Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond

Mental Health Awareness Month is a prime opportunity to promote awareness of mental health issues, positive mental health practices, and the availability of wellness resources to your clients and their families. Blue Shield’s collection of digital tools, services, and resources are designed to help improve mental health, stay physically fit, quit smoking, and much more.

Wellvolution®, our award-winning whole-health platform, is a great tool for those looking to take control of their health and well-being. Two new apps, Ginger and Headspace, were recently added to the Wellvolution platform. Both apps are designed for members to conveniently receive mental health support from the comfort of their own homes. Headspace is a science-backed meditation app built for reducing stress and achieving a better night’s rest. The Ginger app uses text-based chatting to provide mental health coaching along with a self-care library and video-based therapy. Headspace’s ability to reduce stress by 14% in just 10 days, and with 70% of Ginger members seeing an improvement within 12-16 weeks, the sooner members join Wellvolution, the sooner they will see results.

Staying current on the latest wellness news, trends, and technologies is increasingly helpful for mental health awareness. Blue Shield provides several channels to inform members and employers on a wide variety of wellness and healthcare topics.

You can tune in to our Healthy Dose of Dialogue podcast, in which Blue Shield and industry leaders discuss the latest insights and industry trends. A recent episode explores how virtual and augmented reality devices may aid in reducing stress and anxiety.

Our News Center will be featuring mental health-related content this month, including updates on leveraging the latest mental health resources and staying current on news and trends. These are great ways to help ensure your clients have the tools and information to support their mental well-being.

Introducing Broker Connection Account Management Tool

Soon, primary agents* and agency owners will have administrative control over their account’s access to Broker Connection.

Beginning this month, primary agents already appointed with Blue Shield of California will be able to create and manage new user accounts on Broker Connection with access to all its tools and resources. User accounts are assigned role-based permissions and functionality as determined by the primary agent.

Access options include:

Ordering sales materials
Access to individual or agency client lists
Access to individual or agency commission statements
Opening new user accounts
Account profile settings

What can each role do?	Support Staff	Sales Agent	Subagent	Administrator	Primary Agent*
Order sales materials	X	X	X	X	X
Use enrollment tools	X	X	X	X	X
Access their client list		X	X	X	X
View their commissions		X	X	X	X
View application status		X	X	X	X
Access agency client lists			X**	X	X
View agency commissions			X**	X	X
Create and manage user accounts				X	X
Update agency profile					X
Change direct deposit details					X

* Primary agents (Tax ID Owner or Principal Agent) may designate up to 4 other primary agent access accounts

** Optional access

These changes will provide more self-service options to manage your account online the way YOU want. More details, including training and FAQs, will be made available as we get closer to our go-live date.

Shield on Demand | See what's new: Marketing Tools & Resources

With Shield on Demand, you can customize a variety of marketing materials, including flyers and side-by-side benefit highlights to meet your specific sales objectives and client's needs. Our one-stop-shop digital platform provides immediate access to our most up-to-date, brand-approved sales tools.

Here's what's new this month:

2022 Benefit Highlights: 2-plan Comparison Flyer - select any two Blue Shield MAPD plans to display side-by-side.

For more information on how to use Shield on Demand, check out our quick start guide or log in to access Shield on Demand now.

New diabetes page creates a one-stop hub for members

We recently launched our member-facing diabetes homepage, a one-stop hub of resources, knowledge, and benefit information. From receiving free diabetes supplies to learning about the importance of eye health in preventing and managing diabetes, the site is both comprehensive and easy to navigate.

Ensure your clients get the most out of their Blue Shield health plan by promoting key resources like the new diabetes page.

Cal MediConnect Plans are sunsetting on December 31, 2022

The Cal MediConnect program is transitioning on December 31, 2022. Starting on January 1, 2023, Cal MediConnect members will be transitioned to exclusively aligned enrollment (EAE) Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) and matching Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans (MCPs). We’ll be providing updates as more information becomes available. To learn about why this tranistion is happening, please visit calmedicinnedctla.org.

Reminder: July 1, 2022, Medicare Supplement plan cycle

New changes to Medicare Supplement plans go into effect 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.

Once-a-year rate action will reflect both an age band (when applicable) and annual rate action.
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).
“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.

Plan A will receive a rate pass, but age-band increases will apply.
Plans F Extra, G, G Extra, G Inspire, and N will receive an average 4% rate increase.
Age band 65: average 5.5% increase
Age bands 66 to 69: average 5.0% increase
Age bands 70 to 74: average 3.3% increase
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.

Dental PPO Plan 1000: Increase from $35.00 to $36.10*
Dental PPO Plan 1500: Increase from $51.30 to $52.80*
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.

Qualifying life events trigger a Special Enrollment Period

Your clients may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) if they've had certain life events. Examples of life events include losing their existing health coverage, moving locations, or changes in household dynamics.

During a SEP, your clients can enroll or change plans at any time of year. We offer a diverse portfolio to fit the needs and budgets of all Medicare-eligible clients.

For more information, please refer to our Products for Medicare-eligible clients page. Each product offers a variety of benefits and access to a wide range of doctors and specialists, allowing you to guide clients toward low-cost options while ensuring their access to care when transitioning from one plan to another.

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:

General 2022 Product Overviews and Q&A
Mastering Your Local Area Marketing
2022 Dual Special Needs Plan (HMO D-SNP) products Q&A
Medicare Supplement plan Q&A

May Dates and Topics

June Dates and Topics

Also, please remember to bookmark the News and Announcement page on Broker Connection for helpful information and FAQs.

Tools at Your Fingertips

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:

2022 Commission payout calendar.
Order enrollment kits online.
Access Shield on Demand to help you grow your business.
Find archived Medicare newsletters.
Member resources and support during wildfires.

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.