Highlights of Open Season

Open Season is finally here and I am excited to talk to you about our new benefits and our new partnership with Aetna. Starting Jan. 1, 2023, we will offer the new NALC High Option Plan—Aetna Medicare Advantage. This enhanced level of benefits is designed exclusively for NALC Health Benefit Plan High Option annuitants, and eligible dependents enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B as their primary coverage. As many of you may know, the plan encourages member feedback and recommendations to improve our benefits. We have received many suggestions from our retired members, and over the last couple of years we have been diligently working behind the scenes to incorporate your suggestions and make them happen.

With that said, let’s jump right into the details.

The NALC High Option Plan—Aetna Medicare Advantage—is designed to provide you with extra savings and enhanced benefits and programs, while allowing you to continue to be an important part of the NALC Health Benefit Plan and remain in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program.

Eligible High Option members who choose to opt into the program will have no additional premium costs. You will continue to pay only your High Option Plan premiums.

Highlights of the program include:

• $75 monthly Part B premium reduction (up to $900 a year) for each eligible member
• Prescription drug coverage as low as $0
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• Silver Sneakers® fitness program (a registered trademark of Tivity Health Inc.)
• Non-emergency transportation program
• Meal benefit program

All eligible members of the High Option Plan should consider whether they want to remain a High Option member with Original Medicare or opt into our new Medicare Advantage program.

If you choose to opt in, you’ll be enrolled and will receive a new NALC High Option Plan—Aetna Medicare Ad-vantage ID card. You will not need to do anything further other than use your NALC High Option Plan—Aetna Medi-care Advantage ID card when you get care, and let your doctors and pharmacy know about the change.

If you are not a current member of the NALC High Option Plan, to be eligible to opt into our new Medicare program, you will need to enroll in the High Option Plan during Open Season.

To help you learn more about the program, a series of webinars will be offered during the months of November and December. You can visit NALCHBP.org/Annuitant to register for a webinar or to find more about the NALC High Option Plan—Aetna Medicare Advantage benefits.

If you are ready to opt in, please go to AetnaRetireeHealth.com/NALC or call the Aetna Retiree Solutions service center at 866-241-0262 to provide your Medicare effective dates for Parts A and B.

Hello Heart

Another exciting new benefit for 2023, and available at no cost to members, is the Hello Heart program. Because we know that the heart is vital to a healthy lifestyle, we want to equip our members and dependents 18 years or older with the tools they need for maintaining cardiovascular health.

Hello Heart is an essential tool for remote care of cardiac conditions and enables you to measure your blood pressure using a free monitor. Once you have the reading, you are able to send the data privately to your doctor.

Plan members with a blood pressure reading of 130 over 80 (130/80) or above, or those taking blood pressure medication are eligible to enroll.

You can go tojoin.helloheart.com/NALC or text NALC to 75706 to register.

More for 2023

Just when you thought the good news ended, there was more.

• The Plan now covers doula services provided by a certified doula, with a maximum Plan payment of $500 per pregnancy.
• The Plan now covers prescription drugs for the treatment of infertility up to a maximum payment of $2,500.
• The Plan now covers certain FDA-approved prescription weight loss drugs with prior authorization. A list of medications can be obtained by contacting CVSCaremark®at 800-294-5979.

Please make sure to check us out. Big changes are taking place and we want to make sure you are on board as we move forward into another great Open Season.

These are only some of the features of the NALC Health Benefit Plan. Detailed information on the benefits for the NALC Health Benefit Plan can be found in the official 2023 brochure (RI 71-009). All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations and exclusions set forth in the official brochure.

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