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Open enrollment pre-shopping for individual plans

Updated October 25, 2017

Some last-minute changes were required when alternate rates were filed and approved last Friday, and we were not able to launch our pre-shopping tools on Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s website as early as planned. We’re scheduled to launch Tuesday, October 24.

UPDATE: Launch will be Friday, October 27.

Included below are some other updates you need to be aware of:

  • Blue Solutions will be updated with 2018 rates and benefits. Blue Solutions will be updated with 2018 rates and benefits.
  • Brochures for 2018 will be available for download and ordering. For every brochure you order, we’ll send a benefits grid. A detailed grid will not be in our agent brochures. Instead, we’ll use that space to include details on the value of staying and/or going Blue, and product features that all our plans include (free preventive services, two free visits to primary care physician and much more!).Brochures for 2018 will be available for download and ordering. For every brochure you order, we’ll send a benefits grid. A detailed grid will not be in our agent brochures. Instead, we’ll use that space to include details on the value of staying and/or going Blue, and product features that all our plans include (free preventive services, two free visits to primary care physician and much more!).
    2018 Individual Health Insurance Plans
    2018 Individual Benefit Grid
  • New this year! We’ve included actual negotiated discount examples that you can use to sell our products. Negotiated discounts is an important benefit to selling Blue, and we want you to sell on actual examples. This helps members see that Bronze plans have more in common with Gold plans than differences. Also important to our value proposition is our access to more doctors and hospitals, and that we’re the coverage that’s chosen by more doctors for their own families.
  • Want an early look at these materials? Email your individual products representative at Arkansas Blue Cross.
  • You also can begin submitting orders for 2018 dental brochures on October 24. (2018 Individual Dental and Vision Plan Brochure)
  • InsureArk.org is changing web addresses beginning November 1. The new website will be https://portal.mmis.arkansas.gov/armedicaid/member/. Our understanding is that both InsureArk.org and the new web address will be undergoing maintenance until November 1.
  • Annual Member Open Enrollment Notices (MOEN letters) to your ACA members are scheduled to go out next week. We’ve emphasized this in years past, but we cannot emphasize enough this year the importance of trying to get out ahead of these mailings.

There are more accurate and better rates available that are vastly different than what will be included in the MOENs (base rates will be accurate, APTC will not). Please use Blue Solutions to provide an accurate APTC and member cost, and offer more plan options your clients can choose from. We do not have a choice but to send these MOENs with the 2017 APTC. The letters include disclaimers regarding the accuracy of the estimated premiums and APTC, but most clients won’t read these. Especially those experiencing their first open enrollment period.

UPDATE: Good news! The APTC has been adjusted to include the more updated 2018 premium information. This means the estimated APTC included in next week’s MOEN letter will be more accurate. This does not change our strong recommendation to actively help your clients re-enroll, nor does it include our recommendation that many people should change plans. If the client is receiving a significant APTC, and would like to enroll in a Silver plan with cost-sharing reduction, our Silver Plan 2 is (in our opinion) the best Blue option. However, for those with little or no APTC, the Bronze Plan 1 will be the best Blue option.

We will continue our best efforts to keep you informed of important updates, and prepared for OEP. As we always say, and we truly mean…thank goodness for insurance, and thank goodness for insurance agents like you!