Medicare Supplement Plan-Summer underwriting holiday and bonus program
It's summertime, and we're happy to announce that your clients may be eligible for an Underwriting Holiday. For a limited time, and running through August 31, 2022, this offer allows your clients that are new to Medicare and/or new to Blue Shield of California to enroll in a Plan G, Plan G Extra, or Plan G Inspire* Blue Shield of California Medicare Supplement plan without answering any health questions or underwriting approval.
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Plan G, Plan G Extra, and Plan G Inspire* Medicare Supplement plans are eligible for the Underwriting Holiday for effective dates of July 1, 2022, August 1, 2022, and September 1, 2022. Applications must be received with signature dates between June 1, 2022, at 12:00 a.m. through August 31, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Please use GA code 99 when submitting applications.
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Competing health plan members are welcome to enroll in Blue Shield's Medicare Supplement Plans G, Plan G Extra, and Plan G Inspire* without answering any health questions or underwriting approval.
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Underwriting Holiday is available for new to Blue Shield and new to Medicare/Age-ins. Blue Shield IFP and Commercial Age-Ins are also eligible for this Underwriting Holiday. Current Blue Shield Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement members are not eligible for this Underwriting Holiday.
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Must be a California resident to apply.
Applications may be completed
online, emailed to
MSInstall@blueshieldca.com or faxed to (844) 266-1850.
Summer is also a time when you can EARN BIG. Help your clients get more with Blue Shield of California by enrolling them in one of our benefit-rich, competitively-priced Medicare Supplement plans.
Earn $250 for every approved new to Medicare and/or new to Blue Shield Medicare Supplement plan application for an effective date of July 1, 2022, August 1, 2022, and September 1, 2022. The bonus program starts on June 1, 2022, at 12:00 a.m. and goes through August 31, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. This bonus program is limited to Plan G, Plan G Extra, and Plan G Inspire* new enrollments only.
Blue Shield is excited to introduce an additional
$50 bonus for every approved dental plan sold in conjunction with Medicare Supplement Plan G, Plan G Extra, and Plan G Inspire* with an effective date of July 1, 2022, August 1, 2022, and September 1, 2022.
Please reference our
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or contact your
Blue Shield Broker Sales Manager for additional information.
*Plan G Inspire is available in select Northern California counties.
Get certified for AEP 2023
Blue Shield's 2023 Product Certification opens on July 25, 2022.
As a reminder, brokers/agents must be certified each year before any plans can be sold; this includes new sales and renewal payments. Timing is important because certification cannot be retroactively applied.
Helpful Tips for AEP
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Broker/agents are required to submit their agency and their broker information on the enrollment applications, or they will not get credit and get paid for that enrollment
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Submissions must include FMO and Broker information for credit assignment
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Submission containing two agencies and no Broker will result in no credit
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Submissions containing incorrect information will result in no credit
AHIP Certification for MAPD Sales is now open.
Get certified now to sell Blue Shield's MAPD and PDP plans for 2023 by completing AHIP certification
1.
Get reimbursed up to $100! Use the Blue Shield
AHIP certification link2, and get reimbursed up to $100 of the $125 AHIP certification fee when you enroll
five new Blue Shield MAPD members for the 2023 plan year.*
Please visit the Broker Connection
MAPD and PDP certification page to learn more.
After completing the AHIP certification, be sure to complete your
2023 Blue Shield Product Certification. And remember, you must complete
BOTH the AHIP certification and 2023 Blue Shield product-specific training before you can sell any of our plans.
1You must complete training on AHIP's site through Blue Shield's registration page to be eligible for reimbursement. Download the reimbursement request form. *All five MAPD members must be active for at least 60 days prior to your request. Payments may take up to six weeks to process.
NOTE: AHIP training is required for brokers annually prior to making any sales to receive commissions for new 2023 sales. To receive 2023 renewals for MAPD and PDP clients, AHIP certification must be completed on or before 12/31/2022.
2You MUST register using our link to be eligible for reimbursement.
Cal MediConnect plan transition: D-SNP Town hall meetings
Blue Shield Coordinated Choice and Blue Shield Promise Cal MediConnect plans will end effective December 31, 2022. Impacted members will be automatically transitioned into an existing Blue Shield Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan (MAPD), or Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP), effective January 1, 2023.
Beginning in 2023, Blue Shield TotalDual Plan (HMO D-SNP) in Los Angeles and San Diego counties and Blue Shield Inspire (HMO D-SNP) in Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin counties will be our lead plans for dual eligible beneficiaries.
Register today for one of our upcoming town hall meetings, where we’ll take a deep dive and answer your questions with all the information that is available today.
August 3, 2022 -10:00 a.m. Broker Town Hall/Roundtable – Southern California
August 3, 2022 -3:00 p.m. Broker Town Hall/Roundtable – Northern California
August 4, 2022 -3:00 p.m. Broker Town Hall/Roundtable – Southern California
August 9, 2022 -10:00 a.m. Broker Town Hall/Roundtable – Northern California
To learn about why this transition is happening, please visit
calmedicinnedctla.org.
Important changes for brokers: CMS Clarification on CY 2023 MA and Part D Technical Final Rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) has provided guidance and final ruling MA and Part D Technical Final Rule on Producer Third Party Marketing Organizations (TPMO) and Field Marketing Organizations (FMO) sales and marketing practices.
These changes will go into effect beginning October 1, 2022, for coverage year 2023.
Requirements of the ruling include:
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TPMO Disclosures
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Beneficiary Call Recording
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Multilanguage Taglines (1557)
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MLR Reporting
Stay tuned- For more information, please visit
CMS.gov.
Broker training dates and Helpful FAQs
We’re committed to providing you with the tools and resources to help our members navigate the complicated and evolving healthcare space. Broker training events are your opportunity to interact and ask questions with our Blue Shield team of subject matter experts.
Topics Include:
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2023 Certifications-Get Ready to Sell
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Medicare Supplement plan underwriting holiday & bonus program
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Digital Online Enrollment Tools
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Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (DSNP) & Low Income Client (LIC) Special Enrollment
Also, please remember to bookmark the
News and Announcement page on Broker Connection for helpful information and FAQs.
Reminder: July 1, 2022, Medicare Supplement plan cycle
New Medicare Supplement plans were enacted on July 1, 2022. To better help members plan for their health care costs, the 6-month rate guarantee increases to 12-months for open Medicare Supplement plans. For more information, please review our July Rate Action FAQs.
Also effective on July 1, 2022, Medicare Supplement Plan G Inspire plans will receive a rate alignment, and most open plans will receive a rate increase. Plan G Inspire rates will align with the rest of the open plan portfolio by moving to once-a-year rate action and single-age bands.
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Once-a-year rate action will reflect both an age band (when applicable) and annual rate action.
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Age bands will change from every two years to one year, resulting in a one-time rate increase to even-age band rates (e.g., 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 and 84).
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“Under 65” age rates will receive a rate reduction and be set at 2x the “Age 85+” rates.
Open Medicare Supplement plans A, F Extra, G, G Extra, and N moved to once-a-year rate action and single-age bands last year, effective July 1, 2021.
The Medicare Supplement rate action for July 1, 2022, includes open plans
The summary below provides a breakdown of the average rate increase for each Open plan and age band effective July 1, 2022.
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Plan A will receive a rate pass, but age-band increases will apply.
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Plans F Extra, G, G Extra, G Inspire, and N will receive an average 4% rate increase
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Age band 65: average 5.5% increase
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Age bands 66 to 69: average 5.0% increase
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Age bands 70 to 74: average 3.3% increase
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Age bands 75+: average 3.8% increase
The impact of rate increases by age might deviate from the percentage shown due to rounding. Medicare Supplement rates are rounded to the nearest dollar.
All Closed Plans receive a rate pass effective July 1, 2022. Dental/Vision Plan rate changes effective July 1, 2022, for Medicare Supplement open plan members.
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Dental PPO Plan 1000: Increase from $35.00 to $36.10*
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Dental PPO Plan 1500: Increase from $51.30 to $52.80*
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Specialty Duo Dental + Vision: Decrease from $55.40 to $50.40
For a complete list of resources, including EOCs and rates sheets for closed plans, please visit our
Help current clients page
* Rates before the $3 Dental Savings are applied. The savings are due to increased efficiencies from administering Medicare Supplement plans under the programs that are passed along to the subscriber.
The debut of 988, the 3-digit suicide hotline, will save many lives
A new national suicide prevention hotline – 988 – will debut on July 16, making it easier for people in mental distress to reach out for help.
"The 988 phone number will supplement the current 1-800-273-TALK (8255) number, marking an important advance for mental health care," said Jennifer Christian-Herman, Ph.D., Vice President of Mindbody Medicine at Blue Shield of California. “It's a powerful indication of how seriously we're taking suicide and mental health as a country. The 988 line is going to help save many lives.”
For more information about the 988 program and Blue Shield’s commitment to mental health resources, please visit our News Center.
Welcome to Nymbl- a new app available through Wellvoution for Improving balance
It only takes 10 minutes a day to improve balance and stay active. Nymbl combines fun challenges with simple body movements in a personalized balance training app that your clients can use from home on their schedule.
New to Wellvolution* and exclusive to Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plan members, Nymbl is available for free, at no cost to eligible members. Nymbl doesn't require strenuous activity, and helps reconnect the brain and body – Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plan members can improve their balance and enjoy more of life!
For more information and to register, please direct your Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plan clients to Wellvolution, and our Good Balance Starts Here page.
*Wellvolution is neither offered nor guaranteed under our contract with the Medicare program, nor is it subject to the Medicare appeals process. Any disputes regarding Wellvolution may be subject to the plan’s grievance process. Wellvolution and all associated digital and in-person health programs and services are managed by Solera Health, Inc., a health company committed to changing lives by guiding people to better health in their communities.
Enhancing our member's digital experience with easier access
Blue Shield of California is continually working to improve the digital experience for our members. It will release some enhancements this month to make it easier for them to access their plan benefits and information online.
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Members with multiple plans or logins, resulting from a variety of scenarios will have their accounts consolidated. They will no longer need to manage different logins or passwords but will be able to toggle between their accounts once logged in through a “Multiple Plans” drop-down menu.
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Blue Shield will inform members with multiple accounts or logins of this change through targeted messaging in the member portal and email communications.
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Members will also soon be able to access their health plan benefits online using their Social Security number OR their member identification number; previously, only a member ID was recognized. This will help ensure members can access their plan information when they cannot locate their Blue Shield ID card or member ID number.
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Members will see this option to use their Blue Shield ID number or Social Security number at the main login screen on www.blueshieldca.com.
Tools at Your Fingertips ~ Don’t forget to update your password
We want to provide you with all the resources you need to succeed. Here are some tools to help you be an expert guide for your clients when discussing Blue Shield of California plans:
We’ve updated our contact inbox:
Please update our email address. Effective immediately, all email inquiries for servicing issues should be sent to Producer.Services@blueshieldca.com. And all appointment inquiries should go to ProducerServiceAppointments@blueshieldca.com.
Beginning of July 31st, the email address SeniorMarketsProducer@blueshieldca.com and PHPAppointment@blueshieldca.com will be retired and no longer monitored for communications.
Stay current on the latest health news from Blue Shield of California by visiting our
News Center, or receive updates in your inbox by
subscribing today.
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