Prefix List Update, Anthem Breach, Cigna Purchases Qualcare

Prefix List Update

This weekend I’m planning to replace the existing prefix lists with a brand new list. There are still some changes that need to be made but I didn’t want to hold it up any longer. There are a few things to note about the new list:

1. The pages will be organized a little differently than the current pages. All the prefixes for a particular letter of the alphabet will be on one page. Hopefully this will make it easier to find what you need and it will make it easier for me to update.

2. There were hundreds of prefixes on the new list that are no longer assigned to a plan but were in the past. I’ve left those on the site for now. They’re labeled “unassigned” where the plan name should be. If you think leaving them on the list adds clutter let me know and I can remove them.

3. I’ve seen alot of strangeness lately with these prefixes.  There are prefixes that have been assigned to one plan but the phone system routes them somewhere else. I think there are still some changes being made for new 2015 prefixes so you will likely see alot of changes over the next couple of months.

4. I’ll continue to add prefixes as time allows. There are alot of new prefixes for Medicare Advantage plans as well as Health Exchange plans. I’ll also be updating the contact info particularly for the Health Exchange membership.

5. There are some new Anthem prefixes that are national accounts and I have no idea which plan they belong to. Those will be labeled “Anthem” or “Anthem National Accounts” until I can track down the home plan.

Anthem Breach

I’m sure everyone has heard about Anthem being hacked and exposing patient data (names, SSN, income data, etc).  They sent out an email to all of their members this morning with a link to Anthemfacts.com. Needless to say, this is pretty frightening. I’m sure we’ll hear more on this over the next few weeks.

 Cigna announced plans to buy Qualcare

http://www.nj.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2015/01/cigna_announces_plan_to_buy_nj_qualcare_manager_ca.html

Cigna isn’t known for speed when it comes to integrating their acquisitions. I doubt that anything will change as far as eligiblity verifications for quite a while.