INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS, AGENT ADVOCACY, AND EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE. ACTION BENEFITS OFFERS AGENTS

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1 ACTION BENEFITS OFFERS AGENTS INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS, AGENT ADVOCACY, AND EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE. Action Benefits is an Authorized Managing Agent for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

2 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT To Our Valued Agent Partners, Recently, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network (BCBSM and BCN) announced a significant change to the Managing Agent (MA) distribution channel. After more than a year of analysis and evaluation, including significant input from an outside consulting firm, BCBSM made the decision to reduce the number of MAs. They noted that many factors contributed to this decision, but BCBSM s continuing efforts to lower administrative costs and increase efficiency was a driving force. Specifics regarding the timing and details of the transfer will be released soon, but I feel it is important to comment directly regarding this announcement, as it s a significant change. You may recall that eighteen months ago BCBSM announced their Blue Alignment strategy with lowering administrative costs as a key focus. One of the more visible actions taken was a reduction in commissions. The recent MA consolidation announcement allows BCBSM to reduce costs further by tapping into economies of scale within the MA system, eliminate redundancies, increase efficiencies and value, and continue to prepare BCBSM for the impending changes facing our industry. I understand the strategy, and the need for change is also clear. That said, for nearly 25 years we ve worked with, competed against and supported our industry with the other MAs. We respect all of them and know that they care deeply about the agents they ve served for so many years. We are honored by the trust that BCBSM has shown in our firm and excited by the new opportunities, but we recognize that this change will be difficult for some. As this change progresses, I want to assure you that we will be ready to provide you with the exceptional, timely service and assistance you expect. We continually monitor processing and resolution times to ensure that you and your clients are receiving the highest level of service. There s much work ahead and our goal is to make this transition as easy as possible. If you would like to learn more about Action Benefits, the investments we have made, our focus on great staff, our systems and our overall business, you can review our Corporate Summary. Read more about our processes, view contact information for our staff, as well as helpful information on our website and training opportunities on the following pages. Please feel free to contact me, Rick Emig, Sr. Vice President, or our team with any questions you may have. I am personally committed to doing all we can to ensure your Blue business is successful. Sincerely, Karl W. Albrecht, CEBS President, Action Benefits

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS CLICK ON THE HEADING BELOW TO GO DIRECTLY TO THAT SECTION MEET OUR TEAMS AND LEARN HOW THEY CAN BEST ASSIST YOU EXECUTIVE TEAM...PG. 3 PROCESSING TEAM...PG. 3 SERVICE TEAM...PG. 3 INDIVIDUAL TEAM (OVER AND UNDER 65)...PG. 3 RATE RENEWAL CERTIFICATION TEAM...PG. 3 AGENT RELATIONS/MARKETING TEAM...PG. 4 COMMISSIONS TEAM...PG. 4 INVENTORY/SUPPLIES TEAM...PG. 4 INFORMATION ON HELPFUL SERVICES AND RESOURCES REACH THE FIRST AVAILABLE REPRESENTATIVE AUTOMATICALLY...PG. 5 SECURE ZIX WORKS...PG. 5 LIFE CYCLE AND QUICK REFERENCE GUIDES...PG. 5 AGENT EDUCATION AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES...PG. 6 ACTION WEB: AGENT WEBSITE...PG. 7 DOCUMENT QUICK LINKS CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO OPEN THAT DOCUMENT IN A NEW WINDOW COMPLETE STAFF LISTING EXECUTIVE BIOS THE ALBRECHT COMPANIES CORPORATE SUMMARY ACTION WEB SIGN-UP FORM INFORMATION ON ACTION ACTIVITY DASHBOARD INFORMATION ON COVERAGEFORONE.COM DIRECT DEPOSIT FORM INFORMATION ON WIIN AND GENERATION I PG. 2

4 EXECUTIVE TEAM The Executive Team is committed to ensuring that all of your interactions with Action Benefits are positive and meet your needs. With a lead-by-example approach, the Executive Team is engaged in creating an infrastructure and environment that allows the Action Team to thrive. CLICK HERE TO MEET OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM PROCESSING TEAM The Processing Team can assist with: New Business case validation, submission, and confirmation of proper set-up CLICK HERE FOR NEW BUSINESS PROCESSING GUIDE Group Wide Change validation, submission, and confirmation of proper set-up CLICK HERE FOR GROUP WIDE CHANGE PROCESSING GUIDE Completion of proposal requests CLICK HERE FOR CUSTOM PROPOSAL REQUEST FORM FOR GROUPS 2-49 CLICK HERE FOR CUSTOM PROPOSAL REQUEST FORM FOR GROUPS CLICK HERE TO MEET OUR PROCESSING TEAM SERVICE TEAM The Service Team can assist with group or individual business, including: Claim issues Billing issues Policy questions Current/renewal rate requests Copies of invoices Policy exceptions Contract additions/deletions/changes Product information/clarification CLICK HERE FOR SERVICE ISSUE PROCESSING GUIDE General questions about New Business, Group Wide Changes, Proposals, Rate Renewal Certifications or Underwriting guidelines can be directed to the Service Team at or service@actionbenefits.com. CLICK HERE TO MEET OUR SERVICE TEAM INDIVIDUAL TEAM (OVER AND UNDER 65) The Individual Team can assist with: MyBlue individual case validation, submission, and confirmation of proper set-up CLICK HERE FOR ONEBLUE PROCESSING GUIDE CLICK HERE FOR MYBLUE PROCESSING GUIDE Medicare Advantage or Medigap case validation, submission, and confirmation of proper set-up CLICK HERE FOR MEDICARE ADVANTAGE QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE CLICK HERE TO MEET OUR INDIVIDUAL TEAM RATE RENEWAL CERTIFICATION TEAM The Rate Renewal Certification Team can assist with: Rate Renewal Certification validation, submission, and confirmation of proper set-up CLICK HERE FOR RATE RENEWAL CERTIFICATION PROCESSING GUIDE Common control configurations CLICK HERE TO MEET OUR RATE RENEWAL CERTIFICATION TEAM PG. 3

5 AGENT RELATIONS/MARKETING TEAM The Agent Relations/Marketing Team can assist with: Any special needs from customized marketing pieces to assistance with the sales process Inquiries regarding recent communications Action Benefits agent advocacy efforts Questions and support regarding the coverageforone.com websites Questions regarding special events sponsored/hosted by Action Benefits Action Web sign-up/overview CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE ACTION WEB SIGN-UP FORM CLICK HERE TO MEET OUR AGENT RELATIONS/MARKETING TEAM COMMISSIONS TEAM The Commissions Team can assist with: Commission inquiries Agent of Record (AOR) requests Payment designation changes Updating your contact information , address, phone, etc. Initiate direct deposit requests CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE DIRECT DEPOSIT FORM CLICK HERE TO MEET OUR COMMISSIONS TEAM INVENTORY/SUPPLIES TEAM The Inventory/Supplies Team can assist with: Supply orders Questions regarding the online supply catalog and how to utilize the tool CLICK HERE TO MEET OUR INVENTORY/SUPPLIES TEAM CORPORATE SUMMARY LEARN MORE ABOUT ACTION BENEFITS AND THE ALBRECHT COMPANIES If you would like to learn more about Action Benefits, the investments we have made in technology, our focus on great staff and our overall business, you can read more in our Corporate Summary. CLICK HERE TO REVIEW OUR CORPORATE SUMMARY PG. 4

6 REACH THE FIRST AVAILABLE REPRESENTATIVE AUTOMATICALLY WITH DEPARTMENTAL BOXES Action Benefits makes every effort to ensure that the appropriate staff responds to your questions and inquiries in a timely manner so that you can best service your clients. Below is a list of departmental boxes that have been created so that your message reaches the first available representative with the expertise to respond quickly. Of course, you are still welcome to contact our representatives directly. These boxes are provided as an additional resource for you and your support staff. Address processing@actionbenefits.com proposals@actionbenefits.com service@actionbenefits.com renewals@actionbenefits.com medicareadvantage@actionbenefits.com myblue@actionbenefits.com When To Use Submitting paperwork and inquiries related to New Business or Group Wide Changes Requests for proposals or re-quotes Issues that are normally handled by the Service Team (membership updates, group cancellations, claim issues, etc.) Requests for information about renewals or common control issues Requests for information about Medicare Advantage Requests and inquiries for MyBlue/Individual coverage SECURE ZIX WORKS Action Benefits uses Zix Works to secure s. Zix Works scans the content of our s and if it finds information that could be considered HIPAA protected, it encrypts the message. If the recipient of the also uses Zix Works, the will go directly to their inbox. However, if the recipient does not use Zix Works for encrypting their s, they will receive a link in their to a Secure Portal. There they can log in and check their encrypted message. If you have never received a secure from us, you will be prompted to set up a password for the secure portal. There are specific security requirements for the complexity of the password to help ensure that the is not easily accessed by an unintended recipient. If you forget your password, you can click the Change your password link and enter a new password. Another link will be sent to your inbox to verify/activate the new password. We encrypt these sensitive s to protect our agents and to comply with federal regulations. With the Secure Portal, agents also have the ability to log in and send anyone at Action Benefits an encrypted . This helps our agents comply with federal regulations when sending us , at no additional cost to them. LIFE CYCLE AND QUICK REFERENCE GUIDES Action Benefits has developed numerous job aids to help agents understand our processes and the flow of business from receipt to approval. These easy to follow Life Cycle pieces are available in our extensive Document Resources section at or by clicking on the links below. In addition, we have created numerous Quick Reference Guides on various Blue products and services. These pieces offer a great overview and are also available in the Document Resources section of our website or by clicking on the links below. LIFE CYCLE GUIDES NEW BUSINESS GROUP WIDE CHANGES SERVICE ISSUES INDIVIDUAL - MYBLUE INDIVIDUAL - ONEBLUE QUICK REFERENCE GUIDES CONSUMER DIRECTED HEALTH CARE PLANS RATING MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PG. 5 ANCILLARY BENEFITS HEALTH EQUITY PHARMACY

7 AGENT EDUCATION AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES Academy Action Academy is a curriculum of classes designed to assist the agent and their support staff in managing their Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network (BCBSM and BCN) book of business. Below is a sampling of our Action Academy training opportunities. To ensure we are providing up-to-date information and offering courses that are relevant and current, we continually evaluate and update the content and topics of our courses. In addition to the opportunities below, we host a wrap-around licensing session twice a month to compliment the online new agent certification course required by the Blues. We are currently updating many of our classes and plan to release the new schedule in March MEDICARE 101 THE MOS TRANSITION HEALTHY CHOICES THE BLUES PORTFOLIO BLUE DENTAL/VISION HOW TO SERVICE YOUR GROUPS: LIFE AFTER THE SELL RATING & FUNDING OPTIONS IN THE SMALL GROUP MARKET AVOIDING UNDERWRITING HOLDUPS MYBLUE 101 PHARMACY PROGRAMS AT THE BLUES QUOTING TIPS AND TOOLS CONSUMER DIRECTED HEALTH CARE Continuing Education and Business Development Symposium Action Benefits, along with our partners PLUS Financial Network and Association Benefits Company, offer you a great opportunity to spend a day in a multi-track program tailored to your needs, where you can earn up to six free CE credits. This annual event includes a diverse agenda with informative panel discussions, updates on the latest news from Washington, valuable sales tips for selling life and health products, and new ideas for marketing yourself in today s challenging economy. SAVE THE DATE Continuing Education and Business Development Symposium 2012 Wednesday, April 25, 2012 MSU Management Education Center, Troy Agent Education Seminars Action Benefits typically hosts Agent Education Seminars once a quarter as needed and, by design, these seminars frequently coincide with the release of BCBSM and BCN rates and product menu changes for the coming quarter. In addition, we also use this opportunity to inform agents of any significant industry or legislative updates and introduce any newly developed technologies or processes available from Action Benefits. These meetings have historically been very well-attended and received by the agent marketplace, and often feature BCBSM and BCN executives and experts as speakers. PG. 6

8 ACTION WEB ACCESS Action Web, offers the marketplace functionality and convenience, giving agents access to their books of business, commissions information, forms, documents and the information they need 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, you may also provide associates within your office access with their own unique username and password. The Action Benefits Marketing Team can help you to restrict their access to sensitive information, such as commissions. CLICK HERE FOR ACTION WEB SIGN-UP FORM ACTION ACTIVITY DASHBOARD This exciting feature uniquely integrates technology and customer service to keep agents informed and engaged throughout the entire lifespan of a group from proposal and application to renewal and Group Wide Changes, throughout service issues and every step along the way. The Action Activity Dashboard is your source for the most up-to-date information about all of your Action Benefits business that is currently in process, or has been within the last 30 days. Not only will it provide you with the status of a case, it will also alert you when action is required, provide you detailed information about what is needed and make contacting the appropriate Action Benefits Representative quick and convenient. You can even export activity reports as Excel spreadsheets. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ACTION ACTIVITY DASHBOARD RENEWAL STATUS Within the Renewal Status page you can easily view and sort all your renewals based on Group Number, Name, Current Status, Received or Submitted within a particular Renewal Month by clicking on the column heading. You may also search all of your renewals using the helpful search tool, and the entire page can be exported to an Excel spreadsheet. This tool makes monitoring your groups renewals easier than ever. We have even added color coding that indicates when a renewal is complete, an appeal has been submitted, the paperwork has not been received, or the survey is incomplete. You can track the certification and contact the assigned representative, all from the same page. STATUS AT A GLANCE Status at a Glance allows you to easily view all of your Blue business in one convenient location group and individual. You can sort by Group Number, Name, Effective Date, Product, Last Commission Paid Date or Renewal Date. Additionally, you can filter your book of business by Commission Date and Renewal Date. For all group business you can also view and download a helpful Group Profile Report that includes contact information for the decision maker at the group, association/ chamber affiliation, as well as information on every contract associated with that group. PG. 7

9 MYBLUE This will link you directly to your customized coverageforone.com website so you can quickly and easily quote and enroll your individual clients. Not familiar with coverageforone.com? Coverageforone.com offers agents a unique, custom-branded, enrollment website, including a personalized web address, logo and contact information. Clients can visit your site to enroll in the product that best suits their needs. You earn commissions, and much of the work is done for you. Since its introduction in 2007, coverageforone.com has helped agents sell thousands of BCBSM and BCN individual products. The benefit of utilizing coverageforone.com for online enrollment is that you can direct your clients to your site or link it from your existing website, and as your clients are redirected to the BCBSM system to complete the enrollment process, your agent number will automatically be coded to ensure you receive credit. Otherwise, your client would be responsible for entering that information, leaving room for error, which could result in lost commissions. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON COVERAGEFORONE.COM COMMISSIONS Visit this section to view your most current commission statement, as well as previous statements dating back to July Statements are displayed at the agent level, however, agency statement views are also available contact David Blackburn at (248) or dblackburn@actionbenefits.com for details on how to sign up for an agency ID if your agency is not already taking advantage of this service. In addition, you can review the helpful Commission Guide, access documents related to your commissions including the Commission Payment Designation Form, Agent of Record Policy, Orphan Forms, and much more. Also available in this section is the Direct Deposit Form. Nearly half of the monthly commissions paid to our agents are paid through direct deposit, which benefits you by providing you quicker access to your commissions. CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE DIRECT DEPOSIT FORM PROFILE MANAGEMENT Within this section you are able to manage your contact information, including your address, phone number, address, etc., so that we may ensure communications are delivered to you in a timely manner. You may also add and delete associates, change your username and password, and update the contact information that displays on your coverageforone.com website. Note: to change information regarding where your commission payments will be mailed and how they will be made payable (to you personally or to your agency), you must complete a Commission Payment Designation Form, available in the Commissions section. DOCUMENT RESOURCES We have organized our extensive library of documents into six simple categories with well-defined subcategories. You may also use the search tool to view results not only in the Document Resources section, but the entire website or just the News section if you prefer. Additional features of our Document Resources section are the ability to create a favorites list based on your mostaccessed documents, as well as the option to place a supply order as you browse through the documents available. CALENDAR Review New Business, Group Wide Change, and Rate Renewal Certification deadlines. Additionally, you can register for seminars and exciting educational opportunities, including our annual Continuing Education and Business Development Symposium. Online registration allows us to send reminder messages, as well as follow-up with any additional information following a seminar. CURRENT NEWS Stay in the know by reviewing the latest news regarding the Blues and our industry. HEALTH CARE REFORM Health care reform is changing every aspect of our business. In addition to having a health care reform expert on staff, we have put together this useful resource listing several of the most trusted websites for reliable, accurate information. PG. 8

10 26533 Evergreen Rd., Suite 400, Southfield, MI Phone: Fax: AGENT PARTNER GUIDE REV. 7/16/2012