*Gag Clause Prohibition Compliance Attestation Approach for 2023
Applies to all groups
Earlier this year, the federal government released guidance on the implementation of the Gag Clause Prohibition Compliance Attestation (GCPCA). Under these requirements, both group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group and individual health insurance coverage must submit an attestation of compliance. The first GCPCA reporting is due to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) no later than Dec. 31, 2023. In that guidance, CMS added an option, but not a requirement, for third-party administrators or health insurance issuers to attest on behalf of the group health plan. Get the facts.
*BCBSTX Extends Contract with Hendrick Health in Abilene Through Oct. 31, 2023
Applies to all groups, Individual & Family Markets
We’re in active negotiations with Hendrick Health in Abilene. The current contracts were set to expire on Sept. 30, 2023, but we’ve extended them through Oct. 31, 2023.
The negotiation includes Hendrick Medical Center and Hendrick South in Abilene, as well as Hendrick Health doctors and home healthservices.
More information: For the latest information, visit bcbstx.com/hendrick. Please contact your Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) representative with any questions or concerns.
Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage Creditable/Non-Creditable Letters Available for Groups
Applies to all groups, Medicare
What you should know: The annual communication to members informing them whether their plan’s prescription drug coverage is creditable or non-creditable to Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage begins in October.
Groups must notify members of their plan's creditable coverage status by Oct. 15.
You can help: Letters are available for your groups to assist with determining whether their prescription drug coverage is creditable or non-creditable.
Details: For group plans, the employer, not Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, is responsible for notifying its group health plan members, as well as notifying CMS of its plan members’ creditable coverage status.
Background: Creditable coverage is defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as “prescription drug coverage (e.g., from an employer or union) that's expected to pay, on average, at least as much as Medicare’s standard prescription drug coverage.”
Groups that have additional questions about this reporting responsibility can visit cms.gov/CreditableCoverage for more information.
*Hospital Indemnity Insurance Now Available
Applies to mid-market, large, ASO and fully insured groups What’s new: Hospital Indemnity Insurance is now available for groups with 51+ eligible employees for Jan. 1, 2024, effective dates. Learn more.
*Reminder: IRS Inflation Adjustments for 2024 HDHPs, HSAs
As we communicated earlier, the IRS has announced the inflation adjustments for 2024 High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA). These adjustments include maximum HSA contributions, minimum deductible amounts and maximum out-of-pocket limits. The following adjustments apply to the 2024 calendar year. Keep reading.
INDIVIDUAL & FAMILY
Register for a Producer Roadshow Today
To help you prepare for Open Enrollment, we’re hosting Producer Roadshows in September and October across multiple locations in Texas. We’ll provide plan and product updates and the other information you’ll need to sell our health plans in PY2024. Register now.
PREVIEW BLUEVISION EMPLOYER NEWSLETTER
Read the feature article about how your clients can help employees with high blood pressure in the September employer newsletter for national accounts. The newsletter will be sent Friday morning and includes other news recently shared with small, mid-market and large groups.
Motivating Employees to Manage Hypertension
On average, an employee with heart disease may cost their employer over a week of absences and $1,100 moreon lost productivity each year than employees with controlled blood pressure. What’s more, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that only one in four adultswith hypertension have their blood pressure under control.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) has a coaching option as part of our Wellbeing Management package that may help your employees manage high blood pressure — at no extra cost to them. Keep reading.
Many people don’t know that you can get influenza – the respiratory disease we often call the flu – any time of the year. Flu viruses often peak between December and February. But cases of flu may start to increase in October or earlier.
The flu kills thousands of people each year and sends hundreds of thousands more to the hospital. The CDC says most people who are six months or older should get a yearly flu shot.
Share this article with your clients to help them prepare for the flu season. They can learn more about how to protect themselves before flu cases start increasing.
Sources: Flu Season, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2002
The 2024 Blue Cross Medicare OptionsSM certification curriculum will once again be housed on the AHIP/CMP platform.
Producers who use the certification link below to access and complete their assigned tasks will receive the discounted rate of $50 off the normal $175 AHIP fee (and pay $125). Get certified now.
News from the Blues
*This article, or a similar version, is being shared with employer groups in the BlueVISIONSM newsletter or news alert.
File is in portable document format (PDF). To view this file, you may need to install a PDF reader program. Most PDF readers are a free download. One option is Adobe® Reader® which has a built-in screen reader. You can download other tools and learn more about accessibility at adobe.com.
By clicking this link, you will go to a website/app (“site”). The site may be offered by a vendor or an independent third party. The site may also contain non-Medicare related information. Some sites may require you to agree to their terms of use and privacy policy.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, a Division of Health Care Service Corporation,
a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
Motivating Employees to Manage Hypertension
File is in portable document format (PDF). To view this file, you may need to install a PDF reader program. Most PDF readers are a free download. One option is Adobe® Reader® which has a built-in screen reader. You can download other tools and learn more about accessibility at 
.