Effective immediately, for the affected members, UniCare is:

• Suspending requirements for prior authorization and pre-certification.
  
• Suspending requirements for authorization or referral from a primary care physician.
  
• Allowing the affected members to see any physician necessary to provide access to care.
  
• Paying all claims as in-network, regardless of whether or not the health care provider is in network.
  
• Suspending early refill limits and shipping prescriptions to members at alternative addresses.
  
• Waiving co-payments for prescriptions.
  
• Suspending utilization management (UM) review of in-hospital cases.

UnumProvident has set up a special team to address any questions and concerns customers and business partners in the federally declared disaster areas may have.

Call them toll-free at (888) 655-6750.

• If you are receiving benefits and need your checks sent to an alternate address, UnumProvident can have your check rerouted or automatically deposited in your bank account.
  
• If you need to submit a new claim, their service representatives can help you fill out the appropriate forms.
  
• If you are a plan administrator or individual policyholder and are concerned about keeping your coverage inforce, no policies will be terminated in the impacted areas over the next 60 days. This is an interim step and may be extended as this developing situation warrants.

Providing a 24-hour crisis toll-free hotline (866-615-8700) for anyone in the Gulf Coast region affected by Hurricane Katrina, regardless of their health insurance provider, to help them cope with health, emotional, financial and legal concerns. For United members affected by Hurricane Katrina, UnitedHealthGroup is pooling emergency resources and funds to address insurance premium concerns for affected employers and their employees; deferring payment options to customers and individuals; treating all area hospitals as participating network hospitals under existing emergency benefit provisions; and assisting in the replacement of lost or destroyed prescriptions.
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Trustmark is taking steps with respect to policyholders in counties and parishes declared disaster areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a result of devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Read more...

A number of subsidiaries and operating divisions of Trustmark Mutual Holding Company (Trustmark) operate in the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. So policyholders recognize the names, those subsidiaries include Trustmark Insurance, Trustmark Life, Starmark, Trustmark Group Insurance, Trustmark Affinity Markets and Trustmark Voluntary Benefit Solutions.

The Principal Financial Group announces Principal Life Insurance Company will extend an additional grace period on insurance premium payments due from policyholders in the proclaimed disaster areas and will work closely with all members who need additional assistance during this time. By calling 800-986-3343, individuals are connected to specialists who can answer questions and help alleviate member concerns. The number may be used to report address changes. Further information is also available on www.principal.com.

For Medical Coverage:

• For those customers directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina the requirement to call for preauthorization or pre-certification of medical services will be temporarily waived to provide needed access to medically necessary healthcare.
  
• Through the company's nationwide provider network, medical customers can access in-network providers in other states.

• For requests related to Life or Disability claims that have already been submitted to our company, please contact the number listed above
  
• For customers impacted by Hurricane Katrina who need to submit a new claim for Life or Disability, please contact 800-245-1522, or fax your claim form to 800-255-6609

PacifiCare will implement grace periods and flexible payment terms for Individual and Small Group customers who have temporarily lost their livelihood as a result of the storm. It has installed a crisis hotline (800-382-8184) through PacifiCare's Behavioral Health subsidiary to provide telephone counseling, as well as consulting on legal, financial and other support services. PacifiCare also will continue our military leave policy to provide continuation of full salary and benefits for those PacifiCare employees who have been activated to serve in the National Guard's relief activities.

National Teachers Associates Life Insurance Company (NTA Life) announced on September 8, 2005 that its program for helping policyholders who were victims of Hurricane Katrina will surpass the recommendations from the various state departments of insurance. Most importantly, no policies will be allowed to lapse due to nonpayment of premiums for a period of at least 90 days for its policyholders in those counties and parishes proclaimed disaster areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) due to Hurricane Katrina.

In addition to the 90-day grace period, NTA Life committed to the Louisiana Department of Insurance earlier this week that it would seek to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina by:

• Establishing a special toll-free customer service telephone number: 1-800-660-6822.
  
• Extending the time period for filing claims.
  
• Easing the normal requirements for obtaining medical records to support claims for its policyholders in counties and parishes proclaimed disaster areas if medical records cannot be obtained.
  
• Educating its employees on the special assistance which may be required during the recovery and rebuilding period.

Special hotlines have been established to assist customers with hurricane-related issues. They are 1-800-719-9887 or (402) 351-1424.

Summary of actions currently being taken in response to Hurricane Katrina:

• Grace periods for individual customers and premium submission dates for group customers have been extended, and no policy will be cancelled for non-payment of premium before Jan. 1, 2006.
  
• A special web page with information for customers impacted by Katrina has been posted. Please click here to view this page.
  
• Individuals covered under Mutual of Omaha PPO policies are encouraged to seek medical care as necessary and where most conveniently provided. All services will be treated as in-network care until Nov. 1.
  
• Medical precertification penalties have been waived until Nov. 1 for customers within FEMA designated disaster areas.
  
• Mutual of Omaha customers who have lost their medications are eligible for early refill of the prescriptions.
  
• Customers may contact our pharmacy benefits manager, Express Scripts Inc., toll free at 1-866-781-7533 for assistance with local pharmacy and mail order prescriptions. This phone service is available 24/7.
  
• Mutual of Omaha will cooperate with health care providers to ensure that those covered under the company’s health plans receive all necessary care. This includes working with providers to establish coverage eligibility as well as researching medical histories and prescription drug needs.
  
• Mutual's basic Employee Assistance Program services are being made available to all customers.
  
• Mutual is conducting a special fund-raising drive among employees and agents, with funds to go to the American Red Cross for Katrina relief. The company will match, dollar-for-dollar, all donations.

To guide you in finding a provider for necessary medical care, affected Humana members can call 1-866-427-7478 to reach one of Humana's customer service associates, or use their Physician Finder Plus at www.humana.com. If your prescription medication was lost or damaged, you can get necessary refills at the nearest pharmacy. If possible, you should continue to use the pharmacy or pharmacy chain you have used in the past. If your normal pharmacy or pharmacy chain is not available near you, we encourage you to use Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite-Aid or Walgreens if such stores are operating in your area.

For more information, please visit here.
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Genworth Financial family of companies is providing LTC policyholders resident in the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and all counties in the Florida panhandle until November 25, 2005 to pay their premiums that may become due on or before that date. Additionally, policies that would otherwise have lapsed on or after June 1, 2005, will also have an extension of time to pay past-due premiums and simply place their policies back in force up through that date. They will provide special handling through Customer service number 800-456-7766 for policyholders.

For its non-LTC employer group policyholders, Genworth is extending grace period by 60 days for all employers in impacted region and will re-evaluate at the end of the 60 days.

Genworth's Housing Program

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Coventry will be taking the steps listed below, with respect to its members in the following parishes: Assumption; Jefferson; Lafourche; Orleans; Plaquemines; St. Bernard; St. Charles; St. James; St. John; St. Mary; St. Tammany; Tangipahoa; Terrebonne; and Washington.

• All medically necessary services accessed by our members through "out of network" providers will be treated as "in-network services" until further notice.
  
• All notification requirements (48 hours) with respect to emergency room services will be relaxed until further notice. Members and providers are encouraged to provide notification as soon as practicable.
  
• Pre-certification requirements for providers will be relaxed until further notice.
  
• Pharmacy "edits" (quantity limits, step therapy, restrictions on early prescription refills, pre-authorization requirements) have been suspended until further notice. Existing protections will remain in place for controlled substances.

Many people who are insured by CIGNA have been displaced and will be seeking care out of their network areas. In order for members to more easily access medical care and services, CIGNA has temporarily modified certain standard claim approval requirements¾ including requirements for precertification, referrals, medical necessity determinations and hospital admission procedures.

Members from the affected disaster areas who cannot access CIGNA participating physicians, hospitals or other providers for the dates of service from August 27, 2005 to September 30, 2005 will be able to seek care as needed, for which in-network benefits will apply. If members are unable to see their primary care physician, they should seek care as needed from any available medical professional. Members should seek the care they need. If they cannot access an in-network provider, they should seek care from any available health care professional. Coverage will be provided at the in-network benefit level.

CIGNA HealthCare announced that the grace period for receipt of premium payment by our affected customers has been extended an additional 30 days, to a total of 61 days, to help offset business challenges caused by the disaster.
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These revisions apply to members who were living in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi at the time of Hurricane Katrina. Effective immediately for these members, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin and Blue Cross of California are:

• Suspending requirements for prior authorization and pre-certification.
  
• Suspending requirements for authorization or referral from a primary care physician.
  
• Allowing the affected members to see any physician necessary to provide access to care.
  
• Paying all claims as in-network, regardless of whether or not the health care provider is in network.
  
• Suspending early refill limits and shipping prescriptions to members at alternative addresses.
  
• Waiving co-payments for prescriptions.
• If members do not have their membership card, they should call (866) 800-8776

Beginning August 29 and until further notice, prior authorization will not be required for covered members in certain parishes. Providing a one-month grace period on premiums due to small business and individual customers located in certain parishes. Any prior authorizations usually required will be waived for covered services by any provider of medical services for any Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and HMO Louisiana member served on August 29th and 30th.
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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama customers who are unable to receive payments in the form of a mailed check from us due to circumstances caused by Hurricane Katrina, please call: 1 888 234-8297. Providers who are unable to receive payments from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama due to circumstances caused by Hurricane Katrina should call: 1 877 889-8965.

Assurant Employee Benefits is assisting hurricane-stricken areas by immediately relaxed certain administrative requirements. For those counties in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi most impacted by Hurricane Katrina, they are temporarily modifying certain administrative and claims procedures. A hurricane assistance line has been established as a single point of contact for all of their customers. The toll-free phone number is 866.800.2110. For their customers in impacted areas, they have established the following procedures to help ensure access to services and benefits.

• Bills will continue to be generated and mailed. There will be a 90-day grace period for premiums in effect for those businesses and individuals in the FEMA declared disaster areas until further notice.
  
• Flexible payment options are available upon request.
  
• A dedicated team of dental specialists is ready to assist their dental members and providers to accommodate and provide flexible solutions specific to their needs. For members who have been relocated due to the hurricane, we will assist in locating alternative providers nearby. Please call the toll-free hotline number and select the dental claims option.
  
• A dedicated team of disability specialists is ready to assist individuals needing to file a disability or life claim. Both current and new claimants should contact us through the dedicated hotline number, selecting either the life claims or disability claims option.

The following revisions apply to members who were living in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi at the time of Hurricane Katrina.

Effective immediately for these members, Anthem is:

• Suspending requirements for prior authorization and pre-certification.
  
• Suspending requirements for authorization or referral from a primary care physician.
  
• Allowing the affected members to see any physician necessary to provide access to care.
  
• Paying all claims as in-network, regardless of whether or not the health care provider is in network.
  
• Suspending early refill limits and shipping prescriptions to members at alternative addresses.
  
• Waiving co-payments for prescriptions.
  
• Suspending utilization management (UM) review of in-hospital cases.

Gives a 90-day grace period for premium payments due from its policyholders in counties and parishes proclaimed disaster areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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Permits members who cannot go to participating providers to seek care out of network. Aetna members seeking medical care or with questions about coverage, can call the Aetna phone number on your member ID card or 1-800-443-AETNA (1-800-443-2386). Aetna is waiving requirements for medical pre-certification, referrals, medical necessity reviews and notification of hospital admissions. Aetna is permitting members in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida to refill prescriptions even if they are not due to be filled for 30 days. For members who receive prescriptions from Aetna Rx Home Delivery, Aetna will replace any lost or damaged prescriptions.
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