Archive for the ‘Industry News’ Category

New California Legislation Impacting Small Employers

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed several new bills into law that impact small businesses. To ensure compliance, make sure you and your clients are familiar with these new laws:

• SB 1383 significantly expands employee job-protected leave under the California Family Rights Act and New Parent Leave Act. Effective January 1, 2021, the new law requires California employers with as few as five employees (previously 50) to provide family and medical leave to their employees. The employer must maintain and pay for the employee’s coverage under a group health plan for the duration of the leave at the level and under the coverage that would have been provided if the employee had continued in employment continuously for the duration of the leave.
  The new law also expands the definition of “family member” to include the employee’s children (including adult children, whether dependents or not), spouse, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and domestic partners. (Fisher Phillips)
• AB 1577 allows small businesses to exclude Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from gross income for state taxes. Additionally, the measure would deny businesses the ability to deduct expenses from those forgiven loans. (Law 360)
• SB 1447 allows businesses with fewer than 100 employees to claim a tax credit of $1,000 for every full-time employee hired by the end of November, up to $100,000. (Bloomberg Tax)

Questions?
Contact your Claremont team at 800.696.4543 or info@claremontcompanies.com.

Claremont Launches New Branding and Website

We’re thrilled to unveil our refreshed branding and website. Completely redesigned from the ground up, the updates show the evolution of our company since its founding and pave the way for how we’re moving forward. While this is a significant change, our core beliefs and values haven’t changed.

Over that last several months, we have poured our hearts and souls into creating a new image that would reflect our expanded capabilities and accurately depict who we are, at our core as a team.

Recently, we have added more carrier partners, new technologies, and implemented a new team approach, allowing us to extend our services and support to deliver the highest-quality experience to our customers and our community. It’s these services that help our customers stand out in a crowded marketplace and, ultimately, build strategies that endure.

We’re excited that our new website and branding showcase our capabilities and our continued commitment to benefits professionals and the industry. We’ve seen the industry change, and we’ve grown and learned alongside our customers, carriers, and community.

Along with our redesigned website, our monthly newsletter has also received a makeover. Not signed up yet? Subscribe here.

Thank you to our entire community and customers for your continued support. Explore the site and feel free to reach out with any thoughts, requests, or compliments!

Contact Us

Questions?
Contact your Claremont team at 800.696.4543 or info@claremontcompanies.com.

Claremont Welcomes Heather Chandler

We’re excited to welcome Heather Chandler to the Claremont team. As one of our Regional Sales Managers, Heather is looking forward to helping brokers in both Northern and Southern California grow their books of business through proven sales strategies and solutions.

Heather has over fifteen years of experience in employee benefits including various sales roles at Health Net, BenefitMall, and LISI.

She uses a well-developed team approach to work collaboratively with brokers to close business with their employer clients, solve problems, and provide carrier market knowledge to brokers and their staff.

When not working with brokers, Heather spends most of her time in her second job as a professional scuba diver. She’d love to teach anyone that’s interested!

You can reach Heather at heather@claremontcompanies.com or 925.296.8812.

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Wildfire Response

The numerous wildfires underway throughout California have created catastrophic damage and loss of life, in addition to taking a toll on families and loved ones.

To help those affected by the wildfires, Blue Shield of California, Humana, Magellan Healthcare, MetLife, Principal, and UnitedHealthcare are offering the following support services:

To help ensure members in affected areas continue to have uninterrupted access to care, Blue Shield is offering all members (except Medicare):

• Virtual care options, depending on your plan. Some of these telehealth options are Teladoc™, Heal, and NurseHelp 24/7. Visit blueshieldca.com to view plan options.
• Immediate refill of prescriptions even if they are not due to be refilled.
• Free behavioral health services, through Magellan Health, including free access to resources, materials and counseling services through its dedicated hotline 800.327.7451.
• A replacement pair of lost or broken glasses and the use of non-network providers at network costs for vision plan members. Contact Vision Customer Service at 877.601.9083.
• Out-of-network provider visits at in-network benefit levels.
• Medical equipment and supply replacement.
• Lost or misplaced identification cards can be printed by visiting blueshieldca.com. Or, members can use the Blue Shield of California mobile app to access their ID card on their mobile device.
• Immediate assistance by calling customer service at 800.393.6130 (TTY: 711).

To help anyone in need (EAP members and non-members) deal with traumatic events like wildfires, Humana’s Emergency Community Response Line will connect you to local resources. Call their free, confidential number at 888.673.1154. Learn more.

ID Card Replacement

• Members can call 800.233.4013 to replace a lost ID card. They are also available electronically through Humana’s mobile app.

Dental and Vision Virtual Care Options

• Teledentistry is covered and members can order glasses or contacts from Contacts Direct or Glasses.com.

MetLife Legal Plan

To help people get back on their feet after a natural disaster, MetLife Legal Services has activated its disaster relief program.

MetLife’s Network Attorneys can provide advice and consultation for many issues, including:

• Reviewing documents related to federal aid and insurance claims.
• Providing assistance with identity theft issues due to lost personal documents.
• Legal help for renters or homeowners related to damaged property.
• Dealing with creditors and bill collectors.

For any group that currently has a MetLife Legal Plan, employees (whether or not they are enrolled in the Legal Plan) have access to the Disaster Relief Plan and can call the Customer Service Center at 800.821.6400. Download the flyer and FAQs to learn more.

MetLife EAP Customers

Guidance, emotional support, and resources are available to employees anytime at 888.319.7819. Employees may also visit metlifeeap.lifeworks.com (username: metlifeeap; password: eap)  for practical tools including the Emergency Preparedness Toolkit and the Natural Disasters Toolkit.

LifeWorks 24/7 Crisis Support Line for The Community
Morneau Shepell has opened its 24/7 crisis support hotline for anyone affected by the ongoing devastation. While the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) helpline is open for eligible employees, the Crisis Support Line, at 877.757.7587, is available 24/7 to anyone in the community in need of emotional support in relation to these events. By calling, individuals will receive professional emotional support and/or referrals to community resources.

Please note: This crisis support line is not the full EAP offering, but it is there to provide immediate support to those who are impacted by these fires.

Free EAP Services

To support members impacted by the wildfires, Principal is offering free Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Services 24/7/365, to all Principal groups, from EAP vendor, Magellan Health.

• Free 24-hour crisis line, at 800.356.7089, to assist individuals as they work to cope with the feelings of fear, sadness, anger, and hopelessness related to these kinds of natural disasters.
• The toll-free number for free confidential consultation services and referrals to local non-profit organizations, shelters, and additional community-based support is 800.327.7451.
  
• Visit Magellan’s website for tip sheets with resources specific to trauma and steps towards recovery. Resources specific to disasters, emergency preparedness, response, and recovery can be found on Ready.gov.

ID Card Replacement

• Dental members can obtain a new dental ID and/or vision ID card by contacting Member Services at 800.247.4695 or www.principal.com.
• VSP vision customer service can also help 800.877.7195. Please note: Principal provides the Privacy ID (located on the ID card or online) and starts with a 9) to VSP and not the member’s social security number.

Dental and Vision Virtual Care Options

• Dental members will be reimbursed for services performed via teledentistry. 
• Vision services are challenging to provide on a virtual basis, however, members can access essential medical eye care services. These will be handled via telehealth whenever possible. For more information, contact VSP at 800.877.7195.

Dental and Vision Out-of Network Care

• Displaced members can see a non-network dental or vision provider.

Replacement Pair of Lost or Broker Glasses

• If routine care is still closed in the member’s area, they can use routine VSP coverage for lost or broken glasses or replacement contact lenses to meet immediate eyewear needs. Contact the VSP network doctor to get the eyewear needed. For more information, contact VSP at 800.877.7195.

Additional Resources

• Supporting Employees Impacted by Wildfires
  How to support employees during difficult times.
• Coping with Wildfires
  Protecting your family and home.
• Wildfires – Being Prepared For an Evacuation
  Recommended tips from the American Red Cross.
• Coping with Traumatic Events
  How you can help yourself.

To support affected members enrolled in fully insured health plans across California from August 14, 2020 through September 2, 2020, UnitedHealthcare is offering:

Member Access to Care and Early Prescription Refills

• Those displaced from their homes or whose network or medical facility is inaccessible can call the number on the back of their ID card for assistance. If a network provider is not available, members will be permitted to access out-of-network care, and it will be covered at their in-network coinsurance level.
• Fill existing prescriptions early (one time, 90-day refill) and/or replace durable medical equipment (includes hearing aids, eyeglasses and dentures), if necessary.
• Time limits around notifications, referrals and pre-certification requirements are being relaxed. Filing deadlines for claims and appeals are also being extended.
• Employer-sponsored and individual health plan members can download the UnitedHealthcare app for Android™ and Apple^® devices (at no additional cost) to access their health plan ID card, review and manage prescription medications, locate nearby network care providers and facilities, view account information, and more. The app also enables eligible plan participants to directly schedule and conduct a Virtual Visit with a doctor and arrange a callback from a UnitedHealthcare customer service advocate.(Additional out-of-pocket costs may be required for telemedicine services depending on the plan and any applicable state requirements.) 

Help for The Broader Community

• Optum is offering a free emotional support helpline. The toll-free number, 866.342.6892, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for as long as necessary. The service is free of charge and open to anyone, including individuals who are not UnitedHealthcare members. Callers may also receive referrals to community resources.
• Emotional-support resources and information are available online at www.liveandworkwell.com

Please pass this information on to anyone you know that has been impacted and needs assistance.

Questions?
Contact your Claremont team at 800.696.4543 or info@claremontcompanies.com.

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Your success is important to us, and we’re actively working on new solutions to support you throughout the year. To get the latest news via text messaging in the future, simply provide your cell phone number here.

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2021 Large Employers’ Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey

Findings from the 2021 Large Employers’ Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey, conducted by Business Group on Health, reveal employer approaches to health care and benefits in the midst of COVID-19, and ways employers are addressing COVID-19 through their benefit plans, programs, and overall workforce strategies. These insights are valuable to companies of all sizes, including smaller employers, who compete with larger organizations for talent.

Key Insights

Health and Well-Being’s Role in Workforce Strategy
Employers see investments in health and well-being as an integral part of workforce strategy, increasing from 36% in 2019 to 45% in 2020. This is in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting employee health and well-being and overall business performance.

Virtual Care Ubiquity
Virtual care is here to stay. COVID-19 caused the pace of virtual care implementation to accelerate at an exponential rate with a surge in demand across a range of conditions.

Health Care Costs Are a Moving Target
COVID-19 has triggered delays in preventive and elective care, which could mean that the projected healthcare trend for 2020 (50%) may turn out to be too high. If care resumes in 2021, the projected trend (5.3%) may prove to be too low.

Mental Health Stays in The Spotlight
Employers have doubled down on mental health and emotional well-being. A benefit of this development has been less stigma with, and more acceptance of, mental health issues.

Delivery Reform Efforts Overshadowed Yet Underscored by COVID-19
Many employers continue to pursue efforts to improve outcomes, quality, cost, and the overall health care experience via delivery system reforms, including ACOs, COEs, HPNs, and advanced primary care arrangements. However, the rate of implementation has been impacted and overshadowed due to the prioritization of critical emerging issues due to the pandemic. That said, the pandemic has underscored and magnified foundational flaws with the status quo. Employers will likely resume reform efforts post-pandemic.

High-Cost Drugs Top Pharmacy Concerns
Employers remain focused on cost management strategies for specialty medicines but have been increasingly turning their attention to controlling trends for newer, especially high-cost therapies. For these therapies, in particular, 80% of employers are concerned that strategies to finance high-priced therapies do little to control overall drug prices.

Despite The  Pandemic, On-Site Services Will Grow and Play a Critical Role in 2021
On-site services, including clinics and mental health counselors, have proven to be flexible enough to adapt to the current landscape and provide COVID-19 testing and virtual counseling. For most employers, on-site services will continue to be a part of their approach to health care.

To learn more, download the 2021 Large Employers’ Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey.

Questions?
Contact your Claremont team at 800.696.4543 or info@claremontcompanies.com.

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Your success is important to us, and we’re actively working on new solutions to support you throughout the year. To get the latest news via text messaging in the future, simply provide your cell phone number here.

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Claremont Welcomes Karlee Navarro

We’re excited to welcome Karlee Navarro to our team. As one of our senior Broker Service Representatives, she will be assisting clients and our internal team with a wide range of services, including strategizing on best solutions, overseeing proposal creation, application review and enrollment support.

Karlee brings over 12 years of experience in human resources and employee benefits with most of that time spent serving employer-clients while working at independent brokerages. “Karlee understands and can respond superbly to the unique demands of brokers and agents as they look to grow or protect their books of business,” said Ken Ruotolo, Claremont’s Chief Operating Officer. “I am looking forward to working with the outstanding team at Claremont as we strive to provide excellent service to our brokerage clients,” said Karlee.

When not working, Karlee and family enjoy kayaking, paddle-boarding, fishing and watching baseball (the Giants), hockey (the Sharks) and football (the 49ers), as well as participating in sports.

You can reach Karlee at karlee@claremontcompanies.com or 925.296.8816.

Get The Latest News with Text Messaging!

Your success is important to us, and we’re actively working on new solutions to support you throughout the year. To get the latest news via text messaging in the future, simply provide your cell phone number here.

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Ease Webinar – The Key to Enrollment in 2020: Direct Submissions to Carriers

As you prepare for your clients’ open enrollments, it’s clear this year will look different. Do you have a plan to deliver an open enrollment experience that is virtual, safe, and efficient for your clients? Most likely online enrollment is a key aspect of your virtual plan, and Ease is the leading solution for group insurance brokers.

Whether you’re well into executing your plan, or need help getting started on Ease, Claremont is here to support you every step of the way. Check out this Ease webinar “The Key to Enrollment in 2020: Direct Submissions to Carriers” for tips on how to make enrollments safe, secure, and fast in 2020.

Register to attend the Ease webinar on Thursday, August 27, 2020, at 11:00 am PDT.

Register Now

Questions?
Contact your Claremont team at 800.696.4543 or info@claremontcompanies.com.

Get The Latest News with Text Messaging!

Your success is important to us, and we’re actively working on new solutions to support you throughout the year. To get the latest news via text messaging in the future, simply provide your cell phone number here.

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Heartland’s Guide to No-Contact Commerce

As small businesses are forced to adapt to meet changing payment preferences due to the pandemic, offer them solutions from Heartland’s “Guide to No-Contact Commerce” to make buying easier and safer for their customers.

Payment options to meet evolving no-contact commerce needs:

• Accept Telephone Orders
• Use a Virtual Terminal
• Accept In-App and In-Browser Mobile Wallet Payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay)
• Accept Payments Online

Getting a business online is a big leap forward, however, there’s more to selling online than having a website that can process transactions. A comprehensive strategy is necessary to transition to digital payments.

To successfully implement digital payments, businesses should:

• Build Frictionless Checkouts to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment
  – Offer Guest Checkout
  – Provide One-Click Shopping
  – Make Checkout Navigation Easy and Visible
  – Implement Card Storage
  – Process Errors in Real Time
  – Create a Cohesive Brand Experience Throughout The Checkout Process
  – Track Customers’ Purchase History
• Accept Multiple Payment Methods
  – Provide Payment Flexibility
  – Increase Global Reach with Cross-Border Payments
• Enhance and Market E-Commerce Security

Download Heartland’s “Guide to No-Contact Commerce” to help small businesses:

• Adapt to the changing landscape with payment solutions that connect them with their customers wherever they are.
• Identify no-contact payment priorities with a “No-Contact Commerce Checklist.”

Heartland’s Guide to No-Contact Commerce

Heartland Payroll (a Claremont partner) is a division of Heartland Payment Systems, a Global Payments company.

Questions?
Contact your Claremont team at 800.696.4543 or info@claremontcompanies.com.

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Your success is important to us, and we’re actively working on new solutions to support you throughout the year. To get the latest news via text messaging in the future, simply provide your cell phone number here.

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Heartland’s Employer Situation Room

A proven leader in human resources administration, tax credit solutions reporting, compliance, recruiting, and more, Heartland Payroll (a Claremont partner) has created an online destination with federal and industry resources to help employers meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Access the Heartland Employer Situation Room to provide guidance to your prospects and clients.

Employer Situation Room Resources

• HR Support Center
  Includes an area devoted to COVID-19 resources, communication templates, forms, and more. (Available to subscribers of Heartland HR services.)
• COVID-19 Guidance and Best Practices Webinar
• Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
  – Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans
  – Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)
  – Employee Retention Credits
  – Small Business Guide (Senate’s Guide to the Law)
  – Unemployment Guidance: New Provisions, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
  – Employer Paid Leave Requirements
  – Required Disclosure to Employees
  – Employer Tax Credits
• Additional Key Provisions from Federal Actions
  – Economic Impact Payments
  – Student Loan Relief
• Expert Advice and Resources
  – Directory of Every Federal Agency’s Response
  – State Resources
  – CDC Guidance for Businesses and Employers
  – OSHA Workplace Safety Guidance
  – How to Increase Your Revenue During the Outbreak
  – Five Things Small Business Owners Should Prioritize
  – And More!

Protect Your Client Base
Heartland does not, and will not, compete with benefit broker partners by selling employee benefits.

Payroll Referral Program
Brokers can generate an ongoing stream of revenue from every referral that results in a sold client.

To learn more about Heartland’s payroll and HR services, and Ease integration, contact us today!

Questions?
Contact your Claremont team at 800.696.4543 or info@claremontcompanies.com.

Get The Latest News with Text Messaging!

Your success is important to us, and we’re actively working on new solutions to support you throughout the year. To get the latest news via text messaging in the future, simply provide your cell phone number here.

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