Getting the Most out of Your Benefits

Vacation with Confidence with Travel Assistance for ALLtech Members

March 28, 2023/in Getting the Most out of Your Benefits

For ALLtech members enrolled in Group Life insurance through The Standard, you can breathe a little easier when planning your next vacation knowing you have access to Travel Assistance.

A single phone call helps employees and their families with emergencies that may arise while traveling, including a wide range of medical, legal and travel-related issues. Take a break from stress on your next vacation and let ALLtech support your overall wellness with access to Travel Assistance, which is available when you’re experiencing a medical or non-medical travel emergency while traveling:

More than 100 miles from home or in another country
For less than 180 days

During a medical emergency, Travel Assistance is there to ensure you get the care you need. If appropriate medical care isn’t available at the facility where you’re being treated, Travel Assistance will arrange and pay for your transportation to the closest, most appropriate medical facility able to provide the necessary treatment.

Throughout your hospitalization, Travel Assistance will monitor your care and medical condition. Travel Assistance will also coordinate with your health insurance, employers and family members, as requested and applicable. Once you’re clear for travel and discharged from the hospital, Travel Assistance will arrange and pay for your return home via the most appropriate mode of transport with medical escort, as necessary.

Travel Assistance can also help with non-emergencies, such as trip planning. Key services of Travel Assistance include:

Pre-Trip Assistance including visa, weather and currency exchange information, inoculation recommendations, country-specific details and security and travel advisories
Trip Assistance including help with replacing credit cards and passports, locating missing baggage and emergency cash coordination
Medical Assistance including locating medical and dental providers and translation services, replacement of prescription medical and corrective lenses and advancement of funds for hospital admission
Legal Referral including locating a local attorney, consular officer or bail bond coordination
Emergency Transportation Services including arranging and paying for emergency evacuation to the nearest adequate medical facility and medically necessary repatriation to the employee’s home, including repatriation of remains
Companion Transportation Services including returning travel companion if return travel is disrupted due to emergency transportation services or returning dependent children if left unattended due to prolonged hospitalization
Evacuation Arrangements in the event of a natural disaster, political unrest and social instability
Vehicle Return if emergency transportation services are required and the participant’s personal vehicle is stranded

For more information, download the Travel Assistance Flyer for Employees, or the Travel Assistance FAQ.

To learn more about enrolling in ALLtech or to get a quote, fill out our Request a Quote form, email alltech@advprofessionals.com, or call 206.602.3558.

Virtual Care in Just 3 Easy Steps for ALLtech Members

February 6, 2023/in Getting the Most out of Your Benefits, Uncategorized

Have you signed up for virtual care so it’s available for you when you need it most? At just $0 co-pay on most medical plans through ALLtech, it’s a choice that can save you money and time, offering access to doctors, counselors, psychiatrists or dermatologists at your convenience by phone, video or mobile app.

Watch the above video to find out just how easy it is to for ALLtech members to access their MDLIVE virtual care benefit, which includes:

Primary Care

Consult with a board-certified doctor who will diagnose and treat non-emergency medical conditions, prescribe medications and send prescriptions to your pharmacy. Some common ailments that can be treated include cold/flu, allergies and headaches. For a detailed list, view our Welcome to MDLIVE flyer.

Behavioral Health Care

Through ALLtech, members can talk to a licensed counselor or psychiatrist from their home, office or on the go, to treat issues such as stress, depression, eating disorders, grief and loss, and more. The confidential, convenient online therapy is available 24/7 via the MDLIVE app. To learn more, download the MDLIVE Behavioral Health flyer.

Dermatology

ALLtech members have 24/7 access to a network of leading, board-certified dermatologists who can diagnose and treat more than 3,000 skin, hair and nail conditions online. A visit takes less than 10 minutes to complete, compared to waiting days, weeks or even months to visit with a dermatologist in-person. See our post Virtual Dermatology Visits Now Available Through ALLtech to learn more, or visit the MDLIVE Dermatology page.

Substance Use Disorder

MDLIVE partners with Boulder Care to offer a unique virtual care model that provides access 24/7 to substance use disorder treatment. Learn more in our article ALLtech Addresses Substance Use Disorder with Unique Virtual Care Model or visit Boulder.Care/Regence.

Learn More

To login or learn more, go to MDLIVE.com/Regence-WA or MDLIVE.com/Asuris

Washington Announces End of State COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

November 14, 2022/in Getting the Most out of Your Benefits

From ALLtech medical provider Regence BlueShield

As the COVID-19 pandemic approaches the three-year milestone, it’s become hard to remember what life was like before we were all living under a public health emergency (PHE). For residents of Washington state, that is changing.

According to Covid Act Now, community risk for COVID-19 throughout most of Washington is low. The state’s vaccination rates are among the highest in the United States, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports Washington as having the fifth-lowest death rate among all states.

Washington state’s public health leaders still emphasize the importance of staying up to date on vaccinations and continued mask wearing. And with full confidence in those and other tools proven to mitigate COVID-19’s impact, Gov. Jay Inslee officially called an end to the PHE, effective Oct. 31, 2022.

What Washington state ending the PHE means for access to health care

With Washington’s PHE ending, some state-specific PHE provisions have expired. Here’s a summary of what’s changed in Washington.

Out-of-network treatment may cost patients more. The Washington PHE temporarily required private health insurers like Regence to cover many members’ COVID-19 treatment at in-network (INN) cost shares. That meant many Washingtonians with employer-sponsored or Individual/family health insurance could access treatment at any provider in the state and pay the typically lower in-network rate, regardless of whether the provider was in the insurer’s network. With the rule’s expiration, these health plan members will want to be careful to seek COVID-19 treatment from in-network (INN) providers to avoid paying higher OON cost shares. For Medicare members, federal PHE considerations may be different.
Vaccination counseling may cost more. To encourage vaccination uptake, the Washington PHE temporarily required private health insurers to cover vaccination counseling, in which patients review and discuss the risks and benefits of specific vaccines with their provider, at no cost to the patient. Beginning Nov. 1, insurers are allowed to cover vaccination counseling for most patients at regular health plan cost shares. Check with your health plan to see whether vaccine counseling services will cost you anything out-of-pocket.

What’s not changing in Washington state

The following rules included in the Washington PHE will remain in effect as long as the federal PHE is in place:

COVID-19 testing and related provider visits are still covered with $0 out-of-pocket cost to patients when the testing is conducted at an FDA-approved lab.
Patients are protected from receiving “surprise bills” for lab fees related to medically necessary diagnostic testing for COVID-19.

Some self-funded employers added customized benefit enhancements to their health plans that may supersede the expiring Washington state and remaining federal PHE rules. In most of these cases, benefit enhancements will remain in place for employees (and their covered dependents) through the end of their employer’s health plan year.

Regence members – including those enrolled in ALLtech – looking to better understand their COVID-19 vaccination, testing and treatment coverage can sign in to their account on regence.com to learn more or call the Customer Service phone number on the back of their member ID card. Members who don’t have an account can create one by visiting regence.com/member/registration.

Get More From Your Vision Insurance in Tough Economic Times

August 22, 2022/in Getting the Most out of Your Benefits

From our vision provider VSP Vision Care Inc.

Don’t let vision take a back seat in these difficult economic times. For ALLtech members enrolled in vision, VSP Vision Care Inc. has you and your family covered with access to a nationwide network of eye doctors and low out-of-pocket costs for the savings you deserve. To find out what your vision plan includes, simply create an account at vsp.com and log in for detailed benefit information.

Make your plan work for you:

1. Find a conveniently located VSP network doctor
  As a VSP member, you’ll get the most out of your benefits when you visit a Premier Program location. Don’t have an eye doctor? No problem! Visit vsp.com to find a Premier Program location near you. At your appointment, just let them know you have VSP. Here are more tips to finding a Premier Program location.
2. Eyecare is healthcare — Get your annual eye exam!
  An eye exam can help detect serious eye diseases and health conditions. Even if you don’t need glasses, everyone in your family can benefit from an annual eye exam — including young children and teens — and summer is a great time to squeeze in appointments and get a jump on the next school year.
3. Choose from a wide selection of stylish frames and lenses
  Using your VSP benefits makes finding the right eyewear for your look and your pocketbook easy when you see a VSP network doctor. Get the most out of your benefits with an extra $40 to spend on select frame brands.* Plus, you’ll get an extra $20 to spend when you choose a featured frame brand.*
4. Take advantage of your second-pair eyewear discount
  You’ll save up to 20% on a second pair of glasses including lens enhancements — like anti-glare coating, progressives, and light-reactive lenses — when you purchase from your VSP network doctor within 12 months of your last exam. With these savings, why not get a second pair?
5. Shop Eyeconic — The only online eyewear store to partner with the VSP Doctor Network.
  Most VSP members can use their benefit to buy eyewear online at Eyeconic^® — including stylish frames, lens enhancements, and contacts. It’s the only online store where qualifying VSP members can apply their vision benefit to their order and enjoy in-network savings. You can also save up to 40% on lens enhancements.** Like to plan ahead? Take advantage of the Virtual Try-On Tool at Eyeconic^® and come face-to-face with the perfect frames for you. Visit Eyeconic^® and see how seamlessly you can connect your eyewear insurance coverage with your doctor’s expertise.
Want to learn more about the vision insurance benefits available to ALLtech members? Take a look at VSP Vision Coverage through ALLtech.

*Available only to VSP members with applicable plan benefits, which includes ALLtech members enrolled in vision. Frame brands subject to change.
**Savings based on doctor’s retail price and vary by plan and purchase selection; average savings determined after benefits are applied. Available only through VSP network doctors to VSP members with applicable plan benefits. Ask your VSP network doctor for details.

Telehealth for Behavioral Health Care is Used More Than Ever Before

May 25, 2022/in Getting the Most out of Your Benefits

From ALLtech medical provider Regence

The U.S. health care system has experienced a rapid increase in the use of telehealth over the past two years for both mental and physical health. While telehealth existed before the COVID-19 public health emergency, it only represented a less than 1% of outpatient visits. At the peak of the pandemic, telehealth use jumped to 40% for mental health and substance use outpatient visits, and 11% for physical health visits. At Regence, we saw telehealth visits increase eight times for behavioral health care from 2019 to 2021. Today telehealth visits for mental health and substance use continue to rise, meanwhile telehealth visits for physical health have declined after in-person options resumed.

Many experts believe telehealth’s popularity will continue. Telehealth has been especially helpful in meeting patient needs for behavioral health care, including improved access to care. In fact, studies have shown telehealth therapy to be as effective as in-person care for treating various mental health conditions like moderate depression and anxiety. Given the popularity and benefits of telehealth, it’s important to understand what it is and how best to use this care option.

Understanding telehealth for behavioral health care needs

Behavioral health telehealth care services can be provided by a licensed therapist or counselor by phone, video calls and text messages. Since there is no need to travel to a specific location for a telehealth visit, treatment can occur wherever is most convenient, like the comfort of home. This is helpful for people who have mobility issues and leaving home is difficult, creating a barrier to receiving care.

Also, when you can do a virtual appointment from wherever you are, it’s often easier to schedule times. Telehealth has been exceptionally helpful in rural areas where there are few mental health practices in the area and driving long distances for care is a big burden. In 2021, 55% of rural mental health and substance use outpatient visits were delivered by telehealth compared to 35% in urban areas. Telehealth may also be a little more approachable for some who are new to seeking care because it is only a few clicks away rather than traveling to an appointment.

Although telehealth brings many advantages, it might not be for every person and need. Sometimes in-person therapy visits are more advantageous than telehealth. Telehealth isn’t the right choice for people experiencing severe or complex symptoms of mental health or substance use conditions that require close and direct care. Providers and patients may find it harder to pick up on body signals, facial expressions and other real-life signals. Using technology also isn’t for everyone and can create frustration or make the care experience less comfortable. Ultimately, some people and situations may benefit more from in-person therapy.

ALLtech members can access a spectrum of behavioral health resources

Whether you need occasional emotional support or ongoing mental health care, ALLtech offers a variety of programs to prevent, identify and treat mental health and substance use disorders. Members enrolled in medical through Regence can visit virtually with a counselor or psychiatrist 24/7 through MDLIVE. Download MDLIVE Behavioral Health flyer.

ALLtech members also have access to counseling through Wellspring EAP, which includes the option to access virtual behavioral health counseling through BetterHelp.

To learn more about options available to ALLtech members, visit the ALLtech Wellness Resources page or sign in to your Regence account at regence.com.

Get Access to Fast, Convenient and Accurate Virtual Care Through ALLtech

January 20, 2022/in Getting the Most out of Your Benefits

Start the New Year strong by making sure you’re signed up for virtual care so it’s available for you when you need it most. At just $0 co-pay on most medical plans through ALLtech, it’s a choice that can save you money and time, offering access to doctors, counselors, psychiatrists or dermatologists at your convenience by phone, video or mobile app.

Watch the above video to learn how MDLIVE provides fast, convenient and accurate care using its 5-part formula, then download the MDLIVE app to register and get access to the broad range of services that include: