1.  Call Center Verification.  The BAS call center fields hundreds of questions each day from participating employees.  Before our call center professionals will provide information to an employee, the caller is asked to identify two pieces of personal information, such as home address (including zip code), date of birth, last 4 digits of social security number, or BAS reference or ID number.  The call center can also process self-verification; whereby the caller can enter verification information over the telephone, before access to a client service representative.  When the caller reaches client services, the caller has to verify only one piece of personal information.

2.  Keep Passwords Secure.  As discussed in previous newsletters, a unique User ID and Password is required to access MyEnroll.com.  Access to MyEnroll.com is denied after 5 unsuccessful login attempts.  BAS employees are instructed not to write down passwords and to use sufficiently complex passwords that cannot be extrapolated.

3.  Lock your Computer.  BAS’ internal computer screens automatically lock after a limited period of no access.  The automatic locking feature is a necessary part of business today.  All BAS employees are instructed to manually lock their computers if stepping away from their desks, without having to wait for the automatic lock.

4.  Shred Paper.  BAS maintains easily accessible shredders for employee use.  If documents are scanned into our secure system, employees are advised to shred papers with identifying information.

5.  Monitor Documents Left on Printer.  The BAS privacy official and her delegate visit open printers throughout the day to monitor documents.  If a document with personal information is inadvertently left on a printer, the document is confiscated and either returned to the generating employee or shredded.

BAS takes great interest in maintaining the privacy of personal information and continually implementing best practices for data security.  Companies should review their privacy best practices to make sure they are in keeping with a changing workforce.

Here’s how it works: Based on the employees’ enrollment data in MyEnroll.com, each premium-payment-due-period (usually monthly but it can be more frequent depending on each carrier’s specific requirements), MyEnroll consolidates the employees’ current and retroactive adjustments (for adds, changes and terminations, if any), benefit elections, premium, coverage date, and benefit volumes/level into one PDF. Thus, all current debits and retroactivity credits and debits flow neatly and organized on to the Self-Billing reports, in accordance with the insurance carriers’ specifications. Thereafter, MyEnroll stores a copy of the Self-Billing PDFs for historical purposes and delivers a copy to the employer’s contact responsible for paying its carriers.

The real benefit of these reports is twofold: (1) accuracy and (2) ease of preparation. With regard to accuracy, the premium and benefit calculations are all driven from a single rates and calculations table in MyEnroll, which is the same group of tables used for all premium and benefit calculations throughout MyEnroll presentation screens and reports (e.g., employee benefit statements, enrollment wizard pages, coverage reports, etc.). The single source for rates, premiums and benefit levels assures that the calculations for current premiums and retroactive debits and credits occur the same way, every time. With respect to ease of preparation, BAS’ Self-Billing reports eliminates employers having to create monthly insurance carrier transmittal reports and to maintain spreadsheets with all of the current month’s and retro periods’ adjustments.  Within seconds MyEnroll generates these Self-Billing reports on schedule and without fail. In short, MyEnroll does all the work and the employer only needs to open the email delivering the Self-Billing reports, double-check their accuracy and pay them to the carriers.

BAS’ Self-Billing reporting services are priced inexpensively at $0.30 per employee per month, which includes the record keeping, PDF generation and emailing, and PDF archiving. To learn more about BAS’ time saving Self-Billing service, contact BAS at 1.800.945.5513 Menu Option #3 (Sales), your BAS account manager, or email us at Sales@BASusa.com.

2.     COBRA Participants Payment Detail – Detailed break-out of how the participants’ payments were applied by coverage.

3.     COBRA Participation Activity Summary – Current status of all COBRA participants.

4.     Remittance Check – Image of the Remittance check that was mailed.

These reports are also available on MyEnroll.com 24×7 through the COBRA Administration module.

Users of MyEnroll.com must be vigilant about online security.  The MyEnroll user ID and password is designed to protect users by confirming their identities when accessing MyEnroll.com.

Passwords should be kept confidential and not shared with others, even other administrators in the same organization.  New administrators can always be set up in MyEnroll.com by clicking on the Request User ID and/or Password link located on the MyEnroll.com home page.  Follow the easy instructions for Adding a New Administrator.  The Administrator Account Access Request Form obtained through MyEnroll.com should be printed, completed, and returned to BAS for processing.

Please follow these helpful tips for keeping user IDs and passwords secure:

• Do not write down your password or post it near your computer.
• Change your password on a regular basis.
• If you suspect that someone has had access to your password, change it.
• Do tell anyone your password.
• Use different passwords for different secure access.
• Do not choose a password that can be easily guessed (such as your first or last name, or a string of numbers).

Passwords to access MyEnroll.com must be between 8 and 14 characters long, with both upper and lowercase letters and symbols.  To change your password, log on to MyEnroll.com and Click on the Manage Your Access link located in the Menu options under the Tools section.

ACH authorization can be set up from the www.MyEnroll.com login page.  To set up ACH Authorization, go to www.MyEnroll.com and click on Flex Spending Accounts, then select Setup FSA Direct Deposit.  On the Employee Home Page, select  “ACH Authorization” under the Benefit Plans menu on the left hand side of the page.  Select the tab “Set up ACH” and following the step-by-step instructions for authorizing banking information.  Employees can also print a blank ACH authorization document, and mail or fax the completed form to BAS along with a copy of a cancelled check.

An authorization is a detailed document that gives covered entities (health plans, health care providers and health care clearinghouses) permission to use protected health information for certain specified purposes other than treatment, payment and health care operations, or to disclose protected health information to a third party specified by the individual.

An authorization must include several specific elements, including a description of the PHI to be used or disclosed, the person authorized to make the use or disclosure, the person to whom the disclosure may be made, an expiration date, and the purpose for the disclosure.  A valid authorization may authorize disclosures to a particular entity, person or class of persons.

HIPAA gives individuals the right to revoke an authorization at any time.  The revocation must be in writing and will not be considered effective until it is received.  It will not be effective for any actions taken in reliance on the authorization before it was revoked.

BAS requires that an employee complete a written authorization before BAS will correspond with anyone other than the employee about his or her benefits.  BAS has a format authorization form for this purpose which can be accessed through the MyEnroll home page or in the “Forms” Section of the BAS website at www. BASusa.com.

When an individual’s email address is entered for the first time in MyEnroll.com through the New Hire Wizard or when edited in an existing profile, a validation process is initiated.  This process begins with an automated benefits enrollment notice sent by MyEnroll Services to the newly entered email address.  The email notifies the recipient that the email address has been updated and requires the recipient to verify the email.  By clicking on the secure, private email verification screen contained in the message, the recipient can complete the verification process.  

Once in the Secure, Private Email Verification Screen, the owner of the email address will be required to complete several fields of information: (Last Name, Last four digits of their Social Security Number, Home Zip Code, Date of Birth and the Authentication Code contained in the message). In addition, they will be required to type text from an image provided. The personal information entered will be compared against the personal data stored in their benefits demographic profile.  If the verification has been successfully completed, a message be displayed indicating that their email is now part of their record and no further action will be required.

However, if any of the requested information that has been entered is not an exact match to the data stored in their personal profile within the MyEnroll.com, a message will be displayed. The message will indicate that the verification was not successful advising them to check the data entry items and to retry. If after several unsuccessful attempts, the owner should contact BAS for resolution using the 800 number provided in the Notice email.

Many employers have a format set of documents, including benefits information and enrollment  materials, that they give to employees at the time of hire.  BAS can assist employers with the distribution of these materials.  BAS’s tried and tested postal service distribution process provides employers a method to mail a benefits package to employee’s home, while maintaining a reviewable record of the mailing.  BAS’ efficient mailing process assists employers by making sure new employees timely receive benefits information allowing them to enroll during the new hire enrollment period.

The new hire process involves the following:

1)     Employer provides BAS with standard new hire distribution materials.
2)     Employer notifies BAS of a newly hired employee through MyEnroll.com.
3)     BAS mails the newly hired employee a new-hire package by first class USPS mail.  The package includes

• Customized User ID letter in an envelope that displays the employer logo and return address.
• Customized Password letter in an envelope that displays the employer logo and return address.
• Additional benefits information for enrollment.

New hire packages can be generated and mailed daily, weekly, or monthly, at the employer’s request, following the plan’s specific waiting period and rules for eligibility.   BAS can also send an email notification to the document email list identifying mailing so employers are informed when a package is sent.

In addition, a New Employee Benefits Message can be sent by email to newly hired employees.  The email can be sent immediately after a newly hired employee is loaded/added in MyEnroll with a weekly/bi-weekly payroll file sent by the employer’s payroll department or by a manual entry from the HR department.  Follow up reminder emails can also be sent if the newly hired employee fails to enroll for benefits during the new hire enrollment period.

BAS’s streamlined new hire process can alleviate time and pressure for employers’ HR Departments, while creating a reviewable, online documentation of new hire benefits mailings.