Health and Other Ancillary Insurance Benefits
The availability and affordability of health insurance and other member benefits are among the most important issues you confront in your businesses today. We have joined forces with Liazon, a national benefits trendsetter, to bring you the real benefits innovation you demand. Liazon's Bright Choices® program increases your benefits choices, lowers your cost and makes it easy for you to buy the benefits you need.
The program gives you access to:
-
Eight health plan options with very competitive rates, ranging from traditional co-pay plans to HSA-qualified consumer-driven options.
-
Dental plans with multiple tiers of coverage and no participation requirements, including plans with orthodontia coverage, and vision plans that give you unparalleled options for the coverage you need
-
Personalized guidance from a team of professionals, through Liazon's award-winning Bright Choices® online technology, over the phone, and in-person
This is a level of benefit choice and breadth of options that no company or small business would be able to access on its own, either by calling the insurance companies directly, or through a traditional insurance broker.
Check out our WNY Bright Choices (Univera) to learn more and view rates.
-
WNY is comprised of Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, and Allegany counties.
To enroll in the Bright Choices program and choose your benefits:
Step 1: To be completed by each independent contractor
Before you can enroll in benefits, you need to set up yourself as a company in the Bright Choices program. Each member needs to complete and submit a WNY Group Enrollment Form.
Step 2: Completed by each employee
Once the company is set up in Bright Choices, each member and employee can enroll in their personal benefits. Bright Choices will actually recommend the benefits plans that best meet each person's needs. To access the program:
- Go to http://www.myliazon.com/
- Group Identifier: buffaloniagaraar
- Username: First and last initials and the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number (no dashes or spaces)
- Password: 4-digit month and day of your date of birth plus first 5 digits of your social security number (i.e., MMDDSSSSS)
- Browse and explore the online store and, when you're ready to enroll, click on “Build Your Benefits” to get started.
Please call Liazon at 866-542-9661 for any questions you may have.
WNY Personal Enrollment Form (Univera)
Medicare for WNY Members:
This year we will continue to offer Medicare Supplement policies from both Independent Health and BlueCross BlueShield. However, please be aware:
-
Note: The Independent Health Medicare Supplement Plan has a Donut Hole. When the total drug cost paid by you and Independent Health - combined - reaches $4,500 for the year, the coverage gap begins. In the coverage gap, you will continue to pay $0 for Tier1 drugs and a discounted price for all other Medicare covered Part D drugs listed in the Independent Health prescription drug formulary. The coverage gap ends when you have spent $4,550 OUT OF POCKET. When the coverage gap ends, the catastrophic coverage begins and lasts until the end of the year. At the catastrophic stage, your copayment will be $2.50 for generic drugs, $6.30 for brand drugs or 5%, whichever is greater. For more information, please reference the drug formulary by clicking here.
Medicare Enrollment Forms:
Marketplace of Benefits Choices. Liazon's program provides you with a full suite of employee benefits from leading carriers. Most are services that you can't access on a direct purchase basis. With our new Benefits ExchangeTM, you can explore diverse plans and services - for health, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, supplemental health, and long term care insurance.
Benefits Consumerism. The award-winning Bright Choices® Benefits ExchangeTM online store lets users assess benefits needs - both health and wealth - and build a personal Benefits Portfolio to meet those needs. Bright Choices provides all the tools, tutorials, and transactions to make you a more effective benefits consumer, and it lets you automate enrollment, eligibility, and billing. Complementing the Exchange is a consumer advocacy Helpline to answer benefits questions and assist with any problems.
Purchasing Over-The-Counter Drugs Using Health Savings Account Funds
Many members have chosen to enroll in one of the High Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) which is qualified for a Health Savings Account (HSA). By utilizing a HSA, you are able to use pre-tax dollars to pay for medical expenses that are incurred throughout the year. The PPACA has changed the rules on using HSA dollars to pay for over-the-counter medicines and drugs. As it pertains to drugs and medicine, starting on January 1, 2011, you will only be able to use your HSA dollars to pay for prescribed medications and insulin with your HSA dollars. You will no longer be able to use your HSA funds to pay for over-the-counter drugs (unless you have a prescription from your doctor). The language from the IRS and a link to its website is shown below.
"A. In accordance with Section 9003 of the Affordable Care Act, only prescribed medicines or drugs (including over-the-counter medicines and drugs that are prescribed) and insulin (even if purchased without a prescription) will be considered qualifying medical expenses and subject to preferred tax treatment."
