Broker Newsletter - March 2025

Publish Date

Your March Update

We want to make it easier for you to provide Tufts Health Plan as a solution to your clients. To help support your hard work, here is what we thought you should know this month:

 

Reminder: Update to
Medicare’s Disaster SEP

Medicare is making a change to the Medicare Disaster Special Enrollment Period (SEP) which provides an SEP for individuals affected by a variety of emergencies, including weather-related emergencies or major disasters. This SEP allows beneficiaries who missed other enrollment periods to enroll in, disenroll from, or switch Medicare health or prescription drug plans.

  • Beginning April 1, 2025, individuals wishing to use the Disaster/Emergency SEP must call 1-800-MEDICARE to make an election.
  • Medicare Advantage Organizations and Part D sponsors will no longer accept elections directly from beneficiaries using the Disaster/Emergency SEP.
  • This change is in response to concerns that have been raised by plans about the misuse of the Disaster/Emergency SEP to enroll beneficiaries who were not affected by a declared disaster/emergency.


For details on disasters and other declarations visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

For details on all SEPs visit Medicare.gov

 

Deadline for HMO members to get up to $500 back

Our Wellness Allowance and Weight Management benefit pays members back for participating in a qualifying program. But the deadline for 2024 reimbursement is fast approaching.

If a member enrolled in a fitness class, paid fees towards a gym membership, joined a qualifying weight management program, or participated in another qualifying program in 2024, they can be reimbursed by filling out and submitting these reimbursement forms:

Wellness Allowance
 

  • HMO Smart Saver, HMO Saver, and Access PPO members can get up to $350 back with their 2024 Wellness Allowance benefit
  • HMO Basic, HMO Value, and HMO Prime members can get up to $150 back with their 2024 Wellness Allowance benefit
  • HMO members and Access PPO members can get up to $150 back with their 2024 Weight Management benefit

Reimbursement forms for 2024 need to be received by Tufts Health Plan by March 31, 2025 – so encourage members to mail them as soon as possible!

Wellness Allowance reimbursement form
Weight Management reimbursement form
 

 

Spend OTC allowance before March 31

With Tufts Health Plan’s over-the-counter (OTC) benefit, HMO Smart Saver, HMO Saver, and Access PPO members get an allowance each calendar quarter to shop for Medicare-approved health care supplies. But the balance doesn’t carry over. Encourage your clients to use the full amount before March 31.

  • HMO Smart Saver members get $140 per calendar quarter
  • HMO Saver members get $160 per calendar quarter
  • Access PPO members get $130 per calendar quarter
See OTC benefit details

 

Get great tips for staying healthy in our Wellness Guide
The 2025 Wellness Guide is mailing to members in March. The Wellness Guide provides members with tips for using their plan to stay healthy, details on great benefits and discounts, and much more. Get a sneak peek today!
Get the Wellness guide