Group Metallic Commissions Paid From a New System
Starting with May 2017 commission statements, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield will begin paying some group metallic commissions to agents and agencies using a different commission system — the Insurance Compensation Management (ICM) system.
Some agencies are already familiar with ICM because all Medi-Pak Advantage, Medi-Pak Part D and, most recently, individual metallic (on and off exchange and Arkansas Works) commissions are paid through ICM. All other commissions will continue to be paid through the existing Marketing Commission System (MCS).
Please note: Not all group metallic commissions will be moved at the same time. Groups with metallic benefits will be moved on either the:
- Anniversary date (if they are an existing group) or;
- Effective date (if they are a brand new group, or if their group number has changed due to moving to a new group metallic benefit plan.)
Here is a table of products currently paid in ICM versus MCS:
| ICM (New commission system) | MCS (current commission system) |
|---|---|
| Medi-Pak Advantage and Medi-Pak Part D | Regular Medi-Pak |
| Individual on/off exchange (including Arkansas Works) | All under-65 individual products (medical, dental, vision) except for on/off exchange and Arkansas Works |
| Some metallic groups (based on anniversary or effective date) | Non-metallic groups and some metallic groups depending on anniversary date |
| Groups with service fee arrangements |
The intent is to move all products to ICM, and streamline all commissions into one system and one statement. To ensure a smooth transition, we will continue to pay commissions using both systems throughout 2017 and into 2018.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I know what is being paid in ICM and what is being paid in MCS?
A. Commission statements from ICM and MCS are easily identifiable. Statements that are generated in ICM are colorful and include the Arkansas Blue Cross logo. Statements in MCS are black and white. See examples below:
MCS Statement
ICM Statement
ICM statements are divided by producer and further subdivided by new enrollments and renewals. Manual adjustments, if applicable, will be reported as a separate section as well.
Q. What are the similarities and differences between the two statements?
A. There will be many similarities and just a few differences between ICM statements and MCS statements. Below is a summary comparison of fields in statements from MCS and ICM:
Q. Will there be separate electronic funds transfer (EFT) deposits for commissions paid in ICM and MCS?
A. This is largely dependent on how the commissions in ICM and MCS are processed. If the payments are processed together, you should expect to see two line item amounts — one for commissions paid in ICM and the other for commissions paid in MCS— on the email remittance that notifies you a deposit was made. The ICM and MCS statements will always be separate on Blueprint for Agents.
Q. Will the statements be separate in Blueprint for Agents?
A. Yes, the statements will be separate in Blueprint for Agents. Group metallic commissions will appear behind the MA & PDP, individual metallic and group service fee link. Please refer to the example below which illustrates how statements will be separated by a separate link to each type of commission statement.
Q. Will the statements be available in PDF and Excel formats?
A. Yes, both MCS and ICM statements will be available in PDF and XLS formats.
Q. Are the groups I see on the ICM statements a comprehensive list of my group policies?
A. No. Groups on the ICM statement include only those groups that have been migrated to ICM. Keep in mind that groups will be moved into ICM based on their anniversary or new group effective date. As such, it will take up to 12 months for all group metallic business to migrate to the ICM statements. For a list of current active enrollments, please refer to your current enrollment listing on Blueprint for Agents.
Q. For group metallic business, what payment periods will be reflected in ICM?
A. Payment periods for group metallic business in ICM will be paid one month in arrears, similar to how you are being paid on group business today.
Q. What about retroactivity? Will I have to look through MCS statements to find retroactivity on group metallic business?
A. In May 2017, ICM starts paying commissions on group metallic business with April 1, 2017, effective dates. ICM will not bring in commission history from commissions paid in MCS. Any retroactivity prior to the group’s effective date will be reflected on the MCS statement.