NECA-IBEW WELFARE TRUST FUND NEWSLETTER

Volume 26, No.1	DECATUR, ILLINOIS	June, 2010

Health Care Reform Update

Sorting out the impact of health care reform will take some time. There are over 2,000 pages of health care reform law, and there will be many more pages of guidance and regulations. The NECA-IBEW Welfare Trust Fund Board of Trustees and Fund staff are analyzing the new law and working with the Fund Professionals to figure out what the new law will mean for the Fund and our participants.

As Washington issues more guidance on implementing the law, including coverage of eligible dependents up to age 26, we will provide you with explanations of what may be changing, what options are open to you and what you need to do—if anything—to receive those benefits. We will keep in touch with you, including updates in future issues of this newsletter and on www.neca-ibew.org. For now, there is nothing you need to do.

Do You Have Diabetes, Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Failure, Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease? If you do, you should consider participating in the Disease Management Program. When you enroll in and comply with the program requirements, you will receive a $200 HRA incentive reward. These programs can help you learn about your condition, its triggers and symptoms, develop a customized action plan, including treatment and medication recommendations, and can assist in helping modify your lifestyle.

2010 Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) Award Limits Reminder. The total annual award amount available for participating in Wellness Power programs (Health Risk Assessment, Wellness Programs and/or Disease Management Programs) is $300 per member or spouse and $600 per family, excluding retirees over age 65, their spouses, and all covered dependent children.

Wellness Power Online Resources. The Welfare Trust Fund Web site (www.neca-ibew.org) contains helpful information about your Wellness Power benefits and a link to your Wellness and Disease Management site: https://my.healthatoz.com/portal/bridge/NECAIBEW.

You can also call the Fund's dedicated Wellness Power customer service line at (877) 386-0888.

Medical Benefit Changes

Hearing Benefit Improvement. The Fund is partnering with EPIC Hearing Service Plan to assist active participants and pre-Medicare retirees* in locating hearing care professionals and, in most cases, reducing out-of-pocket expenses for hearing exams and hearing aid devices. Fund participants will be able to save 25-50% on major brand hearing instruments. In addition, EPIC has a discount program for hearing aid batteries—participants can have batteries shipped directly to your home, at a savings of over 40% from standard retail store pricing.

As you know, the Fund provides a hearing aid benefit of up to $1,250 per ear once every five years. You are responsible for costs over the maximum.

To learn more, contact EPIC toll-free at (866) 956-5400. Be sure to identify yourself or family members as particpants in the NECA-IBEW Welfare Trust Fund.

Use Your HRA to Pay for Hearing Care Expenses. You can use the money in your HRA to pay for eligible hearing care expenses, including:

• Hearing aids, including hearing aid batteries.

• Special telephone equipment that lets a hearing-impaired person communicate over a regular telephone.

• Television equipment that displays the audio part of television programs, such as subtitles, for hearing-impaired persons.

* Medicare-eligible retirees can access the EPIC program, but benefit coverage is not provided by the Fund. Medicare-eligible retirees do not have hearing aid coverage.

Benefits for Surviving Spouses. Effective June 1, 2010, the Fund will provide Retiree Plan benefits to a surviving spouse when the deceased participant was at least 60 years old and would have met all present qualifications for the Retiree Plan. If your surviving spouse remarries, he or she will continue to be eligible for coverage, but new dependents will not be eligible.

Prescription Drug News

Preferred Drug Step Therapy Program. Effective September 15, 2009, some non-preferred medications are no longer covered by the Fund’s prescription drug benefit unless you obtain approval through a coverage review. If you purchase a non-preferred medication, you will be responsible for the entire cost. Filling prescriptions for preferred medications will cost less.

This requirement encourages you to try safer or more effective drugs before the Plan covers another drug. For example, if Drug A and Drug B treat the same medical condition, the Plan may require you to try Drug A first. If Drug A does not work for you and your doctor believes you should use a non-preferred medication, you or your doctor can request a coverage review by calling toll-free (800) 417-1764.  If after review with your doctor it is deemed appropriate, the Plan will then cover Drug B.  This requirement to try a different drug first is called “Step Therapy.”

For more information, visit Medco online at www.medco.com. You can also call Medco toll-free at the number shown on your prescription drug ID card.

COBRA Continuation Coverage
Self-Pay Rates

Under certain circumstances, you may be eligible to continue coverage on a self-pay basis as required under federal law, referred to as COBRA Continuation Coverage. Monthly self-pay rates for COBRA Continuation Coverage effective June 1, 2010 are shown below.

Please note that the Fund no longer offers Base Plan COBRA Coverage for Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision and the HRA Benefit. See the COBRA Continuation Coverage section of your Summary Plan Description (SPD) for more information.

Helpful Reminders

Update Your Fund Information. If you move or have any changes to your dependent information, including marriage, divorce, and new dependents, be sure to contact the Fund Office. It is also a good idea to periodically review your beneficiary designation information and update it as necessary to ensure benefits are paid to the beneficiary of your choice. If you get divorced or have a death in the family, you must notify the Fund Office. If you do not notify the Fund Office, it may result in your owing money to the Fund. The Fund has the right to recover any overpayment or mistaken payment made to you or to a third party.

The Fund may recover those monies by reducing other benefit payments made to you or on your behalf, by commencing a legal action or by any other methods as the Trustees, in their discretion, deem appropriate.

Enroll in Medicare Parts A and B. If you are eligible for Medicare, you must enroll in Medicare Parts A and B. If you or one of your covered dependents are eligible for Medicare due to age, you must apply for Medicare Parts A and B. Coverage isn’t automatic. Whether you enroll or not, once you’re eligible for Medicare, the Plan will treat you as if you had enrolled. This means that if you haven’t enrolled for Medicare when eligible, your Plan benefits will be reduced as though you were enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B.

Have a Great Summer From the Welfare Trust Fund Board of Trustees and Staff