it. If the member is not interested, they can say no.

It is important to know that members are not required to change the way they receive their medications to home delivery to take advantage of this program, especially if they already enjoy cost savings at one of our preferred cost-sharing pharmacies, like Walgreens.

If the member or authorized representative wants to ask specific questions about Deterra kits and how to use them, an OptumRx pharmacist may speak to the member. Any other questions about the program can be directed to our Pharmacy Department at 1-800-851-3379, option 4.

January 22, 2019

The new group Medicare Supplement rates went into effect on February 1, 2019. However, our February bills incorrectly listed the 2018 rates instead of the 2019 rates. The March bills will be reconciled to reflect the correct 2019 rates and will include any amount still due for February.

We’re sorry for the mix-up. If you have any questions, call Client Support at 217-902-8151 or email ClientSupport@healthalliance.org.

December 19, 2018

The 2019 Medicare Supplement rates were approved by the Illinois Department of Insurance on December 12. We sent a renewal mailing to Medicare supplement members on December 17, and we began sending group renewals on December 19.

We are required to give members and groups a 30-day notice before changing their rates, so the new rates will go into effect on February 1, 2019. We will not extend the 2020 renewal. That renewal date will still be January 1, 2020.

Please contact your client consultant with any questions.

December 5, 2018

Last week we sent the renewal mailing to group Medicare supplement members without the 2019 rates included, as these have not yet been approved by Department of Insurance (DOI). The renewal mailing informs members of the 2019 Original Medicare benefits. A cover letter explains that we’ll mail the rates separately once we receive approval.

We are required to give members and groups a 30-day notice before changing their rates, so the new rates will not go into effect on January 1, 2019. Even though we aren’t changing the rates on January 1, we will not extend the 2020 renewal. That renewal date will still be January 1, 2020.

We filed within the appropriate time frame, and we are working diligently with the DOI to receive approval. We will provide an update once we receive the 2019 rate approval. 

Please contact your client consultant with any questions.