America's Benefit Specialist November 2022

PRODUCT NEWS

including Ascension Wisconsin, ProHealth Care, Children’s Wisconsin and others. “This couldn’t come at better time be cause the potential end of the public health emergency will require many people to se lect new health coverage in 2023,” said Paul Nobile, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin. Anthem will offer plans at all “metal” levels in 68 counties and has created a dedicated support center for Wisconsin healthcare navigators assisting consumers with choosing health plans for 2023. The Navigator Support Center is available by phone at (866) 735-4749 or by email at NavigatorSupport@Anthem.com. “Should the public health emergency end at some point next year, we expect a number of people to lose coverage through Medicaid. But they could be eligible for subsidies to help cover the cost of compre hensive plans through the Marketplace. We’re pleased to expand our offerings across Wisconsin,” Nobile added. Additional information is available at www.anthem.com. Pan-American Life Insurance Group, in partnership with Surety Marketing & Con sulting Services LLC, has introduced Gap Supplemental Medical Expense Insurance, an employee benefits product solution that is in high demand in today’s marketplace. Pan-American Life’s premier gap product is designed to help offset the out-of-pocket expenses that may be incurred under a high deductible major medical plan. Gap insurance can “bridge the gap” by reim bursing the clients for eligible deductibles, coinsurance and copays. Pan-American Life leveraged Surety Marketing’s expertise in developing the product’s attractive features. This plan, which is initially available in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Loui siana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, PAN-AMERICAN LIFE INTRODUCES GAP SUPPLEMENTAL MEDICAL EXPENSE INSURANCE

Leave by Breeze helps employers support working parents, compete for top talent, and reduce HR workload. It also brings access to the employer market and empowers the Omaha-based insurtech’s ability to offer income protection coverage for maternity or paternity leave stemming from childbirth, adoption or foster parenting. “As both a business leader and father of three, I’ve seen first-hand the need to rethink how we provide financial support to individuals and their growing families,” said Colin Nabity, CEO & co-founder at Breeze. “Leave by Breeze enables us to provide income protection coverage during parental leave, and it coordinates with our employer- sponsored disability insurance plans.” Just 19% of U.S. workers currently have access to paid family leave through their employers. While the advantages of offering employees paid parental leave are clear, many employers lack the administrative capacity to budget, launch and manage such a program. Leave by Breeze helps employers clear that hurdle as they now have a turnkey solu tion to easily provide their employees with paid parental leave. For employers, Leave by Breeze takes little bandwidth to set up and offers a significant competitive advantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent. In fact, the Department of Labor found 90% of working fathers said it’s important a prospective employer offers paid parental leave. Another study from Ernst & Young found 86% of millennials are less likely to quit if paid parental leave is offered as an employee benefit. To learn more, visit https://www.meet breeze.com/paid-parental-leave-insurance/. HEALTHPARTNERS, AVERA INTRODUCE HEALTH PLAN FOR SMALL EMPLOYERS Small employers in nine southwest Min nesota counties will have access to a new, high-value health plan option called Cornerstone. The plan is modeled after a similar option for large employers that

launched earlier this year. Cornerstone includes Avera’s facilities and partners and Access Health. By integrating local care de livery with medical and pharmacy benefits and high-touch customer service, Corner stone achieves more efficient care coordina tion, supports better health outcomes and provides small employers up to 11% savings compared to other plans in the area. In addition to the regional Avera net work, Cornerstone provides in-network coverage to more than 1 million providers and 6,300 hospitals nationwide, as well as in-network telehealth coverage, including Virtuwell and Doctor On Demand. The plan also includes digital health activities, healthy discounts and online resources to better manage physical and mental health. HealthPartners and Avera Health started offering the Cornerstone health plan option for large employers in July. Since then, several organizations have started offering it to their employees. “By making Cornerstone available to small employers, in addition to large em ployers, we’re giving our communities more choice in their healthcare experiences,” said Debbie Streier, regional president and CEO of Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center. “We’re aligning care and coverage in a way that makes care affordable and supports the health and well-being of those we serve.” ANTHEM BCBS EXPANDS WISCONSIN HEALTHCARE ACCESS FROM NINE TO 68 COUNTIES Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wis consin is creating greater access to afford able health care for tens of thousands Wis consin consumers seeking coverage through the Wisconsin Health Care Marketplace. Anthem is expanding Marketplace coverage options to nearly 60 additional Wisconsin counties, increasing from nine counties concentrated in Southeast Wisconsin in 2022 to 68 counties across the state in 2023. The increase in access was made possible through collaborative agreements with several health systems throughout the state,

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