AlaskaCare Retiree Health News | Monthly e-newsletter | September 2021
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AlaskaCare Retiree Health News
| Volume 40| September 2021 |
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—New for 2022—
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Your AlaskaCare health benefits are getting even better! Beginning January 1, 2022, your plan will cover preventive care services. One of the main pieces of feedback we receive from retirees is that you would like to see the plan cover preventive services. We heard you and worked with the Retiree Health Plan Advisory Board (RHPAB) to evaluate adding modern updates to the plan, including coverage for preventive services and prior authorizations for specialty medications. On September 9, 2021, the RHPAB voted to recommend the addition of Preventive Care Coverage and Specialty Medication Prior Authorization to the retiree Defined Benefit health plan. The recommendation was approved by the plan administrator, the Commissioner of the Department of Administration, and will go into effect on January 1, 2022. Preventive Care: Preventive care and recommended screenings are important tools to keep you and your family healthy. The expanded preventive care coverage includes, but is not limited to vaccinations, wellness visits, colorectal cancer screenings, mammograms, pap smears, prostate cancer screenings, and lung cancer screenings. After January 1, 2022, when you visit an in-network provider for preventive services, your AlaskaCare plan will pay 100% coinsurance and your deductible will not apply. Specialty Medication Prior Authorization: Prior authorization for specialty drugs is a pharmacy management process that reviews certain medications against clinical, evidence-based standards including those established by the FDA to promote safe and effective use of those medications. Only about 1% of covered prescriptions are specialty medications. You can review the OptumRx Specialty Pharmacy Drug List to see if any of your current medications are specialty drugs that may require a prior authorization starting January 1, 2022. If your drug appears on this list you will receive a notification letter at the beginning of November, 60 days in advance of January 1, advising the medication requires prior authorization review. Have More Questions? Stay tuned, there will be more information about the benefit expansion in future newsletters. |
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During the 2021-2022 cold and flu season, getting a flu vaccine is important to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community from the flu. While it’s not possible to say with certainty what will happen in the fall and winter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes it’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both be spreading at that time. Relaxed COVID-19 mitigation measures (such as stay-at-home orders, or mask mandates) may result in an increase in flu activity during the upcoming 2021–2022 flu season. Take action today to protect yourself and your family! Does the AlaskaCare Retiree Plan Cover Flu Shots? Yes, through December 31, 2021, the AlaskaCare retiree plan is temporarily covering Trivalent and Quadrivalent influenza vaccines along with the pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccine.
Permanent coverage for flu and pneumonia shots is part of the addition of preventive care coverage to the retiree health plan and will go into effect on January 1, 2022. When is the best time to get my influenza vaccine? September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated. Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. For more information on Influenza, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage. |
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Dental-Vision-Audio Open Enrollment
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Open Enrollment for the AlaskaCare Retiree Dental-Vision-Audio (DVA) Plans opens on October 13 and runs through November 24, 2021. This is your annual opportunity to review your DVA coverage options and make benefit elections for you and your family for the next plan year, which begins on January 1, 2022. This does not apply to or impact your medical benefits. If you do not participate in DVA Open Enrollment, your benefit elections will not change from what you have now. You can make changes to your benefit elections online at AlaskaCare.gov/DVA during the Open Enrollment period, beginning October 13, 2021, and ending November 24, 2021. The plan options and monthly premiums are the same as they were last year. You can review the 2022 Benefit Comparison Guide and 2022 Enrollment Guide containing monthly premium information and coverage comparisons online:
If you are not a current Retiree DVA plan member, you are not eligible to participate in Open Enrollment. Need more information?
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We hope you were able to join us for the September Town Hall Event with special guest hosts Anne Zink, MD, and Joe McLaughlin, MD. Retiree plan members asked some great questions! If you missed the event or want to listen again, you can find the audio file on the Division's webpage. For questions regarding COVID testing or vaccines, you can contact the State’s COVID Helpline at (907) 646-3322 |
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Future AlaskaCare Town Hall Events
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Town Hall Events are group calls hosted by the Alaska Department of Administration, Division of Retirement and Benefits for all interested AlaskaCare retirees and families to ask questions about the AlaskaCare health plans. You can join the call to learn more about your health plan and ask Division staff any questions you have about your benefits. This format gives retirees a chance to connect directly with Division staff to hear the latest news on all things AlaskaCare, raise questions, share comments, and learn more about the health plans. Pre-register now online. Please join us for a Town Hall event on: |
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Below, please see a list of ways to contact us with your feedback. Also, a full list of AlaskaCare health plans and partner contact information can be found on our website. AlaskaCare – Plan Administrator
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