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Anthem OTC catalog 2024

The Anthem OTC catalog 2024 provides members of participating plans access to many useful items at no charge with their prepaid Benefits Mastercard.  Plan members have the choice to pick up items in store or have them delivered to their doorstep.

Download a copy of the 2024 Anthem OTC Catalog

Here’s what you can find in the catalog

1. OTC benefit details.
2. Details of all the different ways to shop for OTC items.
3. Eligible items listed by category.

Members can call the number on the back of their Benefits Prepaid card for any assistance they need.  Members can also get answers to their questions by logging into their secure account in the Benefits Pro Portal at MyBenefits.NationsBenefits.com.

Here’s how to create an online account

Access your benefits when it’s convenient for you 24/7 at MyBenefits.NationsBenefits.com

First time users need to create an account visiting the Benefits Pro Portal or using the Benefits Pro mobile app.  Once you are on the Nations Benefits portal, just click the “register” button and follow the prompts from there.

If you need assistance, just call 866-413-2582 (TTY: 711)
Once your portal is set up you can log in and view your spending allowance.  Find participating stores nearby, view and track recent orders and look for eligible products.

How to shop for OTC products

Because there are many ways to shop for OTC products, you can easily find the one that works best for you.

In a participating store

Members can use their Benefits Prepaid Card to purchase eligible OTC products at one of the many participating stores.  TO find a store near you, visit MyBenefits.NationsBenefits.com and enter the area you want to shop in.  You will quickly find a list of local stores.  The OTC catalog provides an instore shopping guide with information on the available items.  You can also find eligible items in your member portal as well as by scanning the UPC code found on any product by using the Nations Benefits Pro app.

Once you finish shopping, place your benefits card into the card reader and choose “credit” when prompted.  You do not need a PIN to use the card.  You r eligible spending amount will apply to the purchase.  If you’re spending more than your available balance, you can use another form of payment to cover the remaining balance.

Have items delivered to your home

Members can order products for home delivery from the NationsBenefits catalog or by going to MyBenefits.NationsBenefits.com search by product type or UPC code.
Selected items are shipped to your home at no cost.

Download a copy of the 2024 Anthem OTC Catalog

Order through the Benefits Pro App

You can download the app either by scanning the QR code you find in the OTC catalog or by going to the App Store or Google Play
Once you have the app downloaded, you can choose the items you want to purchase and follow the instructions to pay and checkout.

Place an order by Phone

Find the items and the items number of the OTC products you want to purchase and call the number on the back of your NationsBenefits card.  Member Experience Advisors will assist you Monday through Friday from 8:00AM until 8PM local time.

To order by Mail

Find the items you wish to purchase and fill out the order form at the back of the OTC catalog.
Send your completed order form to:
NationsBenefits
1700 N. University Drive
Plantation, FL 33322
Mail your completed form no later than 12/20/24 to use your available spending allowance before it expires.

More information

The products in the OTC catalog are subject to change.  In some cases, an item, quantity or size may change depending on availability.  Some items may be added or removed without notice.

Visit our homepage for OTC catalogs from other Medicare carriers

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Medicare fact finder

Each time a Medicare agent meets a new client a Medicare fact finder is a great way to address what they want and what they need.  This is a great tool to help you make personalized suggestions for coverage.

If you are in the senior market, your fact finder should focus on Medicare coverage.  It may also include additional options like hospital indemnity, life products or other relevant products you offer. You should design your fact finder to fit your client’s needs and the services that you have to offer.  The only way to know what the client is looking for is to ask questions.

We have a few examples of Medicare fact finder questions below:

1. Do you understand the different parts of Medicare

This question is very important to ask.  Clients need to understand the parts of Medicare and how they work to know what type of coverage they want and need.  Your job is to make sure they know about all the coverage options available and make an informed decision.  This includes what is covered by Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D.

2. Can you tell me what you like and don’t like about your current Medicare coverage

When you ask this question as part of your fact finder, you gain valuable insight into what type of coverage the client is looking for.  This will help sort out which benefits are important to them, and which are not. This can be very useful in sorting out MA/MAPD plan benefits as there are so many to choose from and they offer different benefit packages.

3. How often do you see a doctor or specialist

The answer to this question can help decide if a Medicare Supplement or a Medicare Advantage plan is a better option for your client. That is a reason to include it in your Medicare fact finder.  Many of your clients’ plan choices will come down to simple mathematics.  Medicare Advantage plans require a copayment for visits to either PCPs or specialists.  The amount of each copay can make a difference in your client’s budget.

4. Are there doctors and medical facilities that you like to use for your health care needs

If a client uses medical care from several providers on a regular basis, they may have a difficult time finding a Medicare Advantage Plan that all their chosen providers participate with.  It is your job to be sure they can continue to use the providers they want and are aware of the cost for each visit.  In some cases, an MAPD plan may not be the best option for the client.

5.  Find out if the client is currently taking any prescription medications and which pharmacy they like to use

Please be aware, it is up to the client if they want to disclose this information.  However, it is important to help them find the best coverage options for their needs and can be very costly if they make an ill-informed decision.   Each MAPD and PDP plan has a specific formulary.  This means they cover each medication differently. There can be very large differences in the cost for prescriptions that may place a burden on your clients when they are trying to maintain their health.

The cost of each prescription also depends on the pharmacy your client chooses to use.  This must be explained to them as well.  Carriers for Part D coverage often have preferred network pharmacies that can save the client money when they fill prescriptions there.

6. Does your client have any chronic health conditions

There are specific Medicare Advantage plans that provide coverage of certain chronic health conditions, such as ESRD.  Although they cannot enroll in most Medicare Advantage plans, these SNP plans cover their specific needs, and they cannot be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions.

7. Do they travel often or have a home in another state

This may be an important question to include in you Medicare fact finder.  Medicare supplement plans are good in any doctor’s office or facility that accepts Medicare assignment. On the other hand, Medicare Advantage plans have a local provider network and clients may not find an in-network provider when they spend months living out of their home state.  This can end up costing quite a bit out of pocket for care. It is important to check the benefits of each plan for travel and residency coverage.

8. Are they covered through a former employer or other organization

In some cases, client have retiree plans that work with Medicare to provide coverage for health care needs.  If this is the case, the client should check with their company’s benefits coordinator to see how a Medicare plan affects their retiree coverage and how they work together.

These are just a few possible questions to use.  It is important to decide which questions to add or subtract based on your personal preferences.

A few more thoughts

Let your client know what you are doing and why.  This will help them understand that you see each client as an individual and will do your best to fill their personal health coverage needs. It is best to finish the questions and go over the answers before you try and make any sales presentation to the client.  Making the suggestions at the end will let the client know you are listening to every answer and using all the information to make the most informed suggestions.

Click here for a SSA Medicare fact sheet

View free Medicare agent training videos on our Youtube channel

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Anthem MediBlue Select HMO

Anthem MediBlue Select HMO is a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage (MAPD).   In fact, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield offers this plan only in Hartford county in the state of Connecticut.   This, like all HMO plans, require that participants use in network providers.  If you choose to use out of network providers, this plan will not cover your expenses.  An exception to this would be urgent or emergency care which allows of of network services.

The plan has a monthly premium of $26. This would be in addition to the part B premium of $121.80.  There are no referrals required for this plan. Co-pays for a primary doctor are $15 and $40 for a specialist.  The plan has an annual out of pocket max of $6,100 per year.  Annual maximum indicates the most the insured would need to pay in medical claims for  the year.  You can not apply either Monthly premiums or cost-sharing for part D prescription drugs to the maximum out of pocket amount.

You can add dental services to the plan for an additional premium.  In Addition, Silver Sneakers is included in the $26 monthly premium and pays a local gym membership monthly fee.   If you use approved diabetic supply vendors your diabetic supplies are covered at 100%.

This plan offers prescription drug coverage with $220 annual deductible.  This deductible applies only to tiers 2-5.  The plan excludes both Tiers 1 and 6 from this deductible.  There is no limit to how much the plan will pay.

A Medicare Advantage plan should not be confused with a Medicare Supplement plan (also called Medigap).

MAPD plans offer both medical and drug benefits combined with the insurance company as the primary insurance.  With a Medicare Supplement, original Medicare is primary.  The insurance company would be the secondary insurance.  As a result, a Medicare Supplement plan does not have a network.  Because members may see any provider that participates with Original Medicare, it is different from an Advantage plan.

 HMO summary of benefits Anthem MediBlue Select

Anthem MediBlue Selelct HMO application

Click here to request a personal Medicare review.

Medicare Advantage Plan Applications Connecticut 2014

In this post we will try to help you understand Medicare Advantage Plan Applications Connecticut 2014.  In fact, there are 5 companies offering Medicare Advantage plans in Connecticut for 2014.  Those companies are United Healthcare, Connecticare, Aetna, Anthem BCBS as well as Wellcare.  The post below contains links to benefit summaries of all the popular offerings from each company.  We also include links to applications for those people that want to apply.    Please keep in mind, that we have not listed all  the plans that are offered in the state.  This is only a list of the most common plans people inquire about in Connecticut.

United Healthcare Medicare Complete Plan 2–

This is a Medicare Advantage plan offered by United Healthcare.  The plan has both a $0 monthly premium and is an HMO.

Click for United Medicare Complete Plan 2 Application

 For United Medicare Complete Plan 2 Summary Of Benefits Click Here

Aetna Medicare Value Plan-

This is a Medicare Advantage plan offered by Aetna.  The plan has a $0 monthly premium and is an HMO as well.

Click For Aetna Value Medicare Application CT 2014

 For Aetna Value Summary Of Benefits CT 2014 – Click Here

Wellcare Value Plan- 

Wellcare offers a $0 monthly premium HMO in Connecticut.

 To Enroll Online – Click here

 For Summary Of Benefits

Connecticare VIP Prime 1-

Prime 1 is a Medicare Advantage plan from Connecticare.  The plan has $0 monthly premium and is an HMO

Click Here For Connecticare Medicare Application CT 2014

 For Summary Of Benefits

All completed applications can be either faxed to Crowe and Associates at 203-567-6235 or sent by email to Edward@Croweandassociates.com.   Additionally,  if you want to send them by mail, the address is : Crowe and Associates,  304 Federal Road, suite 107, Brookfield, CT 06804.

We will review all applications before we submit them.  If in fact we need any additional information, we will let you know.  If you have any questions, please call us at 203-796-5403.

Medicare Advantage And Medigap Applications Connecticut 2013

This post contains information about Medicare Advantage And Medigap Applications Connecticut 2013.  The following post contains the Medicare Advantage applications for Connecticare, AARP/United, Aetna, Anthem and Wellcare.  Please note that Wellcare has an online enrollment process.  A link to the Wellcare online enrollment has been provided in this post. The applications contained here are for the 2013 plan year.  Anyone aging into Medicare for the months of October, November and December can use the applications.   You cannot use these applications for January 1 effective dates.   The 2014 applications will be available soon and we will add an updated link to this blog once they are available to us.

I have also added the Medicare Supplement (Also called Medigap) summary of plans and an AARP Medicare Supplement application.   We only put AARP on the post given that they have the best price point and 90% of our visitors are looking for the AARP information.  You may email us or call the office in the event you need information for any of the other supplement plans such as Anthem BCBS, Mutual of Omaha, Aflac, etc….

Applications:

May be filled out and sent to our office for processing.  You can either send it to our secure fax (203-567-6235) or by email to Edward@croweandassociates.com.  For those people who prefer to mail the applications, you may send them to Crowe and Associates, 304 Federal Road, suite 107, Brookfield, CT 06804    Attention: Enrollment   NOTE: We will review the application prior to submission to the insurance carrier.  We will contact you before we submit your application if there is any information missing or if there are errors on your application.  We will resolve any issues before we submit your application to ensure you have the coverage you need.

CLICK FOR 2013 AARP MEDICARE COMPLETE SUMMARY OF BENEFITS

FOR AARP MEDICARE COMPLETE APPLICATION 2013

AETNA VALUE 2013 SUMMARY OF BENEFITS CLICK HERE

AETNA VALUE MAPD APPLICATION 2013 CLICK HERE

ANTHEM MEDIBLUE SUMMARY OF BENEFITS 2013 CLICK HERE

ANTHEM MEDIBLUE 2013 APPLICATION CLICK HERE

CONNECTICARE SUMMARY OF BENEFITS CLICK HERE

CONNECTICARE ENROLLMENT APPLICATION CLICK HERE

WELLCARE LINK TO ONLINE ENROLLMENT AND SUMMARIES OF ALL PLANS

UNITED MEDICARE COMPLETE PLAN 2 SUMMARY OF BENEFITS CLICK HERE

CLICK FOR UNITED MEDIARE COMPLETE PLAN 2 APPLICATION

The high F Medicare supplement plan is not well understood by consumers and insurance brokers.  In the state of Connecticut this is a shame because if  people did understand it well, about 90% of those with a Medicare Supplement plan would have it.

The plan is priced tremendously well in CT at $35.00 a month.  With this price point, the math on the High F plan comes out better than the math on any other supplement including the AARP Plan F supplement priced at $214 a month.

Here is how High Deductible F works-(This is a very simplified version but you will get the point):   Medicare Part A covers hospital costs after a $1,200 deductible and Medicare Part B covers 80% of doctors and testing costs.  The anthem High F, will cover 100% of costs once a consumer spends $2,070. out of pocket in a year.  At $35 a month, the math can not be beat.  Try the math versus any other Medicare Supplement plan on the market and see how it comes out.    Keep in mind that only 1% of Medicare consumers with a high deductible F plan every actually hit their deductible.

There are very few situations when a person should have a Medicare supplement plan other than Anthem High F supplement in Connecticut.  Unfortunately,a lack of understanding from Medicare recipients and the low commission paid to brokers will limit the number of people that have this plan

Anthem BlueCross BlueShield offers two plans in Connecticut for 2012.  They offer a PPO and an HMO plan.  The HMO “Mediblue HMO” has been around for 3 years.  The PPO is new for 2012 and has the best benefits on paper of any Medicare Advantage plan in Connecticut.

The PPO offers substantially better benefits than the HMO to such an extent it does not make much sense for a consumer to consider the plan.  The PPO utilizes the nation anthem BCBS nationwide network.  It has out of network benefits which are almost par withe in network benefits.  They have $0 copay for a primary doctor and $0 copay for some generic drugs as well.  Two of the better benefits are the Hospital benefit which is $250 a day for 6 days in or out of network.  Meaning that you can go to a non participating hospital and pay the same as if it was an in network hospital.  The outpatient surgery benefit is a max copay of $250 which is the best available.  Lastly, the out of pocket max on this plan is $3,400 in and out of network combined which is far better than any other advantage plan in CT.

We have nearly 900 clients in this plan throughout Connecticut so we have a very good pulse on how it is working.  There are some problem areas that have come up that consumers need to be aware of.

-There are a number of doctors that are listed as in network but will not see patients on the Anthem PPO.  They either charge them full price or will not see them at all.  This has occurred a number of times in 2012

-The customer service for the PPO leaves a lot to be desired.  Many times the representative does not even understand the plan and gives out incorrect information.

-There are a number of common drugs which are not in the formulary and there are a number of generic drugs in the 2nd and 3rd tier.

While this plan is the best on paper and works well for many people, it is not administered well and generates a number of calls to our office from clients.   Billing departments at doctors offices should be contacted prior to enrolling in this plan to make sure they accept it.  Be very clear with the billing department that the plan is the Anthem “PPO” Medicare Advantage plan.  Make sure they understand it is not a supplement plan.

Anthem PPO summary of benefits

Anthem HMO summary of benefits

The Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Supplements for 2012 are attached to the posting. The rates are competitive with most carriers but are slightly higher than the AARP lines of Supplements.
The Anthem High deductible F supplement is a very strong offering that should be considered by anyone with a Medicare Supplement in Connecticut. AARP does not currently offer a high deductible F in Connecticut. Look at other posts on our blog for additional information on the High Deductible F plan.

Anthem supplement 2012 summary of benefits
Anthem-Medicare-Supplement-Application-CT-2012

Applications may be faxed to 203-567-6235 or emailed to Edward@croweandassociates.com Please call 203-796-5403 with any questions

The  Anthem Mediblue Preferred PPO became available in CT on 1-1-12.  The plan offers advantages  over all competitors in CT. The key features of the new plan are $0 monthly premium, $0 copay for primary doctor and $0 copay for Generic Drugs. To further strengthen the offering the In network and Out of network Out of Pocket Max will be $3,400 combined. The hospital copay is $250 a day for a max of 6 days both in and out of network.

The plan offers many less high profile but non the less,  important benefits such as Major Radiology copay of $100, expanded Rx list including the Barbituates classed drugs, ect…..

The plan is not perfect as it does have a $60 Rx deductible for name brand drugs but the other benefits are so much better than the competing plans for 2012 that will not have much impact. The key will be to see if they are able to maintain these benefits for more than one year. It makes one wonder how they are going to be able to offer such a strong program compared to other large carriers in the market such as United Healthcare and Aetna.

Time will tell if they are trying to buy membership for one year just to make major benefit downgrades for 2013

Application and Summary of Benefits available below

Anthem PPO summary of benefits

Anthem Medicare PPO application

For additional information or questions call: 203-796-5403

Applications may be submitted to Edward Crowe for Processing:

Fax submissions:  203-567-6235

Email submissions: Edward@croweandassociates.com

Mail: Crowe & Associates, 155 Main Street, suite 205, Danbury, CT 06810