Re-introducing HealthPartners 105 Plus Plan

Due to increasing market demand, we’ve re-introduced our 105 Plus plan, which means your clients have even more health plan financing options with HealthPartners. HealthPartners 105 Plus is formed by combining a fully insured, high-deductible primary plan with a more traditional secondary plan with richer benefits. By self-insuring the secondary plan, your clients assume the financial risk of the plan, which means decreased cost if experience is good and increased cost if experience is higher than expected.

HealthPartners 105 Plus gives your clients significant advantages over other 105 plans on the market. Only HealthPartners can provide both the fully insured and self-insured plans, which means integrated plan administration and single-source responsibility so your clients only have to manage one point of contact. Plus our administrative fees are lower than our competitors. Members win, too, because our Member Services team has access to both the primary and secondary plans for fast, thorough customer service. 

The 105 Plus in practice:
For the primary, fully insured plan, your client purchases one of our high deductible plans (for example, a $3,000 deductible).  This plan will always include 100% coinsurance after the deductible, preventive at 100% and pharmacy copays of $12/$35/$50.  The secondary, self insured “wrap” plan that the employee actually sees would have a benefit plan that is similar to one of our EZ plans, (e.g., a $500-25 plan or a $15-100 plan.) The concept is similar to when an employee has dual coverage under two separate employer plans.  When the member incurs a claim, HealthPartners will process the claim under the two plans and always pay the better benefit.

While this plan can be a bit confusing for employers and members, it is an alternative funding mechanism for our clients who are interested in reducing their fully insured premiums in exchange for assuming some of the claim risk. 

To learn more about the 105 Plus Plan, please contact your HealthPartners Sales Executive.

HSA and HDHP Amounts for 2010

If you have clients with high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and health savings accounts (HSAs), we’ve broken down what they’ll need to know about annual minimum deductibles, maximum out-of-pocket expenditure limits and deduction limits when planning ahead for 2010. Plus, your clients should know that any employees on the plan who are age 55 or older may make an additional “catch-up” contribution of $1,000 in 2010.

Also, federal HSA regulations do not allow individual embedded deductibles within a family contract to be less than the family minimum. So, for 2010, the individual embedded deductible within the family contract must be at least $2,400.

As set by the Internal Revenue Service, the 2010 COLA amounts and the amounts for the current tax year are as follows:

Medicare Secondary Payer Reporting

The time has come for employers to begin submitting data to HealthPartners for Medicare Secondary Payer Reporting!

All groups must submit some key information by June 30, 2009, including group size and Tax Identification Number for groups implemented before January 1, 2009.

For groups implemented before January 1, 2009: HealthPartners will contact groups via phone, e-mail or letter to obtain group size and Tax Identification Number before June 30, 2009. This will be used to properly identify groups within the CMS system. No other information is needed until Open Enrollment; however, employers can begin submitting additional key employee information sooner if they choose.

For groups implemented January 1, 2009 or later: HealthPartners will contact groups via phone, e-mail or letter to obtain group size and Tax Identification Number. In addition, employers must submit the following information to HealthPartners by June 30, 2009:

• Social Security or Health Insurance Claim Number of all employees, adult dependents and other Medicare-eligible dependents
• Status of all employees (active/retired/COBRA), including effective date of status
• Disability status of all employees and dependents, including effective and term dates of disability status (if known)

Manual enrollment groups can submit missing information in one of the following ways:

1. By updating paper enrollment forms and faxing or mailing them to HealthPartners Membership Accounting between June 1 and June 30, 2009. Most groups will need to add employee and/or disability status in an open area on the form.
2. By sending a password protected file via e-mail to the group’s Membership Accounting contact.
3. By updating its records using the online enrollment tool on the employer portal.
4. By submitting a file through EDI to HealthPartners secure server.

Detailed submission information is available at healthpartners.com/broker under “What’s New.”

Electronic enrollment groups will follow the same process they have in the past. The HealthPartners Electronic Enrollment Group will begin direct outreach to employers who use the electronic enrollment system in the coming weeks.

Groups can request reports of their membership to determine which employees and adult dependents are missing Social Security Numbers and other pertinent information. To obtain a report, groups should send requests to their Membership Accounting contact or HealthPartners sales representative. Reports will be distributed to all employer groups in fall 2009.

If you or your groups have any questions, please contact the group’s Membership Accounting contact or your HealthPartners Sales Executive

Update on the COBRA Subsidy Member Notices

This month the State of Minnesota passed the look-back period for continuation coverage for individuals who were employed with Minnesota-based employers with fewer than 20 employees. The look-back period, also called the special election period, gives employees an opportunity to re-elect coverage if they were involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008, and February 16, 2009, and previously declined or dropped continuation coverage.

For groups with fewer than 20 employees,HealthPartners is required by the Department of Labor to send a continuation notice to certain members with a qualifying event from September 1, 2008, to December 31, 2009. In order to comply with this requirement, we have sent and will continue to send a continuation notice that includes an attestation to all members with terminated coverage from September 1, 2008, to December 31, 2009. Recipients are instructed to return applicable information to you or your COBRA administrator, which you will need to provide to your HealthPartners billing representative.

Please visit www.dol.gov/COBRA or healthpartners.com/employer for additional information about the subsidy.

Rx Pill-splitting Cut Costs by $5.5 Million

We’re good stewards of your clients’ healthcare dollars. In the last two years alone, HealthPartners Half-Tablet Advantage Program reduced costs by $5.5 million. Members saved $1.7 million in out-of-pocket costs and the program cut an additional $3.8 million in health plan costs in 2007 and 2008.

The “pill-splitting” program focuses on brand name drugs Lipitor® and Lexapro® which are used for treating cholesterol and depression, respectively. Approximately 6,000 HealthPartners members on these medications participated in the Half-Tablet Advantage Program in 2008. An estimated 25,000 additional members taking these medications could participate in the program. HealthPartners will be sending a targeted mailing to these members alerting them about the program and the potential savings early this summer.

While generics are always the most cost-effective option for members, our pill splitting program is a great cost savings option for qualifying drugs.  Here’s how a member with a $35 brand copay can save $210 per year: 

For additional information about the Half-Tablet Advantage Program, please visit healthpartners.com/pharmacy.

New Low Back Pain Management Program

Low back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work, according to the National Institute of Health. In fact, at least $50 billion is spent each year on low back pain.* To help address this issue, HealthPartners is introducing a new Low Back Pain program to improve member health and get them back on the job quickly and safely. In fact, calculations show that our Low Back Pain program reduces absenteeism by 7.1 days per person. That’s real savings for your clients and better health for their employees!

HealthPartners Low Back Pain program is available as a buy-up for both fully insured and self-insured groups. Review the Low Back Pain flyer now.

*National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, February 2009

New Healthy Discounts

With HealthPartners, members have a variety of perks available to them – just for choosing HealthPartners. Here’s what’s new with our Healthy Discounts:
Ekho Products – 30 percent off all Ekho products including heart rate monitors and pedometers.  
Saunatec Products – 10 percent off all Helo and Finnelo models of Sauna, Steam rooms, or Infrared Heat Therapy Rooms.
Corporate Fitness Products – 10 percent off all products which include a wide range of strength, cardio, rehabilitation and performance tools to help members achieve their fitness goals.

In Every Issue

Frequent Fitness Update

Our Frequent Fitness program continues to grow. Members now have even more choices and chances to save money while achieving a healthy lifestyle.  Now, members who enroll or are enrolled in the Frequent Fitness program will have access to more than 870 locations in the HealthPartners service region.

The Frequent Fitness program offers fully insured members (two per household) up to a $20 reimbursement for working out 12 times a month.

New clubs to join Frequent Fitness effective May 1, 2009

1. Broadway Video & Fitness – Plainview
2. Workout 24/7 – Jordan

Learn more about Frequent Fitness.

Network Updates

As our client base and membership continues to expand, so does our network. In fact, we’ve recently added a large number of providers. We’re committed to providing access to the providers your clients demand – nationwide. No matter where your clients live, work or travel, we’ve got them covered. Additions last month included:

Medical – Minnesota
Between the Bridges Healing Center, LLC – Mankato
Physicians Clinic of Minnesota – Bemidji
Smart Clinic – Austin
Winneshiek Medical Center – Mabel

Medical – North Dakota
Central Valley Health District – Jamestown

Dental – Minnesota
Thomas C. Backenstose, DMD – St. James
JoAnn C. Boraas, DDS, PA – Richfield
The Dental Emergency Room – Minneapolis
Enhance a Center for Fine Dentistry – Eagan
KingField Family Dental – Minneapolis
James F. Lesch, DDS, PA – Lakeville

Try out our new search function to see just how easy it is to find a network provider quickly and simply. Provider Search.