Spotlight on Benefits Newsletters

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Spotlight on Benefits Newsletters

	Spring 2025—Volume 33, Number 1
	Avoid Out-of-Pocket Costs for Labs and Tests Your Annual Physical Exam: What You Should Do Before, During and After Remember These Vital Documents and Keep Them Updated as Needed (especially as your life changes) Be.Well. Do You Have High Blood Pressure? The Next Time You Visit the Doctor, Know What the Numbers Mean	CyberSmart(er): Add a myPHP Shortcut to Your Device for Easier, Faster, Secure Login Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Notice Deadline for Requesting a Partial Distribution from the Supplemental Plan has Changed

	Winter 2024—Volume 32, Number 4
	Health Plan Announces Changes Effective January 1, 2025 to Address Ongoing Headwinds and Ensure Long-Term Financial Stability Minimum Earnings Threshold for Health Plan Choice Coverage Increasing to $39,820 for Earning Periods Beginning in 2025 Regular Carry-Over Earnings Threshold Increasing to $160,000 Retiree Carry-Over Credit Eligibility Modified Effective January 1, 2025 Non-Network Out-of-Pocket Limit Increases Effective January 1, 2025 [INSERT] Notice of Change to Earnings Required for Credited Service Month Effective January 1, 2025	All-Inclusive Out-of-Pocket Limit Decreases Effective January 1, 2025 Delta Dental DMO Plan Eliminated Effective January 1, 2025 CVS Updates Its List of Covered Medications, Effective January 1, 2025 FDA Warns GLP-1 Patients of Aspiration Risks While Under Anesthesia Stop Leaving Money on the Pharmacy Counter. Try These Tools to See How Much You Can Save (…even compared with insurance) Be.Well. Get an In-Depth Look at Your Calorie Burn with the TDEE Calculator [INSERT] The 2023 Summary Annual Report

	Fall 2024—Volume 32, Number 3
	Flu, COVID and RSV Vaccinations Are Free When Obtained In-Network. What Other Preventive Care Could You Be Getting at No Cost? CDC Simplifies COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations for Those 65+ and/or Immunocompromised How to Get Your Benefits Cards	Are You Receiving Outpatient Mental Health, Substance Abuse or Physical Therapy Treatments? Learn How the Health Plan Covers These Treatments What is Medical Necessity, and How Does it Impact Coverage? Be.Well. When Feeling S.A.D. Becomes Cause for Concern

	Summer 2024—Volume 32, Number 2
	Board of Trustees Approves Two Additional Three-Month Extensions of Free Major Medical Plus Plan Coverage for Eligible Participants, Beginning July 1, 2024 and October 1, 2024 CVS Caremark Updates List of Covered Medications, Effective July 1, 2024 Health Plan Announces Changes to the Non-Network Claims Process and Payments Working After Retirement? Be Sure You Know the Basic Plan’s Suspension of Benefit Rules	Weight Loss Prescription Coverage Requires Enrollment in the Health Plan’s New Weight Management Benefits Provider, Flyte Medical, Effective July 1, 2024 Weight Loss Medications Will Be Reclassified as Lifestyle Drugs Effective October 1, 2024 Be.Well. How to Better Advocate for Yourself When Visiting the Doctor Health Fairs and Flu Shot Clinics This Fall in LA & NYC

	Spring 2024—Volume 32, Number 1
	Board of Trustees Unanimously Approves Additional Three-Month Extension through June 2024 to the Free Major Medical Plus Plan Coverage Under the Health Plan for Eligible Participants, Beginning April 1, 2024. New Health Plan Amendment Allows Surviving Dependent Children to Inherit Accrued Earned and Carry-Over Coverage	Have You Received Your Pension Plans Annual Statement? My Child is Behaving Differently. The School Recommends We See Somone. What Should I Do Next? And Will It Be Covered? CyberSmart(er) Series: How to Stay Safe and Social Online Be. Well. Getting Back Into Fitness After a Break The 2023 Annual Funding Notice

	Winter 2023—Volume 31, Number 4
	Health Plan Partners with Green Light Cost Management to Obtain Lower Payments for Non-Network Claims for You and the Health Plan New Prescription Drug Benefit Enhancement Lowers Out-of-Pocket Costs on Non-Specialty Generic Medications CVS Updates Its List of Covered Medications, Effective January 1, 2024 All-Inclusive Network Out-of-Pocket Limit Increases Effective January 1, 2024 as Established Under the Affordable Care Act	Board of Trustees Extends the Availability of Temporary Loans from Your Supplemental Pension Plan Account Balance Through March 31, 2024 Health Plan’s Infertility Benefit: Obtaining a Diagnosis – What Is and Is Not Covered Be.Well. Don’t Confuse the Common Cold with RSV CyberSmart(er): Simple Hacks to Keep Your New Devices Safe Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Notice

	Fall 2023—Volume 31, Number 3
	Board of Trustees Announces Three-Month Extension of the Free Major Medical Plus Plan for Eligible Participants Impacted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes What Do You Mean My Prescription’s Not Covered?! Be. Well: Easy Ways to Follow and Benefit from the Mediterranean Diet	Your Business Manager Has Limited Powers: They Can Only Receive Your Plans-Related Information, Not Change It Compounded and Counterfeit Semaglutide Can Pose Significant Health Risks Cybersmart(er): How to Stay Cybersafe This Holiday Season 2022 Summary Annual Report

	Summer 2023—Volume 31, Number 2
	Board of Trustees Approves Temporary Loans from Your Supplemental Pension Plan Account Balance-Available Now Through December 31, 2023 Board of Trustees Unanimously Approves Free Major Medical Coverage for Qualifying Participants, Beginning October 1, 2023 COVID-19 Update: Simplified vaccine guidance and changes to Health Plan coverage of COVID-19 testing and vaccinations	Pricing Tools Help Take the Mystery Out of Your Medical Costs Should You Be Getting Your Prescriptions Filled Through CVS Maintenance Choice? Cybersmart(er): AI Scams CVS Caremark Updates List of Covered Medications, Effective July 1, 2023 Save the Date

	Spring 2023—Volume 31, Number 1
	Is an Inpatient Stay Required for Your Treatment? Know When and How the Health Plan Covers It. The New Weight Loss Drugs: What You Need to Know CyberSmart(er) Series: Phishing Scams Are Getting More Sophisticated. Here’s How to Outsmart Them. The Age You Must Begin Taking Withdrawals from the Basic and Supplemental Pension Plans Increases to 73	ATTENTION: the RxSavingsPlus Card From CVS Caremark Can Help You Save on Prescription Drug Costs Regardless of Your Current Health Plan Enrollment Status Think You Are Missing Contributions? They Might Not Be Due Yet. End of National and Public Health Emergencies Means End of Pandemic-Era Relief Measures HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices The 2022 Annual Funding Notice

	Winter 2022—Volume 30, Number 4
	Introducing Palliative Care Benefits Effective October 1, 2022 Pension and Health Plans Changes	Covid, Flu, RSV and the Common Cold: What are They, and What Can You Do? 2021 Summary Annual Report

	Fall 2022—Volume 30, Number 3
	Board of Trustees Acts to Expand Coverage of Abortion Services to Dependent Children and Abortion-Related Travel Costs What is Medical Necessity, and How Does it Impact Coverage? Making Sure Your Private and Sensitive Personal Information Remains Secure is Our Priority	Three Ways to Ensure that Your Physical Therapy Costs are Medically Necessary and Covered by the Health Plan Avoid Out-of-Pocket Costs for Labs and Tests Pay Health Premiums More Easily with Automatic Pension Deduction Health Fairs this Fall in LA & NYC

	Summer 2022—Volume 30, Number 2
	Board of Trustees Announces New Infertility Benefit Beginning July 1, 2022 More Coverage of Non-Routine Eye Care Services Now Included With Vision Benefits	Expired or Unused Medication? Your Guide to Safe Disposal. The Plans’ Office Has Reopened to Visitors

	Spring 2022 – Volume 30, Number 1
	What is an Annual Funding Notice? (…and why it’s good news) New DocuSign Feature in myPHP Get Answers to Your Prescription Drug Questions on Caremark.com and the CVS Caremark Mobile Apps	Tips to Ensure Continuity of Health Plan Coverage Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Notice 2021 Annual Funding Notice

	Winter 2021 – Volume 29, Number 5
	Board of Trustees Continues Its Efforts to Ensure Basic Plan’s Financial Strength by Adjusting Its Target Rate of Return for Investments from 7.15% to 6.9%, Effective January 1, 2022 COVID-19 Update: Vaccine/Booster Eligibility and the New Omicron Variant	New Anthem Blue Cross Health Plan ID Cards Coming Soon Carry-over Threshold and Maximum Carry-over Bank Amount Increasing Track Your Future Health Eligibility Status. Now Available in myPHP 2020 Summary Annual Report

	Fall 2021—Volume 29, Number 4
	No Surprises Act: New Law Protects You From Certain Surprise Medical Bills and Improves Price Transparency Minimum Earnings Threshold for Coverage in the Health Plan’s Choice and Premier Choice Plans Adjusted for Earning Periods Beginning on or after January 1, 2022 All-Inclusive Out-of-Pocket Limits Increase, Effective January 1, 2022 As Established Under the Affordable Care Act	Contribution Rate and Allocation Formula Changes, Effective July 1, 2019 for Employers Not Subject To Master Agreements Enroll in Direct Deposit to Ensure Same-Day Benefit Payments The Return to Normal: Make time for the routine care you might have missed Flu Season is Approaching. Schedule your Annual Vaccination.

	Summer 2021—Volume 29, Number 3
	Welcome, CVS Caremark! New Prescription Drug Benefits Coming September 1 Don’t Wait to Submit Your Non-Network Claims to Anthem Requesting a Predetermination from the Health Plan Before Your Surgery Can Help You Avoid Unexpected Costs	Do You Know Who Your Beneficiaries Are? (Are You Sure?) #1 Reason for Denied Claims: No Current Coordination of Benefits Form Working After Retirement? Be Sure You Know the Basic Plan’s Suspension of Benefits Rules

May 2021—Special CVS Caremark Transition Edition

Spring 2021 – Volume 29, Number 1

Winter 2020 — Volume 28, Number 3

New Premium-Free Benefit Created for Eligible Participants. For those who Lost Earned Active Coverage on June 30th, September 30th or December 31st, 2020, the Board of Trustees has created the Bronze Plus Plan as an Alternative to COBRA Continuation Coverage.
COVID-19 Vaccine Availability and Distribution: What We Know So Far.
Incremental Increases to Earnings Threshold for Pension Plans’ Credited Service Months (CSMs).
Express Scripts’ Changes to List of Covered Medications Taking Effect January 1, 2021. The complete 2021 list of excluded medications along with preferred alternatives is available here.

	Fall 2020 — Volume 28, Number 2
	Getting Your Flu Shot is More Important Than Ever This Year Board of Trustees Approves Three Months of Premium-Free COBRA Coverage for Health Plan Participants with Earned Active Coverage Terminating September 30, 2020 Period of Premium-Free COBRA Coverage for Health Plan Participants with Earned Active Coverage That Terminated June 30, 2020 Extended Through December 31, 2020 Board of Trustees Increases Loan Limits from Your Supplemental Plan Account Through December 31, 2020	New Collective Bargaining Agreement Brings Increase in Employer Pension Contributions from 7% to 8% of Reportable Compensation, with the Additional 1% Allocated to the Basic Plan Effective July 1, 2020 Board of Trustees Approves Updates to the 2020 Pension and Health Plans Summary Plan Descriptions Express Scripts’ Mid-Year Changes to List of Covered Medications Take Effect July 1 Want to Know the Plans? Get to Know Our Website Combat Digital Eye Strain

	May 2020 — Special Edition
	Board Continues to Closely Monitor Impact of COVID-19 Crisis Three Months of Premium-Free COBRA Coverage Available to Health Plan Participants with Earned Active Coverage Terminating June 30, 2020 Deferral Period for April 1 Dependent Premium Payments Until July 1, 2020 Temporary Loans from Supplemental Plan Account Available from May 1 to July 31, 2020 Enroll in Direct Deposit to Ensure Uninterrupted Benefit Payments	Required Minimum Distributions from the Supplemental Plan Waived for the Remainder of 2020 Board of Trustees approves temporary Health Plan coverage changes in response to COVID-19 Government Extends Deadlines Related to Claims and Appeals, Special Enrollment and COBRA Where to Find Information and Assistance During the COVID-19 Crisis

	Spring 2020—Volume 28, Number 1
	Board of Trustees Approves Temporary Health Plan Coverage Changes in Response to COVID-19 Updated Pension and Health Summary Plan Descriptions Now Available Online and on myPHP Health Plan Summary Plan Description Corrections IMPORTANT: How Health Plan Eligibility Works	Non-Network Claims Can Now Be Submitted Online at Anthem.com If Orthopedic Surgery Is Your First Course of Treatment, Request a Predetermination of Medical Necessity to Avoid Unexpected Costs Important Considerations While Reviewing Your Pension Plans Annual Statement 2019 Annual Funding Notice

Spotlight on Benefits Newsletters

Spotlight on Benefits Newsletters

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