Bundling makes dollars and sense
Help your clients bundle up this winter and everyone wins. When you help your clients purchase a medical, dental and FSA plan from HealthPartners, they get no-hassle administration and you accelerate your income.
HealthPartners can provide your clients a single-source for all medical, dental and FSA plan administration. We do it all in-house – right here, right away. That means hassle-free reimbursement for your clients’ employees:
- No paperwork – HealthPartners medical, dental and pharmacy claims are automatically submitted to the employee’s FSA account for reimbursement
- Debit card – Employees get instant access to pay point-of-service transactions like pharmacy copays
- Single claim service – Employees submit just one claim for ongoing services such as orthodontic treatment, and get ongoing monthly reimbursement
Just introduced, our FSA has already been implemented in groups ranging from less than 50 to more than 10,000 members. We've seen nearly 25 percent participation rates in those groups -- that's twice the national average, attributed in large part to our automatic claims crossover advantage.
No-hassle FSA service for your clients means no-hassles for you. Plus, when your medical clients add dental coverage, or vice versa, you earn a 25 percent commission increase for 12 months through the Dental Accelerator Bonus Program. That’s a real win-win.
To learn more please contact your HealthPartners Sales Executive.
TRENDS
CDHPs have huge cost impact
HealthPartners CDHP participants consume 30 percent less care than traditional plan participants according to a recent membership study. Nearly 10 percent of that can be attributed to changes in consumer behavior as a result of the plan design.
That means CDHPs can offer real savings to your clients. But maximizing those savings requires a strategic CDHP implementation plan.
Some brokers are offering multiple benefit designs to ease the cost-sharing transition. By offering a CDHP next to a traditional plan, employers can give their employees more choice in their health coverage which creates higher employee satisfaction.
Our study found that selection issues counter the trend reduction advantages of a CDHP. That means:
- For your clients who prefer the immediate cost reduction benefits of a CDHP, we recommend advising them to implement a CDHP total replacement.
- For your clients who are concerned about employee acceptance – use a CDHP core buy-up plan as a transition strategy to CDHP replacement; and we'll help you develop a communications campaign to prepare employees for the switch.
For more information on CDHP plans, please consult with your HealthPartners Sales Executive.
SELLING HEALTHPARTNERS
Here’s what your clients will be reading about in this month’s issue of Beyond Benefits.
Heart programs save lives and money
With an annual price tag of $92 billion, coronary artery disease (CAD) is a huge contributor to health care costs. Our CareSpan heart programs reduce risks and decrease hospitalizations CAD-related diagnoses. The outcome: $400 per person savings in CAD costs annually and at least 50 fewer heart attacks, strokes or deaths each year.
Saving on prescription drugs
Nobody provides more easy, effective solutions for managing prescription drug costs than HealthPartners. While in 2005 national pharmacy trends were 12.8 percent, we're keeping our trend at just seven percent by aggressively promoting some simple member solutions:
- Half-Tablet Advantage program – For certain drugs, members can literally cut costs in half by buying higher strength doses and splitting pills.
- More generics – Last year, more than half of HealthPartners prescriptions were generics – it’s the biggest savings for some of the biggest name drugs.
- Mail Order Pharmacy– Members get convenience and savings by filling prescriptions and purchasing over-the-counter (OTC) medications by phone or online 24/7 from our pharmacy.
Click here for a copy of Beyond Benefits.
HEADLINES
Jump Start delivers real savings
Here's your chance to walk-off with great prizes and stay a step ahead of the competition. Watch your mail and email for more info. |
The new Jump Start program is almost here – and it’s bringing real savings with it. Jump Start combines our unique health assessment with award-winning 10,000 Steps® program to provide real results for your clients.
- $280 average savings in claims in the first year for those who complete our health assessment and the 10,000 Steps program
- $3,000 to $5,000 savings in annual medical claims for employees identified up to two years in advance as at-risk for diabetes or heart disease. On average, 25 to 40% of the population has one of those risks. For a 100-employee firm, that can be a savings of $75,000 to $200,000 a year.
Stay tuned for more information on Jump Start!
New change in $2,000 embedded deductible plan
Changes in federal HSA regulations published last October require an increase in the deductible on the $2000 embedded deductible plan for small employers. We’ve been approvedapproved for a $2200 Embedded Deductible replacement plan.
Federal HSA regulations do not allow embedded deductibles within a family contract to be less than the family minimum. The 2006 cost-of-living adjustment raises the minimum individual embedded deductible to $2,100, which is the same as the new family contract amount. Our higher amount exceeds the minimum to cover anticipated 2007 adjustments.
Click here for a copy of the revised Small Group Employer Application.
Another great online tool -- personal health records
The Connecting for Health Collaborative declares personal health records (PHR) are an essential tool to integrate the delivery of health care and put each patient at the center of their care. Now, PHRs are available to all HealthPartners members – giving each person 24/7 access to gather, store, manage and share their essential health data. PHR makes it easy to:
- View medical benefits
- Review claims
- Schedule appointments
- Check test results
- Look up a doctor or clinic and create a directory of clinics and hospitals
- Keep a medical history of allergies, immunizations, prescriptions, and more
- Keep a personal medical diary
Members can enter their own health information, create a directory of their doctors and more. PHR is another great online tool to help your clients engage their employees in their health care – and it’s a part of every member’s free, secure, personal account that they can register at healthpartners.com.
Disability management programs for your clients
Help your clients get their employees back to work safely and quickly with our comprehensive disability management programs:
- Certified Workers’ Compensation Managed Care Plan
- Return-to-Work Case Management
- Workers’ Compensation Bill Review & Provider Payment
- Occupational Medicine Services
- Consulting Services
Our expert consultants can help your company put processes, policies and programs in place that promote a safe and healthy work environment for your employees and your company.
To learn more, check out Disability Intervention & Prevention or contact your HealthPartners Sales Executive.
Help your clients stay compliant with Medicare
In January 2006, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released step-by-step guidelines on a new online reporting tool for active members of commercial plans.
Employers must use this tool to report Creditable Coverage information directly to CMS – and it must be completed by March 31, 2006. According to CMS, the employer must complete this process on an annual basis and upon any changes to affect whether the drug coverage is creditable.
HealthPartners is sending communications to employers next week regarding the “creditable coverage” reporting requirement. I want you to have this information now so you are aware of the communication that may impact your groups.
It’s important to note that all HealthPartners fully-insured small group plans meet the creditable coverage criteria – with the exception of the Empower HSA, Northwest Purchasing Alliance plans, and our two compliance products. That means that your clients – unless they have the Empower HSA, Northwest Purchasing Alliance plan, or a compliance product – will receive notice that their plan’s coverage is creditable.
If you have any questions about specific groups and their creditable coverage status, please contact your HealthPartners Sales Executive.
Network updates: Welcome Bloomington
A bigger network is better – more access for members, more satisfaction for employers and more sales for you. In the past year, we’ve added more than 500 clinics and 3,000 providers to our network. Our Open Access network now includes nearly 31,000 providers regionally, including 12,000 specialists. This means our Open Access network rivals Blue Cross’ Aware network, which claims to include 96 percent of health care providers in the state. Our recent additions include:
Medical – Minnesota
Ashby Clinic, Ashby
Battle Lake Clinic, Battle Lake
Bloomington Lake Clinic in Bloomington
Bloomington Lake Clinic, Edina
Bloomington Lake Clinic in Mendota Heights
Bloomington Lake Clinic in Minneapolis
Chain of Lakes Medical Clinic, Cold Spring
Fairview Hugo Clinic, Hugo
Fergus Falls Medical Group, PA; Fergus Falls
HealthEast Salud Integral, St. Paul
MinnHealth Family Physicians, Shoreview
Stephens Health Services – Integrated Health Center , Alexandria
United Clinics of Faribault County – Blue Earth
United Clinics of Faribault County – Wells
United Clinics of Faribault County – Swea City
United Clinics of Faribault County – Winnebago
Westridge Clinic, Fergus Falls
Dental – Minnesota
Barnett Dental, Inc.; Ramsey
Children’s Dental Care, Burnsville
Children’s Dental Care, Lakeville
North Branch Dental, North Branch
Oakdale Family Dentistry, PA
Personal Care Dentistry, Roseville
Riverside Family Dental, PA
Robert Koubsky, DDS; St. Cloud
St. Anthony Park Dental Arts, PA
The Smile Center – Savage
Thomas E. Spray, DDS, PLLC
Medical – South Dakota
Avera Harrisburg Medical Clinic, Harrisburg
Kass Clinic, Rosholt
Prairie Health Clinic, Armour
Prairie Health Clinic-Corsica
Prairie Health Clinic-Stickney
Sioux Valley – Clark, Clark
Sioux Valley Clinic – Family Health Center , Sioux Falls
Sioux Valley Clinic – Vascular Associates, Sioux Falls
LIBRARY: QUICK LINKS TO GREAT RESOURCES
Important Contacts
Our Group Medical Plans
Our Group Dental Plans
Our Achieve SM Health Improvement Programs
Our CareSpan SM Disease Management Programs
Direct Connect to Broker Portal
Network Updates
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