America's Benefit Specialist October 2023

PRODUCT NEWS

HIT’s new vision coverage allows policyholders to visit any vision provider and does not limit the frequency of care. The plan covers exams, refraction, frames, lenses and contacts. The term life policies are straightforward, easy to under stand, and can be tailored to fit changing financial needs. To supplement existing employer medical plans, Health In Tech’s gap coverage fills gaps in coverage, creating a robust safety net that can be utilized with its Silver 302 and Bronze 403 plan options. With a straightforward selection process and customizable options, Gap coverage caters to employ ees’ unique needs while integrating with their medical ben efits. The program provides a cash benefit that assists with expenses not covered by primary medical plans, allowing employees to prioritize their well-being without additional financial strain. For brokers interested in offering critical illness and cancer, accident and gap coverage, Health In Tech recommends getting appointed from ManhattanLife. BCBS OF MICHIGAN TAKES STEPS TO IMPROVE PRIOR-AUTHORIZATION PROCESS Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is further reforming its process to relax approximately 20% of prior-authorization requirements. This is part of Blue Cross’ ongoing effort to improve healthcare quality, experience, access and afford ability for members, while reducing administrative tasks for clinicians. Prior authorization is important to validate medical neces sity and the appropriateness of services and prescriptions. Blue Cross’ prior authorization program promotes quality and patient safety for members and provides assurance that the member gets effective care at the appropriate time. To accelerate access to the highest-quality care without undue delay, Blue Cross will be expanding its “gold carding” program. “Gold carding” streamlines prior authorization for physicians who have a proven track record of making appro priate evidence-based decisions by exempting them from third-party prior-authorization approval processes. Technology has helped to accelerate the prior-authori zation process at Blue Cross, with a significant majority of requests submitted electronically. “Blue Cross processes roughly 87 million claims each year, and about 2.5 million, or roughly two percent, go through the review system,” said Jeniene Edwards R.N., vice president of Utilization Management at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michi gan. “Most prior-authorization requests are submitted elec tronically and approved within seconds using automation that expedites the process. Our goal is to leverage multiple

Ask Integrity’s AI-powered technology delivers in-the moment AI prompts and recommendations. For example, it can automatically analyze client data to correlate the use of certain medications with the potential need for access to specific specialists. The agent is then prompted to probe deeper into each client’s situation and recommend coverage that fits the client’s unique needs. This helps ensure clients are matched with providers and plans that best support their specific coverage needs, dramatically increasing the likeli hood of plan satisfaction and retention. To learn more, visit www.integritymarketing.com/AskIntegrity.

HEALTH IN TECH INTRODUCES ANCILLARY PRODUCTS Health In Tech, an insurtech company that re-imagines self-funded health plans, is excited to introduce additional healthcare products to address customers’ needs holistical ly. These new offerings, including critical-illness, accident, dental, vision, term life and gap coverage, aim to provide comprehensive options to health insurance brokers and their small business customers. Critical-illness and cancer voluntary coverage ensure that policyholders receive benefits after being diagnosed with se rious illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes, coronary artery diseases and cancer. These plans help provide peace of mind and a safety net by easing the financial burden of medical and daily living costs during recovery. Policyholders can uti lize the benefit payments for various purposes such as mort gage payments, hiring in-home caregivers, covering medical bills or financing travel to treatment facilities, alleviating the financial strain associated with critical illnesses. To protect individuals and their families from accidents, Health in Tech now offers accident indemnity plus cover age. This plan covers accidents, injuries, ambulance services and accidental death, and can be extended to spouses and children. With the rising number of injuries occurring during sports, leisure activities, and household accidents, accident indemnity plus coverage provides financial assistance by directly offering benefits to policyholders and helping offset medical plan deductibles and provider bills. The new dental coverage from Health In Tech allows policyholders to visit any dentist and receive unrestricted care. The plan covers all dental procedures at the same percentage, eliminating the need to navigate complex lists of covered and non-covered services. With no limits on the fre quency of care, individuals and their dependents can easily maintain optimal dental health.

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