Page 17 - Work Force May 2019

Important Notice: Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Westchester Medical Center Health Network negotiations unsuccessful to date
Before summer, check up on your dependents’ EBF benefits
Summer is around the corner. For many families, this means gearing up for vacations, signing kids up for summer camps and welcoming students home from college.
For members of the CSEA Employee Benefit Fund (EBF), the beginning of summer is a time when many parents bring their school-age dependents for dental and vision checkups.
The EBF provides dental and/ or vision benefits for CSEA members at the state and local government level. New York State employees, Unified Court System employees and several hundred local government units (counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts) have negotiated valuable EBF vision benefits into their contracts.
Check with your employer, refer to your contract or visit cseaebf.com and use our Benefit Search Tool to find out exactly what benefits you may be eligible for.
Does my child qualify as a dependent?
The EBF covers dependents who meet certain criteria, including:
• Your unmarried children, including stepchildren and legally adopted children who permanently reside with you and are under age 19.
• Your legal ward under age 19 who permanently resides with you pursuant to a court order awarding legal guardianship to you.
• Any child or ward described above, regardless of age, who is incapable of self- support by reason of mental or physical disability, provided he or she became disabled before age 19.
• Any child or ward described above under age 25 who is a
full-time student (minimum 12 undergraduate or six graduate credit hours) enrolled in a regionally accredited college or university working toward a bachelor’s, master’s
or associate’s degree. Technical courses of short duration do not qualify. The EBF requires that current proof of student status be provided annually.
Have I properly enrolled my
child?
•
•
When enrolling dependent children, it may be necessary for the CSEA EBF to require and/or request additional information which may include full- time student verification for children ages 19
and over, verification of eligibility by “Proof of Dependency” form, copy of Birth Certificate and/or “Certification of Disability” form.
Student verification can
be submitted online at cseaebf.com. Forms are also available on our website. You can fax or mail the forms and any supporting documentation if you wish. Our fax number is 518-786- 3658 or mail to CSEA EBF, PO Box 516, Latham, NY 12110.
If you have any questions, please call (800) 323-7232 or connect with us online at cseaebf.com. Have a great summer and stay healthy!
Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield (EBCBS) renegotiates their hospital contracts regularly with participating hospitals.
As this edition went to press,
our Health Benefits Department
was notified that recent contract negotiations between EBCBS
and Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMC) have
been unsuccessful to date. Unless continuing negotiations lead to a contract agreement, Westchester Medical Center hospitals will be considered out-of-network for services rendered on or after June 1, 2019.
Letters describing the problematic negotiations will be sent to EBCBS enrollees who live within 30 miles of a WMC facility or who have received services at a WMC facility within the past year.
It is hopeful that an agreement will be reached before the May 31, 2019 termination date. If no agreement is
reached, effective 12:01 a.m. on June 1, 2019, the following hospitals will be considered non-participating with EBCBS:
Westchester Medical Center Health Network Facilities:
• Bon Secours – Good Samaritan Hospital
• Bon Secours – Mercy Community Hospital
• Bon Secours – St. Anthony’s Hospital
• Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital • Westchester Medical Center
If you are currently receiving services from a WMC facility or are scheduled for treatment at a WMC facility, please call Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield at 1-800-495-9323, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The customer service representatives will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have.
Empire Plan Future Moms Program
now offers enhanced breastfeeding support
The Empire plan offers pregnant enrollees the opportunity to sign up for the Future Moms Program, a no-cost pregnancy support program designed just for mothers-to-be.
The Empire Plan Reporting on Prenatal Care, published in September 2018,
has been updated to
reflect that enhanced breastfeeding support
is now available
through the Future
Moms Program.
Women who have
given birth can sign
up for this program at livehealthonline.com or download the free LiveHealth Online mobile app.
If you have questions or need support with breastfeeding, help is
just a click away. Once you create an account, select Future Moms with Breastfeeding Support to view the available appointments that
are offered seven days a week, including evenings.
Using Future Moms with Breastfeeding
Support on LiveHealth Online, you can
have video visits
with certified lactation consultants,
counselors or registered dieticians
by using smartphones, tablets or computers.
These professionals can provide expert advice on topics such as breastfeeding techniques, milk production and baby hunger cues and nutrition.
May 2019
The Work Force 17