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Are you interested in serving as a Trustee for the Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust? If so, the Health Trust’s Selection Committee would like to hear from you. There is an anticipated vacancy on the Health Trust Board, for a term that begins January 1, 2025.  Interviews will be held for the vacancy in December.

An eleven-member Board governs the Health Trust, and oversees its health, dental, short and long-term disability, vision and life insurance plans. The Board typically meets five times a year for half day meetings, with a two-day strategic planning meeting in the summer. Trustees are also expected to serve on one of the Trust’s standing committees that require additional meetings throughout the year.

In order to be considered as a Trustee candidate, you must be employed by a Health Trust par­ticipating entity, and you must be enrolled as a participant in one or more of the Health Trust’s benefit plans. You must also have your employer’s, board’s, council’s or commissioners’ support for the commitment necessary to meet the fiduciary obligations of an MMEHT Trustee.

The Health Trust Board governs a complex array of employee benefit programs for local government, county and quasi-municipal employees in an ever-changing insurance market environment. The Health Trust provides employee benefit programs to over 480 public sector employers around the state, with approximately 20,000 employees, dependents and retirees participating in the Trust’s health plans. The Trustees oversee a $190 million dollar program.

The Trust is regulated as a Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement by the state Bureau of In­surance and is one of the largest self-insured plans in the state. The Board works with a num­ber of professional advisors, including its Plan Administrator (MMA), benefit advisor, actuary, and legal counsel, all of whom assist the Board in governing the Trust. Health Trustees serve as plan fiduciaries and, as such, must administer the Trust’s programs in the interest of Trust participants. The Board is involved in many different functions, including setting annual rates, developing new plan offerings, reviewing third party administrative services, hearing benefit appeals, and analyzing claims trends. Trustees are not compensated, but they are reimbursed for their travel expenses.

If you are interested in serving on the MMEHT Board of Trustees, please send your resume, along with a letter indicating your interest and telling us a bit about yourself and why you wish to serve, to: Dale Olmstead, Chair, Health Trust Selection Committee, c/o Kristy Gould, 60 Com­munity Drive, Augusta, Maine 04330. You may also email the resume and letter to kgould@memun.org. Submissions should be received by November 29, 2024.

If you have questions about the Health Trust Board or serving as a Trustee, or if you would like additional information, please email or call Kristy Gould, Director of Health Trust Services, at kgould@memun.org or 1-800-452-8786.

The Health Trust will hold its Annual Reporting Meetings early this fall. These meetings provide the Health Trust staff with an opportunity to report on program operations, finances and activities, and allow members an opportunity to raise questions or concerns.

If you or a loved one is struggling with life’s challenges, finding a mental health professional to talk to quickly can make a big difference.  The Health Trust offers several resources to assist members, so that you can choose the one that best meets your needs.

Don’t forget that the Health Trust waives the copays for all visits for mental health and substance use disorder conducted via telehealth.  It has been shown that technology works well for this type of care, and telehealth has greatly expanded access to experienced professionals.

Talkspace is a service that provides confidential counseling by text, audio, or video — whatever way feels right for you.  The service pairs you with a licensed, experienced therapist who fits your needs and preferences, so that you feel comfortable from the start.  You can message your therapist whenever something comes up — or schedule a virtual visit to connect in real time.

Talkspace is covered under the Anthem EAP for three visits, or it is also now covered under your behavioral health benefits if you have a Health Trust medical plan.  To get started, use a web browser to register at talkspace.com/associatecare, and enter the letters “EAP”, a space, and “MMEHT” in the “Organization name” field. Once all your information has been completed you will receive information on providers who match your criteria.

To better address mental health and substance use disorders as the chronic conditions they are, Aspire365 was created to deliver long-term in-home treatment and recovery to patients 12 years of age and over.  Aspire365 clients are paired with a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals to deliver one on one personalized care over a 12-month period. To learn more about Aspire 365 please see the brochure on the Health Trust website, call 385.352.9696, or email info@aspire-365.com.

The Health Trust, in conjunction with Anthem, provides an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to all employers that participate in the Health Trust health plan.  Anthem EAP offers many great resources to deal with everyday problems and questions, in addition to mental health services. Licensed mental health professionals are available 24/7 without an appointment and at no charge. Employees may speak with a professional counselor near their work or home, and you get a referral for up to three in-person visits at no cost. The service is confidential, in accordance with federal and state law, and professional ethical standards.

The Anthem EAP covers all employees, even those who are not enrolled in the health plan.  It also covers the household members of all employees.  Unfortunately, retirees are not eligible to use this service. To access the EAP call 1-800-647-9151 or go to www.anthemeap.com, choose Login in the Members box and enter “MMEHT”.

The Health Trust has a one-page flyer which outlines the many resources and programs available to you and your family.  Please call Member Services at 1-800-852-8300 with any questions.

As required by the Affordable Care Act, the Health Trust will be sending out Forms 1095-B to all employees (including non-Medicare retirees and COBRA participants) who were covered under a Health Trust health plan during calendar year 2023. The 1095-B forms provide information on each individual (employee and dependents) who had health coverage through the Trust in 2023, including which months they were covered. Forms will be mailed in mid-February, prior to the March 1, 2023 deadline.

The 1095-B forms provide information that may assist you in preparing your taxes, however they do not need to be filed with the tax returns. The IRS has stated that taxpayers need not wait for these forms, and should file their returns as they normally would. Copies of all of the forms will be filed with the IRS by the Health Trust, through its eligibility vendor.

If you have any questions about your Form 1095-B, please contact the Billing & Enrollment staff at 1-800-452-8786, or htbilling@memun.com.

The Health Trust is pleased to announce several enhancements to our life insurance benefits, offered through the Standard Insurance Company, and also a special open enrollment period for those who may wish to add or modify coverage.  These changes take effect April 1, 2024.

The maximum benefit for Basic Life will increase from one times the covered employee’s annual base salary up to $100,000, to one times the annual base salary up to $150,000.  If you are covered by a Health Trust health plan, the Basic Life benefit is included, and is paid for by the Trust.

This maximum salary increase will also be applicable to voluntary Supplemental Life elections of one, two or three times the employee’s annual base salary.  If you have this coverage and your salary exceeds $100,000, your premiums may increase based on the increased volume covered.

Members with the Dependent Life Option B plan may also see an increase in the spousal benefit.  This coverage is equal to half of the employee’s base salary.  Therefore, the maximum benefit will increase to $75,000, from $50,000.  The premiums for this plan increased to $3.75 per month January 1, 2024, and there will not be an additional increase April 1. (There are no coverage changes to the Dependent Life Option A plan.  Premiums for this plan increased to $1.75 per month, effective January 1, 2024.)

The Basic Life benefit for retirees who are covered by a Health Trust health plan will increase from $2,000 to $3,000.  This is paid for by the Trust.

The Health Trust will be offering a one-time special Open Enrollment Period February 15 through March 15, 2024 for an effective date of April 1, 2024.   If you did not enroll in Supplemental or Dependent Life coverage when you were first eligible, or if you would like to increase the amount of Supplemental or Dependent Life you currently have, you may do so during the Open Enrollment period.  If you elect coverage that is less than $375,000, your approval will be guaranteed, and you will not be required to submit medical Evidence of Insurability.  This is subject to the Standard’s eligibility policies, and the plans your employer offers.  If you were previously declined for Supplemental or Dependent Life coverage with your current employer through the evidence of Insurability process, you are not eligible during this special open enrollment period.

If you wish to add or change coverage for April 1, 2024 under this special Open Enrollment, the Life Plan Enrollment Form or Life Plan Change Form must be dated between February 15 and March 15, and received by the Health Trust no later than March 31, 2024.  Forms for established employees received after March 31, 2024 will be subject to evidence of insurability.  We encourage you to consider taking advantage of this one-time opportunity to add coverage to protect your family.

For more information click here

The following changes will be effective for the Health Trust POS and PPO health plans, effective January 1, 2024.

Behavioral Health Services via Telehealth – In order to address access and other barriers to receiving behavioral health services during the pandemic, the Board of Trustees has waived the copayment for members who receive in network mental health or substance use disorder services via telehealth since 2021.  The Board recognizes that the need for these services remains strong.  While visits to primary care and specialty physicians have returned to more normal “in-person” utilization patterns, utilization of telehealth for behavioral health services continues to increase.

In order to facilitate continued utilization of these services, the Board of Trustees has eliminated the copayment for members who receive in-network mental health or substance use disorder services via telehealth.  These services will be paid at 100% for all of the Trust health plans.

Fertility Benefits – Effective January 1, 2024, all Trust health plans will include coverage for medically necessary fertility services, as mandated by the State of Maine. Medically Necessary Covered Services will include procedures to determine an individual’s fertility and services such as artificial insemination (three lifetime cycle limit), egg retrieval and cryopreservation, and in vitro fertilization (two lifetime cycle limit). Please contact the Health Trust for additional benefit details.

Coverage for Recreational Prosthetics – Effective January 1, 2024, in accordance with state mandates, all Health Trust health plans will provide coverage for one prosthetic device that meets the medical needs of a participant under age 18 for recreational purposes.

Coverage for Certain Dental Procedures for a member who has been diagnosed with cancer – Effective January 1, 2024, in accordance with a new Maine law, certain medically necessary dental procedures for a member who has been diagnosed with cancer will be covered under all Health Trust health plans. Routine preventive dental care is not covered.

Effective January 1, 2024, your home delivery carrier will migrate from CarelonRX Mail to CarelonRX Pharmacy. You will have the same benefits you currently have, with the addition of some new features:

• 90-day supply of medication for two copayments
• Free standard mail delivery right to your door
• Text, chat or talk with a pharmacist 24/7
• Enhanced order tracking
• Easy to use online tools
• Refill reminders and automatic refills

What do you need to do?

If you currently fill prescriptions utilizing mail order delivery, you should have received a letter in fall 2023 with more details.

If you have refills left January 1, they will automatically be moved to CarelonRX Pharmacy. If you are signed up for automatic refills those will automatically transfer to CarelonRX Pharmacy too. There is no need to re-enroll. If you do have any refills left, CarelonRX will contact your doctor and have them send a new prescription to CarelonRX Pharmacy.

After January 1, 2024, you will need to contact CarelonRx Pharmacy to confirm your payment information.  If you have any prescriptions that ship before your payment information is confirmed, your member cost share will be reflected on an invoice included within your shipment.

Please be aware that CarelonRX Pharmacy may call members to confirm account information, such as payment method and allergies.

If you have any questions please contact Member Services at 1-800-852-8300 Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or login to your Anthem.com account.

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