Aug. 17, 2016

New Online Small Group (1-50) Enrollment Feature Available Late August

As a reminder, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Small Group Enrollment Tool, a feature accessed within eSales Tools, is now available for producers to enroll online new small group business (1-50 employees).

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) initially launched the new ACA Small Group Enrollment Tool functionality to general agent (GA) partners in Q4 2015. Since this time, a number of modifications and enhancements have been made to optimize efficiency and ease of submissions. We are now offering all writing agents who do not work through a GA, the opportunity to use this online tool for new business submissions.

Benefits of using this self-enrollment tool include:  

• One source of communication regarding case submission
• Streamlined enrollment process
• Assists in required documentation, so that case is complete upon releasing
• Allows for tracking of implementation progress
• Case approvals are accelerated and generally occur within 24 to 48 hours of submission
• ID cards can be generated up to two-times faster by using this tool

Once a producer completes the group’s information, the enrollment application is submitted directly to Underwriting for review. This eliminates much of the back-and-forth exchange and allows for more streamlined information sharing.

Utilizing the ACA Small Group Enrollment Tool Identifies Valuable Key Benefit
Accelerated turnaround time on application approval occurs on most cases. Assuming the submission is clean, using the ACA Small Group Enrollment Tool usually results in a two-day approval from Underwriting, as compared to the current process that can take up to 10 business days.

Producers are strongly encouraged to use the ACA Small Group Enrollment Tool in the near future; however, they may continue to use existing paper-based forms and processes for the time being. We anticipate full adoption of this means of new business submission for Jan. 1, 2017 effective dates. Look for additional information and training on the ACA Small Group Enrollment Tool and its enhanced functionality in future communications.

We have resources to assist you!

• Resource Guide: Step-by-step instructions on how to enroll a group
• email support: ACASmallGroupEnrollmentSupport@bcbsil.com
• Job Aid
• Web-based demonstration (coming soon!)

Contact your sales representative to learn more about how this tool can best serve you and your employer clients.