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In this Issue A message from the Insurance Commissioner... Commissioner’s Greeting 1-2 Making sure Pennsylvania families are aware of all the Vaccinations 2 benefits available to them under the Affordable Care Act is an GO-TIME Savings 3 important part of our consumer New Department Staff 3 education and outreach efforts at the Insurance Department. Long-Term Care Partnership 4 Preventive services are a key part of monitoring your wellness and Guide to Auto Insurance 4 preventing diseases, and many of these services are available at Recent Press Releases 5 no cost to consumers under the Upcoming Consumer Events 5 Affordable Care Act. My department joined with two other agencies in the Wolf which is good for consumers and Administration to remind parents insurers alike. Connect with Us! that immunizations, which are necessary to attend school, are Auto insurance is mandatory in facebook.com/PAInsuranceDept free under virtually all insurance Pennsylvania, but understanding plans. how the insurance works and @PAInsuranceDept figuring out the best coverage is This is a change since the not an easy task for many people. implementation of the ACA, and That is why we now have available many families may still not be an auto insurance guide on our You may contact the department aware. As partners in helping website. This guide is intended to at [email protected] or through Pennsylvanians be healthier, help drivers better understand how the contact form located on the I encourage insurers to inform to use their car insurance and what homepage of our website. your policyholders about these coverage they need to be properly benefits. The relatively small cost protected. of preventive services such as immunizations, compared to the cost of treating illnesses, should (continued on page 2) help contain health care costs, www.insurance.pa.gov 1 PA Insurance Insights A message from the Insurance Commissioner... (continued from page 1) funds. Making these moves for injured workers. Governor Wolf’s Government the Underground Storage Tank that Works initiative includes Indemnification Fund and Workers Thank you, reducing costs where possible, and Compensation Security Fund will the Insurance Department is helping help make more of the money Teresa Miller make this happen by moving to new, invested in these important programs Insurance Commissioner lower cost investment managers for available for their intended purposes, significant portions of two important protecting our environment and Commissioner Miller takes part in Department of Health’s “Don’t Wait. Vaccinate.” campaign Back to school time can be the following immunizations in under the Affordable Care Act. She expensive for parents who have order to attend school: tetanus, said this not only helps keep people to buy school supplies, clothes, diphtheria, polio, MMR (measles, healthier, it should save insurers and other essentials. But, as mumps, rubella), hepatitis B, and money in the long run. Commissioner Miller emphasized chickenpox. Children entering the “The old saying ‘An ounce of at a joint news conference with the seventh grade also need additional prevention is worth a pound of cure’, secretaries from the Departments of immunizations of meningococcal can apply to health care dollars. Health and Education, one expense conjugate vaccine (MCV) and Spending a little money to prevent that most parents don’t need to tetanus, diphtheria, acellular an illness can save a lot of money worry about is required back-to- pertussis (Tdap). later,” Commissioner Miller said. school immunizations. Commissioner Miller also For more information on As part of the Department of urged insurers to educate their immunizations, visit www. Health’s “Don’t Wait. Vaccinate.” policyholders about the free dontwaitvaccinate.pa.gov. program, Commissioner Miller preventive services now available reminded parents that required vaccinations are to be provided without cost, which means no co- pay or co-insurance even if the yearly deductible hasn’t been met, under almost all insurance plans. That’s because the vaccines are considered preventive services under the Affordable Care Act, and must be given at no cost. “Parents do need to make sure they see a primary care doctor or pediatrician who is in their health insurer’s network, though, because there can be a cost if an out-of-network provider is used,” Commissioner Miller said, speaking at a Health Department clinic in Dauphin County. “But by using an in-network provider, parents can Commissioner Miller addresses the audience at a Department of Health clinic alongside get their children these important Dr. Karen Murphy, Secretary of Health, and Pedro Rivera, Secretary of Education. shots and not pay a penny.” Vaccinations are an important part of maintaining children’s health, and required Children in grades K-12 need immunizations are available without cost-sharing under the Affordable Care Act. www.insurance.pa.gov 2 PA Insurance Insights Tracie Gray Appointed Special Assistant GO-TIME Savings Commissioner Miller recently Before this she worked for a Last year, Governor Wolf announced the appointment of Tracie decade in the Department of Human began the GO-TIME initiative Gray as Special Assistant for Health Services as a Policy Research to save money and increase Insurance Innovation to continue and Evaluation Consultant and a efficiency in government. The development and implementation of Program Specialist in the area of Insurance Department has been the Health Innovation Pennsylvania contract management and quality doing its part to reduce waste and plan. This initiative, created by assurance and handling Medicaid maximize efficiency around its Governor Wolf, brings together insurance issues in the area of third day-to-day operations. As part of the departments of Health, Human party liability, a federally-mandated this, Commissioner Miller recently Services, and Insurance to achieve cost containment program designed announced changes in investment better health, better care, and to identify the use of and recovery managers for two funds that will smarter spending. from third-party payers. save $2.7 million over five years. The Insurance Department is Ms. Gray also has experience Current fund managers already focusing on increasing price and with non-profit organizations. working with the Underground quality transparency of health “I am very pleased to have Storage Tank Indemnification insurance and health care services. someone with Tracie’s skills, Fund (USTIF) and the Workers Ms. Gray brings extensive dedication, and experience to Compensation Security Fund experience in the health insurance work on this important project, to (WCSF) will assume management field to this position. She most fulfill Gov. Wolf’s goal of improving of $95.4 million invested in these recently served in Pennsylvania’s health care for all Pennsylvanians,” funds. This change in investment CHIP program, as Chief of Quality Commissioner Miller said on making managers will result in significantly Assurance and then as Acting the appointment. lower management fees. The Executive Director. At CHIP, she Tracie holds a Bachelor of fees charged for managing these worked with the insurers that Science degree in human services investments will drop from .7791% provide high quality health insurance from Lyndon State College, and is a to .1849%, saving Pennsylvanians coverage to more than 160,000 2012 graduate of the PA Department about $560,000 annually. Pennsylvania children enrolled in the of Human Services Leadership Commissioner Miller said program. Development Institute. this move furthers Gov. Wolf’s commitment to government that works by ensuring Commonwealth funds are invested to produce the maximum return possible with the lowest cost, while making sure the funds are available to provide the services for which they are needed. The USTIF, funded by fees assessed to owners, operators, and installers of underground storage tanks, pays for corrective actions to clean up any soils or groundwater affected by spills or leaks from these tanks. The WCSF, funded by assessments on insurance companies, pays workers’ compensation claims should an insurer go into liquidation, providing a safety net for injured workers. For Special Assistant for Health Insurance Innovation Tracie Gray joined the staff at the more information on the funds, visit Pennsylvania Insurance Department in July. www.insurance.pa.gov. www.insurance.pa.gov 3 PA Insurance Insights Insurance Department proposes change to Long-Term Care Partnership policies The issue of rising long-term The proposal would reduce the they use all of their LTC insurance care insurance premiums has been required annual inflation rate on benefits. a great concern to Commissioner LTCP policies sold in Pennsylvania Commissioner Miller is pursuing Miller and consumers around the from being equal to the Consumer the goal of more flexibility in long- state. To offer consumers another Price Index (CPI) or 3 percent, term care insurance products as a option to hold down premiums, to the CPI or 1 percent. This will way of making them more affordable Commissioner Miller is proposing help ensure consumers have more for consumers in Pennsylvania and to reduce the required annual affordable LTCP options by helping nationally as current chair of the inflation protection for long-term hold down premiums, while still National Association of Insurance care partnership (LTCP) insurance providing meaningful coverage. Commissioners’ Long-Term Care policies sold in Pennsylvania. This inflation protection would Innovation Subgroup. The proposed change was continue to be in compliance with In her work with this subgroup published in the Pennsylvania federal law. and discussions with insurers and Bulletin July 30th, and the public An LTCP policy provides a insurance agents over the last comment period on the proposal consumer with the option of long- several months, she has heard closed at the end of this month. term care coverage while still being that lower inflation protections on The commissioner will consider able to preserve some of their policies are one way to contain comments received as she makes assets and have the safety net of rising premiums.

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