WELS BPO

Archive for year: 2015

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WELS Benefit Plans Office

Anthem LiveHealth Online

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Easy, fast doctor visits. All from the comfort of your own computer or mobile device 365 days a year.

LiveHealth Online is a new communications tool provided by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield that allows you to talk to doctors online by two-way video on a computer. Doctors can answer questions, make a diagnosis, and may prescribe basic medications (as legally permitted in certain states).

Highlights
  • It’s accessible. You can use LiveHealth Online at work, at home or anywhere you have computer access. You never need an appointment.
  • It’s fast. You can log in and talk to a doctor within a few minutes.
  • It’s flexible to meet your schedule. Doctors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
  • It’s private, secure, and you can typically select between several available board-certified physicians.
  • It’s affordable. The cost of a visit is $49, and will be applied to your WELS VEBA deductible and coinsurance amounts. If your deductible is met, you only pay the applicable in-network coinsurance.
  • It’s available to your entire family. Family and friends who are not covered under WELS VEBA can also use the service; they simply pay the full $49 for the visit.
  • It’s convenient. LiveHealth Online accepts payments via MasterCard, Visa, and Discover.
Common Symptoms That Can Be Treated Via LiveHealth Online
  • Cold & flu symptoms, such as a cough, fever and headache
  • Allergies
  • Bronchitis
  • Diarrhea
  • Family health questions
  • Headache/migraine
  • Hypertension
  • Pinkeye and other eye infections
  • Rashes
  • Sinus infections
  • Smoking cessation
  • Sprains and strains
  • Urinary tract infections
Visit Anthem LiveHealth Online
WELS Benefit Plans Office

Credit monitoring services for affected members

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Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has provided information on how to immediately enroll in credit protection services to all members who are potentially impacted by the recent cyber attack on Anthem’s systems.

Starting Friday, February 13, 2015 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, current and former Anthem members can visit www.anthemfacts.com to learn more about credit monitoring and identity theft repair services provided by AllClear ID, a leading and trusted identity protection provider. All services are available for two years. Details of the services, and instructions on how to enroll, are listed below:

  • Identity theft repair services are available to Anthem members who feel they have experienced fraud. For members who have been impacted by the cyber attack, these services are automatically available and do not require enrollment. Please visit www.anthemfacts.com to learn how to access these services. Members may access identity repair services by calling 877-263-7995.
  • Credit monitoring services require a member to actively enroll because the member must provide their personal information and consent to have their credit monitored. Members can enroll at any time during the 24 month coverage period, and can learn how to sign up at www.anthemfacts.com. Members who do not have access to the Internet may call 877-263-7995 for assistance.
  • The free identity protection services provided by Anthem include two years of:
    • Identity Repair Assistance: Should a member experience fraud, an investigator will do the work to recover financial losses, restore the member’s credit, and ensure the member’s identity is returned to its proper condition. This assistance will cover any fraud that has occurred since the incident first began.
    • Credit Monitoring: At no cost, members may also enroll in additional protections, including credit monitoring. Credit monitoring alerts consumers when banks and creditors use their identity to open new credit accounts.
    • Child Identity Protection: Child-specific identity protection services will also be offered to any members with children insured through their Anthem plan.
    • Identity theft insurance: For individuals who enroll, the company has arranged for $1,000,000 in identity theft insurance, where allowed by law.
    • Identity theft monitoring/fraud detection: For members who enroll, data such as credit card numbers, social security numbers and emails will be scanned against aggregated data sources maintained by top security researchers that contain stolen and compromised individual data, in order to look for any indication that the members’ data has been compromised.
    • Phone Alerts: Individuals who register for this service and provide their contact information will receive an alert when there is a notification from a credit bureau, or when it appears from identity theft monitoring activities that the individual’s identity may be compromised.
      Members who have provided e-mails to Anthem and have opted in to receiving communications may receive an e-mail directing them to visit www.anthemfacts.com to sign up for services. This e-mail is scheduled to be distributed the week of Feb. 16. This email, sent due to state notification requirements, will not ask for personal information and will not contain a link to any websites other than www.anthemfacts.com.

Spanish-speaking members may access information at www.antheminforma.com, or receive assistance in Spanish at 877-263-7995.

Phone lines will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.

Please be assured that we continue to work closely with Anthem to better understand the cyber attack and the impact on our members. We will keep you updated on Anthem’s investigation and any important developments.

In Christ’s Service,

Mr. Joshua Peterman

Director of WELS Benefit Plans

WELS Benefit Plans Office

Initial Anthem announcement

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We are informing all WELS VEBA members and former members that we are aware Anthem, Inc., the claims administrator for WELS VEBA, is the victim of a highly sophisticated cyber attack. Anthem has informed us that its member data was accessed, and could include that of our current and former members.

We are working closely with Anthem to better understand the impact on our members. Here is what we do know:

  • Once Anthem determined it was the victim of a sophisticated cyber attack, it immediately notified federal law enforcement officials and shared the indicators of compromise with the HITRUST C3 (Cyber Threat Intelligence and Incident Coordination Center).
  • Anthem’s Information Security has worked to eliminate any further vulnerability and continues to secure all of its data.
  • Anthem immediately began a forensic IT investigation to determine the number of impacted consumers and to identify the type of information accessed. The investigation is still taking place.
  • The information accessed includes member names, member health ID numbers/Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and employment information, including income data. Social
  • Security numbers were included in only a subset of the universe of consumers that were impacted.
  • Anthem is still working to determine which members’ Social Security numbers were accessed.
  • Anthem’s investigation to date shows that no credit card or confidential health information was accessed.
  • Anthem has advised us there is no indication at this time that any of our clients’ personal information has been misused.
  • All impacted Anthem members will be automatically enrolled in identity repair services. In addition, impacted members will be provided information on how to enroll in free credit monitoring.
  • We are continuing to work closely with Anthem to better understand the cyber attack and the impact on our members. Anthem has created a website: www.anthemfacts.com, and a hotline, 1-877-263-7995, for members to call for more information, in addition to a Frequently Asked Questions list that further explains the cyber attack.

We are closely monitoring any developments and will continue to keep you updated on Anthem’s ongoing investigation.

In Christ’s Service,

Mr. Joshua Peterman

Director of WELS Benefit Plans

WELS Benefit Plans Office

Pension Late Payment Contribution Policy

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Pension Plan Status

Like most investments, the Plan trust experienced significant losses during the market downturn of 2008-09. Although trust assets have rebounded they have not kept pace with benefits liability growth. The Plan continues to face two significant ongoing challenges: aging participant demographics and an uncertain global economy with volatile financial markets.
One of the most important benchmarks to evaluate the financial well-being of the Plan is its “funding status.” The funding status compares the present value of benefits earned by participants (i.e. “liabilities”) to the Plan’s current assets. The chart below shows that liabilities continue to rise at an increasing rate and the 2008-09 downturn caused a gap between assets and liabilities that recent investment gains and contribution increases have not been able to close.

click the chart to enlarge

(click the chart to enlarge)

Changes in 2014

In light of these circumstances, the WELS Pension Commission (the “Commission”) has taken several actions to improve the Plan’s funding status and maintain its long-term viability:

  • The Commission continues to invest Plan assets in funds with low volatility to protect against future market downturns.
  • The basis schedule on which Plan benefits are calculated for new retirees will remain flat for retirement dates through June 30, 2014 to slow the increase in liabilities.
  • Plan contribution rates effective January 1, 2016 will increase to $3,120 (+11.4%) for a full-time worker in 2016.
  • Contributions not made on time are subject to a late payment penalty.

The late payment penalty has been established to reflect the Plan’s lost investment earnings when payments are not made timely, which ultimately spreads additional costs to the organizations that pay contributions on a timely basis. To ensure that your organization in not assessed a penalty, we are providing a new Automated Clearing House payment program, under which the full amount due for each quarterly invoice will be automatically deducted from your organization’s bank account on the first business day of each quarter. Details regarding this program and the late payment penalty are available by clicking this link.

In this way, all parties are walking together and sharing in the funding needed to reinforce the Plan. This funding will be essential to pay the meaningful benefits promised to current retirees and earned by active workers. Your continued support of the Plan during these challenging times is greatly appreciated.

If you have questions regarding the Plan, please feel free to contact the WELS Benefit Plans Office by e-mail to [email protected] or by calling 414-256-3860. Questions specifically regarding the late payment penalty should be directed to the WELS Benefits Service Center by e-mail to [email protected] or by calling 1-800-487-8322 (option 1).

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