Update on Child only coverage from Blue Shield (Only Blue Shield)

blueshieldca.com
An Independent Member of the Blue Shield Association
Blue Shield of California
50 Beale Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
December 23, 2010

The coming months bring several changes for you and your clients, and we want to keep
you informed of details on child-only coverage and updates to our Individual and Family
HIPAA GI plans.
Update on coverage for applicants under the age of 19
As you may know, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and California law (AB 2244) require
that carriers who sell plans in the individual market must provide guaranteed coverage
for any enrollee under the age of 19 years old. Here is an update on specific enrollment
periods for these enrollees.
An Initial Open Enrollment period from January 1, 2011, through March 1, 2011, has been
established for enrollees under the age of 19 years old.
As described in AB 2244, complete applications for enrollees under 19 years of age
received between the 1st and 15th of the month will receive an effective date on the first
day of the following month. Complete applications received between the 16th and last
day of a month will receive an effective date on the first day of the second month
following the application receipt date.
Note: Blue Shield will begin accepting individual applications for enrollees under the age
of 19 years old for guaranteed issue coverage on January 1, 2011.
On or after January 1, 2011, you or your clients will find information about the Child-only
plans available and download and print the new application for Child-Only Policies at
blueshieldca.com/bsc/findaplan/ifp/look/kids.jhtml. Electronic applications for these
Child-only plans will be available at a later date in 2011.
HIPAA GI Plans
Effective February 1, 2011, we are making rate adjustments to Blue Shield’s IFP HIPAA
guaranteed-issue (GI) PPO Plans*. The rate changes impact the following open plans:
Shield SavingsSM 4000/8000**, Shield Spectrum PPO** 5000 and 5500.
In addition, the following closed plans will also receive a rate adjustment: Shield
Spectrum PPOSM 1500 and 2000; and Blue Shield Life’s Shield Spectrum PPO 1500 and
2000. Please note that the rate increase does not affect the GI HMO plans, which are
Access+ Value HMOSM and Access+ HMO®.
You can find updated GI plan rate charts at blueshieldca.com/producer. To download
them:
• Log in and choose Plans & Rates: Individuals & Families
• Click on Products, then select Health
• Choose Guaranteed Issue Plans Monthly Rates
We will notify your GI clients of this rate change by mail beginning December 29, 2010.

Individual, Small Group, and Government Business
* These plans do not apply to applicants under the age of 19.
** Underwritten by Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company
(Blue Shield Life).