A few updates on our Healthcare plan:
CVS/Caremark Notices On Prescription Formulary:
CVS/Caremark is mailing out notifications regarding changes to covered medications. These letters were sent to active employees and retirees. This is inaccurate; retirees (and October 1, 2017 soon-to-be retirees) will not have any changes in the current prescription drug formulary; this will be corrected by CVS/Caremark.
For active employees and those retiring after October 1, 2017, CVS/Caremark is notifying people who take certain medications if their current medication is no longer the preferred covered drug. CVS/Caremark is recommending alternate medications which are covered and giving 30 days notice of the change. If you receive such a letter, please consult your doctor and note that your doctor can submit an exception if the doctor believes it is best to remain on the current medication.
View/Print the medication exception form:
or your physician can typically utilize the 'covermymeds.com' website to submit the exception request.
Hartford Healthcare and Anthem
The contract between Hartford Healthcare and Anthem expires September 30th. As such, Hartford Healthcare has begun notifying patients that they will no longer accept Anthem insurance; this will soon be followed by letters from Anthem notifying subscribers that they can no longer visit Hartford Healthcare facilities. This is a saga that has played out many times over the years. It is our expectation (and the history) that the two company's will sign a new contract before the expiration of their current agreement. On that note, it has always been the position of SEBAC that even if the two company's do not reach an agreement by September 30, State employees covered by Anthem would be held harmless for medical expenses incurred as a result of the contract dispute.
HEP Requirement Reminder
Remember to ensure that you have scheduled/fulfilled all your health plan requirements to remain on the health enhancement plan. Those with chronic conditions must complete their requirements by 12/31/17 to be eligible for the $100 payment. Visit www.cthep.com to view your requirements for the current year. Your password may have expired if you haven't logged in recently...as a reminder, the password requires at least 8 characters, at least 1 capital letter, and at least 1 number
-8/30