ny44.e1b.orgNY44 – Health Trust

Welcome to the NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust The NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust is actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation and is posting updates to the announcements section below. Check back often for the latest news. NEW prescription drug plan! Click here to learn more about what Capital Rx has to offer. ENROLLEES Enrolled in the medical or dental insurance plans offered by your school? This is the place for information about benefits, wellness resources and more. Learn More ABOUT THE TRUST The plan is a self-funded tax-exempt Article 44 trust providing health benefits to employees and eligible retirees of participating school districts, BOCES and community colleges. Learn More PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS Are you the benefits administrator or the contact for your school? Here’s information about Trust governance, the Board of Trustees and Board meetings. Learn More CONTACTS Here’s a complete list of all contact information for every Health Benefits Plan vendor and contacts at every school. Learn More ENROLLEES Enrolled in the medical or dental insurance plans offered by your school? This is the place for information about benefits, wellness resources and more. Learn More ABOUT THE TRUST The plan is a self-funded tax-exempt Article 44 trust providing health benefits to employees and eligible retirees of participating school districts, BOCES and community colleges. Learn More PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS Are you the benefits administrator or the contact for your school? Here’s information about Trust governance, the Board of Trustees and Board meetings. Learn More CONTACTS Here’s a complete list of all contact information for every Health Benefits Plan vendor and contacts at every school. Learn More Announcements (Mouse-Over to Pause) NEW: IMPORTANT CHANGE to your PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN! NY44 is pleased to announce we are transitioning our NY44 Trust Pharmacy Benefits Administrator from Pharmacy Benefit Dimensions to Capital Rx effective July 1, 2021. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? Prescription drug copays for the plans will remain the same! All maintenance prescriptions, through the mandatory mail order benefit, will now be fulfilled through Walmart. All members will receive a welcome packet and new ID card at their home address. These new member packets will arrive in late June, just prior to the July 1st effective date. Learn more HERE . OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR 2021 STARTS IN MAY The recorded presentation of the Benefit Administrators Online Workshop is now available. Click HERE to review what you need to know about this year’s open enrollment. New Dental Plan by Guardian View Dental page for your region to learn more! Click Eastern Region or Western Region The Guardian Anytime member portal has helpful resources on: How to find a network provider Refer your dentist to join the network Order an extra Identification card And much more! Additional value added dental benefits which are included in the plan such as: Annual Maximum Rollover feature (allows you to rollover a portion of your unused annual maximum to the next year) College Tuition Benefit (earn rewards which qualify for dollars off college tuition at over 400+ four-year undergraduate colleges/universities) Byte at-home orthodontic treatment SERVICE UPDATE NY44 STAFF are working remotely to continue to serve your needs. If you need to make any changes to your coverage, contact your district administrator. District Benefit Administrators: If you have trouble processing changes for employees (new dependents, terminations, etc.) or are unable to access the online system, please email Alice Riley at ariley@e1b.org or Lora Schasel at lschasel@e1b.org . Please be sure to include your full contact information (name, phone and email) to expedite any follow-up required. In addition, we have been in touch with all NY44 administrators: Independent Health, Pharmacy Benefit Dimensions, MVP and ProBenefits Administrators, who informed us that their customer service is currently continuing uninterrupted. You can access their contact information HERE . SECURITY AWARENESS REMINDER – THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK There have been many news reports that hackers and scammers are using the chaos of the COVID-19 crisis as a cover for their malicious activities. Observe these best practices to minimize your risk: Do not provide sensitive personal information (like usernames and passwords) over email. Do not click on emailed links or attachments from senders that you don’t recognize, especially .zip or other compressed or executable file types. Watch for email senders that use suspicious or misleading domain names. Do not provide personal information to callers you do not know. In fact, many experts advise against even answering the phone when you do not recognize the number. Stay safe and keep your personal information safe! COVID-19 COST SHARE UPDATE As previously announced, the NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust provides COVID-19 testing free for all plan participants by waiving all out-of-pocket costs, including fees associated with ER visits related to COVID-19 testing. However, COVID-19 testing REQUIRED BY YOUR EMPLOYER for work-related purposes is NOT covered by the Trust. Any treatment for COVID-19 will be subject to the current benefit coverage for the plan in which you are enrolled. This will be the case for all three plan options: the Traditional, Core and Progressive plans. Any treatment for COVID-19 will be subject to the current benefit coverage for the plan in which you are enrolled. PLEASE NOTE: The cost-sharing waiver for ER visits is in the event of COVID-19 testing only. You should follow the health department advice of not going to the ER unless directed to go for testing by a medical professional. Click HERE for more information on accessing care for COVID-19. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT COVID-19 TESTING Avoid a trip to the emergency room. If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, please call your healthcare provider for medical advice. They will decide whether you need to be tested. The NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust offers telemedicine options for you to connect with medical professionals without having to leave your home. MVP Members – NEW OPTION Effective immediately, MVP’s myERnow virtual emergency room has been added as a no-cost option for members enrolled in the MVP service areas. Call 1-833-myERnow (1-833-693-7669), 24/7 to speak with a medical professional. Click HERE for more information. Independent Health Members – NEW OPTION Effective immediately, members enrolled in the Independent Health service area may receive telemedicine services with no cost-sharing from eligible providers. Please be sure you contact Customer Service (716-631-2661 or 1-800- 257-2753) to verify specific benefits which are covered. Also contact your individual provider to confirm they are able to accommodate the services you need. An alternative for telemedicine services is WellNow (see information below). All NY44 Members – WellNow Virtual Care You can continue to receive convenient, quality virtual care from your home or any location in New York State by using WellNow’s telemedicine services. You can use your smartphone, tablet or computer to speak to a WellNow provider 24/7. Click HERE to learn more. NEWS BRIEFS AVAILABLE The latest News Briefs are available HERE , including summaries of the NY44 Health Benefits Plan Trust Board of Trustees meetings as well as other information of interest to Superintendents, Business Officials, Union Presidents, and Benefit Administrators. Meeting minutes and other updates from the Board of Trustees can be found on the Meeting Minutes page HERE . PBD Member Services Department Phone: 716-635-7880 or 1-888-878-9172 Email: servicing@pbdrx.com Hours of Operation: M-F; 8am-11pm EST Please call this number with any issues or concerns relating to your prescription benefit. Please note: Due to HIPAA requirements, our represe...