BCBS-Illinois: News and Updates

1-10-2014 Advice and Reminder:

Reminder: We only have to 1/21/2014 to submit the form to BCBS-IL for becoming agent-of-record for orphans who enrolled on/off the Exchange.

Even though this form was primarily designed to ensure that you're properly connected to your clients if HealthCare.gov didn't capture your agent info, it's useful when you come across people who need your help who don't have an agent. This week, I became agent of record for 6 orphans who mistakenly enrolled in a "Blue Choice" plan when they shouldn't have. Remember, Blue Choice plans are primarily for those who live within 15 miles of downtown Chicago. All others should have a "Blue PPO" policy.

Once they provide you with the necessary info in order for you to complete the form for becoming their agent, you will get paid for helping them determine and migrate to a plan that better meets their needs.

Advice: Since the deadline is 1/21/2014 for submitting this form, start calling leads, or random cold-calling anyone and everyone (under age 65) who lives in the far out Chicago suburbs. You'll find many who enrolled in a BCBS 2014 Blue Choice plan because it was the cheapest. Big mistake. Help them. Get paid.
-ac

(Sidebar: I take issue with the 1/21/2014 deadline, considering that Blue Cross said when announcing this availability in the agent newsletter that, "We want to be with you and support you throughout the open enrollment period". If this is the case, the deadline for receiving this form SHOULD BE about 2 weeks after the open enrollment period closes on 3/31/2014.)
:idea:
 
TIP: If you're enrolling a child-only, off-exchange, because the parents have been accepted into a subsidized QHP, but the child was shipped to Medicaid. Set up a shopping account for each child who is enrolling in his/her own plan. This works very smoothly.

It's not possible to add the child/children to the parents existing BCBS-IL shopping account for an individual plan purchase. I don't know if it's because of ACA prohibitions, or simply because the BCBS shopping cart was never configured to do this.
ac
 
1-17-2014
Good Chicago Tribune story reporting the myriad of problems that BCBS-IL and the customers are enduring this month.

Link: Customers struggle with new health coverage - chicagotribune.com

I was told today that BCBS-IL and HHS are seriously bumping heads right now. Latest problem is that HHS wants BCBS-IL to obtain "wet" signatures from every customer who wants to change to a 2014 plan. HHS is trying to turn the President's "You Can Keep Your Plan" promise into some kind of deranged mandate. If a BCBS-IL customer does NOT want to keep their pre-2014 plan, they have to sign a letter declaring this. That's what HHS wants, but BCBS-IL is fighting it tooth-and-nail.

On the other end of the Spectrum, HHS is requiring that everyone who wants to STAY in their pre-2014 plan receive a letter from their insurer explaining the dangers and pitfalls of NOT converting to a 2014 plan.

It's C-R-A-Z-Y! BCBS-IL (and probably other Blues) is/are being targeted and tortured by the Government, and customer complaints are escalating at a record rate. Brokers? Well, we're the least of their concerns and problems right now.

(THEORY / GUT FEELING)
If you look at the totality of everything that's going on, it would seem that HHS is working feverishly to fulfill President Obama's dream of Government Run Healthcare coverage for every person in America. (Read: Medicare For All)They're working to "break" the BIG BLUES. After they cry "Uncle!" and give up, the rest will quickly follow.
-ac
 
I am absolutely convinced that the rumor is true. There was a meeting in DC and Seilbus told the Blues "either play ball or lose the Federal Employee Program"

This is getting out of control.

On Friday, I got an email that said "we never received your CMS training". So I forwarded her the email sent in December. Now, they can't open word docs.

Texas was told from the beginning that you could change your individual policies to a 12/1 renewal date and keep them until 12/1/14. This was pre Obama's announcement that you "keep your current plan". No one knows what will happen next December.
 
Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Here we are, 12 days after their 1-8-2014 "News From the Blues" newsletter which finally acknowledged that there are problems, and BCBS-IL is WORKING FEVERISHLY to fix them.
YET...
Telephone Hold Times are still through the roof.
Can't click on a policy number link and see the client's kit. Get an Error.
Most plans still show as "Pending" even though client has received an ID Card.
Can't login to many applicants' shopping accounts. Get a Database error.
Can't view or print an application after it's submitted. Click and get a not-found error.
Still no 2014 Agent's Guide available.

Twelve days later and the only improvement I can spot is that the printing and mailing departments are hard at work. Clients are receiving their documents. Anyone see any other positive signs of hope for a near-term improvement at the company? Regrettably, BCBS-IL is pretty much the only worthwhile game in town. I desperately want them to get their act together ASAP.
-ac
 
1/27/2014

To quote BCBS-IL's larget MGA, In 5 days.. "many many thousands of Blue Cross's Illinois policyholders will lose their health insurance, because the company did not draft the January premium, as the applicant requested on the application".

Lawsuits are being prepared over this...
 
From: Payment deadlines extended for January and February - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois


(Note: Nowhere does it say that many of those who chose automatic checking account deduction on their application, didn't experience that deduction. This is why so many are confused and will potentially lapse on January 31, 2014. For the company/client's sake, BCBSIL had better take some unprecedented, extraordinary measure to prevent this from happening.)


Payment deadlines extended for January and February

January 28, 2014
In order to give you extra time to pay your first month's premium, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is extending the payment deadline for those who signed up for new health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace with a Jan. 1, 2014 effective date. The new deadline for those members is Jan. 30, 2014.

If you bought a plan directly from BCBSIL (instead of through the Marketplace), your deadline has not changed. You will continue to have until Jan. 30, 2014 to make your payment.

While your coverage is effective starting Jan. 1, it is not active until you make your first premium payment. This means that we are not able to pay any claims or confirm eligibility for services until you activate your coverage by making your first payment. After your coverage is activated, health care expenses you accumulated between Jan. 1 and the day you made your first payment can be applied to your deductible or be paid back to you.

Payment must be received by midnight on Jan. 30, 2014.

Because we know that the late enrollment period meant many people would be paying their January payment later in the month, we have extended the deadline for February payments to the end of the month as well. You now have until Feb. 28, 2014 to make your February premium payment. Hopefully, this due date extension will allow you to space your payments to get your payment schedule adjusted.

-end
 
I've noticed that BCBS-IL has removed the wording that "Dental Coverage is Mandatory" on their online application. It now lists Dental as 100% Optional, with no strings attached.

Because the cost for it is about $35 per child, per month, my families who don't want it are clicking the "No Thanks" box.

I wonder if the Mandatory Dental aspect of the ACA has been "relaxed", but there was no accompanying announcement? Blue Cross is usually a good communicator to the field, but 2014 seems to have changed all that...at least temporarily.
ac

----------

2-13-2014

Excerpt from today's "News from the Blues" for Producers:

"January Commissions Scheduled for Release Feb. 18-20
Producers in all markets may experience a three-to-five day delay in receiving their commissions this month. While commissions typically are distributed on or around the 15th of a given month, commissions for the period ending Jan. 31, 2014, are scheduled for release between Feb. 18-20. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

The person who wrote this "announcement" is obviously in the dark as to when we're normally paid. It's ALWAYS around the 18th to the 20th of each month. But never-the-less, it's good to see that BCBS-IL is taking extra care to get it done right this month, since we're in uncharted territory due to the Federal Subsidy $$$ inclusion to most of the new 2014 plan premiums.
-ac
 
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