The January 1, 2019 DRAFT Retiree Health Insurance Information booklet is now available for review and comment! This booklet outlines the coverage provisions for members of the AlaskaCare Defined Benefit health plan.

These drafts includes important changes to take effect January 1, 2019 including:

• The pharmacy benefits have been changed to reflect the implementation of an enhanced Employer Group Waiver Program (EGWP) for Medicare eligible retirees and Medicare eligible dependents.

  The AlaskaCare enhanced EGWP is a Medicare Part D group pharmacy plan and represents an administrative change to how the health plan receives federal subsidies for Medicare eligible retirees and dependents. Read more about the enhanced EGWP on the AlaskaCare website at http://doa.alaska.gov/drb/alaskacare/retiree/faqs/egwpFaqs.html.

   

• The booklet is updated to reflect the change from Aetna/CVS Caremark to OptumRx as the pharmacy benefit manager.

   

• AlaskaCare is expanding habilitative services for pervasive developmental delays such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Habilitative services can include occupational therapy, speech therapy and other service, including early intensive behavioral interventions such as applied behavioral analysis for treatment of ASD. Applied behavioral analysis will require precertification, and not all habilitative services are covered. Those services provided in an educational or training setting, to teach sign language, or vocational rehabilitation or employment counseling continue to be excluded under the plan.

There are two draft documents for review.

1. Mark Up Draft Retiree Health Insurance Information Booklet 2019
2. No Mark Up Draft Retiree Health Insurance Information Booklet 2019

The marked up and the draft documents have the same content for each of the plans, but the Marked Up version includes markups which highlight where there are changes from the current September 2018 booklet. For example:

• In the markup, where you see that words have been struck-through (example) it means the text is being deleted.
• Where words are underlined (example) it means text has been added.
• If there is | in the margin next to a sentence, it means there has been a change to that sentence.

EXAMPLE:

In this example, the phrase “pharmacy benefit manager” has been added. The words “claims administrator” have been deleted. The words “the Division of Retirement and Benefits,” have been deleted. The line on the right-hand side indicates there is a change to those sentences.

We want to know what you think!

Your feedback is important to us. The draft booklets are available for review and public comment through December 3, 2018.

To find more information about the AlaskaCare Defined Benefit plan, visit: http://doa.alaska.gov/drb/alaskacare/retiree/publications/booklets.html

Please submit comments by email to: doa.drb.alaskacare.retiree.plan@alaska.gov