Excellus BCBS Medicare Broker News Vol. 6 No. 2

Welcome Andre!

Excellus BCBS is excited to announce the newest addition to their Medicare Sales Leadership Team. Andre Dowdie has joined the organization as the Director of Broker Programs & Strategic Partnerships. Andre comes to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield after 17 successful years with Humana, where he most recently served as Senior Market Manager. A City University of New York graduate in business, Andre’s career is marked by transformative initiatives, like spearheading the Healthy Kitchens initiative in the Northeast and leading the successful nationwide scale of the Mobile Enrollment (RV) marketing strategy driving growth and engagement within the Medicare Advantage market. Andre resides in Rochester, NY with his wife, Kate.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Andre with a warm welcome or any questions you have.

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Member Town Hall Events

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Medicare members are invited to attend their upcoming Member Town Hall events. They are holding these virtual meetings to help members make the most of their plans and understand their benefits – all from the comfort of their own home.

February 15

This event will focus on understanding and using the medical and dental benefits in our Medicare plans.

February 28

This event will focus on pharmacy benefits, educating members on how Medicare Part D works and providing tips on how to save on prescription drug costs.

Space is limited! Members are encouraged to sign up for one or both events using this link.

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Winter Medicare Member Insider Newsletter

Members received the winter edition of Medicare Member Insider in mid-January. This new issue is packed with helpful plan information, educational resources, recipes, and more.

Most importantly, in this issue members were invited to attend the Virtual Town Hall events in February to learn more about using their plan and pharmacy benefits. Download the newsletter to learn more.

Winter Medicare Member Insider (PDF)
Medicare Member Insider Archive

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Med Supp Termination Update

Excellus received feedback that some members were not promptly termed for their Medicare Supplement plans for 1/1/24. To help with client questions, they would like to call your attention to the following reminders on how Med Supp disenrollments are handled:

• Disenrollment forms and/or letters from any Med Supp members will be accepted through the current month and term back to the first of the month. (For example, if a disenrollment was sent on 1/19/24, and the requested term date is 1/1/24, that is the term date Excellus BCBS will use. Members have until 1/31/24 to cancel as of 1/1/24.)
• If payment is pulled before they receive the disenrollment, the member will be issued a refund.

The above policies also apply to enrollments, as long the Med Supp application has 1/1/24 as the effective date. If there is no effective date, they will automatically enroll the member for 2/1/24

Please reach out to your Broker Account Executive with any questions or concerns.

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New Year, New… Bill?

A new year can mean a new plan for many of your clients. Some of you may be asking, “why are my members receiving a bill?” Here’s the simple answer:

It can take up to two billing cycles for a member’s electronic fund transfer or Social Security deduction to start. In the meantime, members will receive billing statements (if applicable) until Excellus BCBS has notified them that the first draft and recurring payments will begin.

Please advise your clients to continue making payments until this notification arrives to avoid disruption or potential termination for nonpayment.

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Coming Soon: Broker Survey

In the coming weeks, keep an eye out for a “special edition” Broker News email. To continue to make valuable enhancements and better support you in your Medicare business, Excellus BCBS will be sharing a link to a short, anonymous broker survey.

The goal is to collect feedback regarding current marketing content and materials, training, and educational resources, as well as their products, so they can continue to offer meaningful support and make impactful changes to their program.

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