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For Allied National, 2022 was a year of streamlining processes and improving our plans to give our agents and members the best possible health plans. Here is a glimpse into 2022.
January
To start the new year Allied introduced our new 20+ employee simplified underwriting process. This allows agents to get faster firm rates by only submitting a census. This process was changed in October to go down to 12+ employee simplified underwriting.
May
Allied introduces a new level-funded option, Freedom Hybrid. A major medical option, Freedom Hybrid combines the power of a PPO physician network (Prime Health Services Network and PHCS - Practitioner & Ancillary Network) with the savings of facility reference-based pricing for easy to access, affordable provider care.
July
Employers who sponsor health benefit plans, like Funding Advantage, are impacted by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury's new Transparency in Coverage (TIC) rules. The rules require fully insured and self-funded plan sponsors of non-grandfathered group health plans to disclose negotiated in-network and out-of-network provider reimbursement rates beginning July 1, 2022, through the use of machine-readable files. Allied National made this easy for our employer clients by putting all of the required machine-readable files on our website at www.alliednational.com/mrf. Regulations state that self-funded plan sponsors must provide access to this on their public facing website or have a TPA (like Allied National) make these files available through their website, which we have done at the web address above.
August
Allied has a new technology and care management vendor, Exouza. They monitor and manage the use of specialty drugs for our members. Exouza has replaced InterveneRx.
September
We made a few updates to our underwriting processes.
1. Allied National will no longer call employees when questions arise about an individual's health care application. This change is expected to speed up the underwriting process and get quotes to employers more quickly.
2. Second change: To assist our underwriting team in getting the most accurate answers to our application questions, Allied only will accept the following:
- FormFire (Not 12+, only full apps)
- EasyApps (must select Allied first)
- EaseApps
Adobe Acrobat Sign replaced DocuSign on Sept. 1, 2022. Adobe Acrobat Sign is a cloud-based e-signature service to replace DocuSign. Abode Sign is easier to use and makes the signing process simpler and smoother.
October
Allied made Funding Advantage underwriting simpler for groups of 12+ lives. To obtain a firm rate basic employer and benefit information is required along with a census for each covered individual (employees and dependents). After firm rates are provided, all employees must then complete the new 12+ enrollment application. This enrollment form only asks about high cost/risk conditions. This will not change the offered rate but will determine the final eligibility for the group.
November
Allied has a Reference Based Pricing (RBP) Guarantee. An employer who changes their mind within six months about a Funding Advantage RBP health benefit plan can switch to a PPO Plan for no change in premium.
December
Health insurance issuers, employer-based health plans and other group health plans are now required to report on prescription drug costs to the federal government.The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury and the Office of Personnel Management implemented this requirement through an interim final rule. It is the fourth rule in a series the Departments issued to implement the No Surprises Act and transparency requirements of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2021. The Departments had deferred enforcement of the new requirements, so the first reports were due Dec. 27, 2022. Allied has completed the reporting on behalf of our employer groups.
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