First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, and Lighthouse1, an industry leader in consumer-driven health care (CDHC) administration software solutions, have extended their relationship to support prepaid benefits cards. Since 2005, the companies have teamed to offer programs allowing consumers to access pre-tax dollars set aside for health care in flexible spending accounts (FSAs), health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs). First Data’s health care solution, part of its comprehensive prepaid product suite, provides a broad collection of auto-substantiation tools. The solution helps ensure that consumers only use the funds at appropriate merchants and for items pre-approved by the Internal Revenue Service under Code Section 213(d), Eligible Medical Expenses. In general, the pre-tax dollars that consumers arrange to save in FSAs, HRAs and HSAs can only be used for health care-related items and services. Lighthouse1 and its partners serve more than 2.5 million consumers.Lighthouse1’s OnDemand platform allows administrators, employers,and consumers 24-by-7, 365-day access to account data, helping to increase adoption rates, cost savings, and satisfaction levels. First Data’s Multipurpose healthcare Card is a multi-purse card that allows consumers to access to FSAs, HRAs, HSAs, dependent care and transit funds. The card also offers the industry’s first optional line of credit that members can use for health care expenses.
HSA Bank announced it has completed additional enhancements to its online Employer Administration Area that will make the website easier to use and more intuitive for employers to find information for their Health Savings Account (HSA) program. “The enhancements made to our Employer Administration Area website last year focused on the capabilities of our Group Online Contribution system,” said Kirk Hoewisch, president of HSA Bank. “In our latest enhancements, we concentrated on making the website even easier for our employer business partners to register, use and manage their HSA.” Employers now have the capability of registering with HSA Bank through a completely online set-up process. By registering with HSA Bank, employers gain access to the Employer Administration Area website and can open employee HSAs with HSA Bank. And to help employers open accounts, HSA Bank added the capability to upload enrollment files directly through the Employer Administration Area website. Additionally, HSA Bank focused on the website’s navigation to make it more intuitive from the main menu and the submenu on each page. HSA Bank updated the demonstration videos to reflect the improvements to the website and provide step-by-step guidance for all the website’s features. HSA Bank also provides the user with additional information about features and processes on the website’s pages, which are identified by a question mark icon.
CIGNA and Merck are helping customers better manage diabetes. The first national outcome-based contract between a pharmaceutical company and a pharmacy benefit management company resulted in an increase in the number of people with type 2 diabetes who were able to control their blood sugar levels by taking their medications appropriately. Extensive studies have shown that lowering blood sugar levels and increasing medication adherence results in better health for people who have diabetes. Blood sugar is generally considered under control when it is less than 8 percent. CIGNA results demonstrated improved blood sugar levels of more than 5 percent for those continuously enrolled in the program regardless of which diabetes drug they were taking. Customers who actively participated in CIGNA’s diabetes support program were 3 percent more likely to have their blood sugar under control than those who were not in the program. There was also a 4.5 percent increase in blood sugar lab testing during the period. Medication adherence was 87 percent for people taking Januvia (sitagliptin) and Janumet (sitagliptin/metformin), Merck’s oral anti-diabetes medications. The medications are used in conjunction with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, a condition that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. The two-part contract with Merck provided discounts if CIGNA customers with diabetes lowered their blood sugar levels, regardless of the medication they were taking, and also provided for additional discounts if people who were prescribed Merck’s drugs Januvia and Janumet took their medications according to their physicians’ instructions. Discounts will be shared in various ways with CIGNA employer clients.
Fidelity Investments, a leading provider of employer benefits, announced it has been chosen by Office Depot to provide the office products and services company with benefits administration services. Under the five-year agreement, Fidelity will provide eligible Office Depot employees administration and recordkeeping services for their retirement savings plans, health and welfare benefits and stock plan services. Participants will be able to manage all three benefits under Fidelity’s integrated web-based benefits platform, NetBenefits. Office Depot’s retirement program, which includes its 401(k) plans for U.S. and Puerto Rico employees and deferred compensation plans, currently has about 17,000 participants and $336 million in assets. Fidelity’s Health & Welfare services for Office Depot, which will include administration, eligibility and election of health benefits, will serve about 20,000 Office Depot employees. Fidelity will also provide administrative services for Office Depot’s long-term incentive compensation plans through its Stock Plan Services offering for eligible domestic and international employees.
The New York Business Group on Health (NYBGH), a non-profit coalition of 175 employers, honored CIGNA for outstanding performance in providing high quality and high value health care solutions in the New York metropolitan area. The NYBGH awarded CIGNA the 2010 eValue8 Performance Award for the New York metropolitan area. CIGNA was the only health plan in the New York metropolitan area to earn this award. eValue8 is a nationally-recognized health care purchasing and quality improvement assessment process developed by the National Business Coalition on Health to help purchasers buy health care products and services. The inaugural award was presented at the NYBGH’s annual meeting in New York City. CIGNA earned the highest total score in the New York area market in the seven categories used to assess health plan performance including consumer engagement, plan profile, provider measurement, pharmaceutical management, prevention and health promotion, chronic disease management and behavioral health.
AT&T and WellDoc a health care company that develops technology solutions to improve the lives of people with chronic diseases, announced a strategic alliance to market and sell WellDoc’s mobile health (mHealth) solution in the United States to facilitate improved patient outcomes and reduce the spiraling costs of managing chronic diseases. AT&T plans to deploy the WellDoc technology through an internal initiative with a select number of employees, using WellDoc DiabetesManager System in 2011. AT&T will potentially expand to other disease areas (upon U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance), including: heart disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and oncology. AT&T has a vested interest to help improve our employees’ health and quality of life and reduce health care expenditures. In 2009, AT&T offered medical, dental, life insurance, vision or disability benefits to some 1.2 million individuals—employees, retirees and their dependents. That includes approximately 686,000 employees and dependents and approximately 495,000 retirees and dependents.
The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), one of the largest mutual life insurers and a leading provider of employee benefits, announced a new agreement with Willamette Dental that expands its dental preferred provider organization (PPO) network in the Pacific Northwest. Willamette Dental is one of the largest multispecialty group dental practices in the Northwest and operates more than 55 dental office locations throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho, serving more than 300,000 patients. The new agreement expands Guardian’s dental PPO network by 10% in the region.