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UnitedHealthcare and Kaiser outline retiree migration plan; board presses on provider acceptance and Part B-only cases
Summary
HSS and vendors will begin retiree outreach late September, with 18 in-person meetings and five teleconferences; UnitedHealthcare and Kaiser will run co-branded education, a dedicated call center (available Sept. 6) and a SAM escalation path, while commissioners pushed staff to resolve provider acceptance and special-case retiree scenarios.
UnitedHealthcare and Kaiser representatives told the Health Service Board on Aug. 4 how they will implement the board’s decision to move Medicare-eligible retirees into new plan options and support retiree education.
UnitedHealthcare account executive Shannon Haas described a timeline: HSS will mail a retiree benefit guide the last week of September; UHC will mail its 2017 plan guide a few days later; educational meetings begin the last week of September and run through the third week of October, including 18 in-person meetings and five teleconferences. A UHC customer-service line will be ready on Sept. 6 to answer retiree questions. UHC said it will provide a designated service-account manager (“SAM”) for on-site support and committed to twice-weekly reporting of escalations to HSS.
Kaiser Permanente’s Cindy Green said Kaiser is coordinating with UHC on retiree outreach so Blue Shield members will know Kaiser is an available option, and reported that coordination has proceeded smoothly.
Board members and public commenters pressed vendors and staff on practical issues. Commissioners asked how the plan will handle retirees whose providers historically did not accept Medicare; staff reported they had identified four city-plan members seeing non‑Medicare providers and were working those cases individually. Commissioners also requested a tally of retirees who have Part B only and a clear communication plan to those members that their coverage will not change if they lack Parts A and B. UHC said it will track provider outreach and used a targeted mailing and phone outreach to engage historically nonparticipating providers.
Staff said that retirees who permanently reside outside the United States will remain in the city plan, while Part B-only retirees will be assigned to a Part B-only MAPD (Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug) group number created for the 2017 implementation.
Board chair President Scott asked staff to report monthly on implementation issues and to bring provider-participation updates back to the board during open enrollment.
Ending: Vendors will proceed with the mailed guides and educational calendar; staff will provide follow-up reports on provider acceptance, the small number of special-case members and Part B-only retiree counts during the September–October implementation period.
