Sourced from Agent Communication from SureBridge on 3/14/23:

UnitedHealthcare brand replacing SureBridge on Chesapeake supplemental products

The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company will debut it’s new UnitedHealthcare brand association on March 24, 2023, starting with the release of its newest product AccidentWise. The UnitedHealthcare brand will replace the SureBridge brand on all Chesapeake products over the coming months. The new brand experience is expected to create a stronger presence in the market with a more recognizable name, allowing for better positioning of Chesapeake’s supplemental products offering.

Noticeable changes on March 24
The first step of the brand transition began last fall with the introduction of the new customer website, UHC Member Hub.

Here are other changes you will see later this month:

• The broker quote and apply tool (POS) will display the new UnitedHealthcare underwritten by The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company logo.

• A brand-transition message will appear on the quote & apply tool and on customer communications to help explain some products will show the SureBridge brand and other products the UnitedHealthcare brand until the brand transition is complete.

• Bank/credit card statements will show payment transaction being made to Chesapeake-UHC. Be sure to let your customers know this.

When will other changes happen?
Additional updates will happen over the next several months with the goal of being fully transitioned by end of September 2023.

We will keep you informed of our progress but here are some other things to expect in the coming months:

• Email addresses, websites and other contact info that features SureBridge brand will eventually be transitioned to UnitedHealthcare brand (where appropriate).
• Current products in the Chesapeake portfolio are being evaluated and prioritized for rebranding.

• As other new products are introduced with the UnitedHealthcare brand, we’ll share new marketing materials and training with you.

Acquired in 2019 by the UnitedHealthcare company, The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company is now officially welcomed into the UnitedHealthcare brand family as it makes these branding updates. Licensed agents contracted with Chesapeake can share with their clients this exciting news when presenting The Chesapeake Life Ins. Co. portfolio of supplemental and life products.

 

Coming soon, on October 14th, 2022….

Initial payment processed at time of issue, starting Oct. 14

Due to overwhelming agent demand, initial payments will be processed at the time of issue for The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company (CLICO) applications signed and submitted on October 14 and after. This will apply to all states and all CLICO products.

Why take payment at time of issue?
Processing payment at time of issue will help ensure your clients have no issues with their payment method helping to avoid delays in activating the plan on the effective date.
• Your clients can feel confident they have secured coverage with payment and will seamlessly start their plan on their effective date.
• It will allow us to pay earned commissions as soon as possible, which we know is especially important during AEP/OEP.

What if my client’s application has already been submitted?

Applications received before 8 p.m. Oct. 13 will have initial payment processed on the effective date or issue date, whichever is later.

 

What if I have clients who want initial premium taken closer to the time of their effective date?

If you are unable to help your client appreciate the benefits of applying now with initial payment taken for a future effective date, then their application will need to be submitted much closer to the desired effective date of the plan. This will allow the initial payment taken at time of issue to be nearer the plan effective date. Please be sure to communicate the payment expectation to your customers, so they are prepared for funds to be taken at time of issue (which for most products is 1-2 days after application submission).

 

Guaranteed Issue HospitalWise launching in 10 more states Oct. 14!

SureBridge is excited to announce,10 more states will soon have the SureBridge branded HospitalWise product with guaranteed issue availability!  On October 14, the guaranteed issue offerings will be available in AK, IA, ID, MT, ND, OR, SD, UT, WV, WY.  

Now your clients, especially those with Medicare Advantage or ACA Marketplace plans, can apply for supplemental hospital coverage with no underwriting*. Even better, the plan premium and agent compensation will remain unchanged. That’s right, your clients can still access our competitive rates even if they purchase the guaranteed issue version of the plan!

Quoting the new guaranteed issue option is easy.  Simply choose a base benefit and rider benefits that fall within the thresholds found in the GI column.

 

Remember, HospitalWise GI has already launched in AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NV, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, WA, WI.

 

If you’ve never considered offering HospitalWise to your clients, this guaranteed issue offering presents a great opportunity to start! View this highlight sheet to see what HospitalWise has to offer.

 

If you have any questions – reach out to Michelle Kapp with CSM. 

Producer Support closing early Friday and other SureBridge service reminders

Work is beginning on the conversion to our new policy administration system. All member portal websites will be unavailable this Friday night (8/26), through Sunday (8/28). In addition, the Customer Service call center and Producer Support will be closing early Friday (8/26) at 3:30 CT.

Expected timeline of upcoming changes:

• Aug 24 -29: System conversion for remaining in-force business on the “old” system, excluding List Bill customers (to be converted in Oct. 2022). Policy changes cannot be made until the business is fully converted to the new administration system. ChesapeakePlus.com will be unavailable for login; messages will be up to let site visitors know.

• Aug 30: Any policy changes received (and suspended) during the system conversion will be released. Billing, changes, etc. with active policies will resume.

• Sept 16: Customers will be emailed about the new customer website and how to register

 

Special Notes:

List Bill Customers
Although List Bill groups are not being moved at this time, access to ChesapeakePlus.com will not be available to this group starting Aug. 24. We expect to move these groups in mid-October. We will email you, and them, about changes and access to the new member website.

Agent Self-Service Tool, myportal.surebridgeinsurance.com
This tool will continue to be available for Agent use. You can use it to make changes on behalf of your customer – like an address change, request for duplicate ID cards, or even cancel a plan if need be. Bookmark myportal.surebridgeinsurance.com for quick access.

• Remember requests/changes cannot be made Aug. 24 – 29 until the system move is complete.

Commissions
Commission amounts may be different for a short time in September and/or October due to the collection of pro-rated premiums and billing draft date changes. Once full monthly premiums begin regular posting on new billing dates, you’ll see full regular commission payments again. Advances, if applicable, will be made based on the full commissionable premium amount.

UnitedHealthcare
SureBridge-branded products are underwritten by The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company, which is a UnitedHealthcare company. The UnitedHealthcare brand will be introduced over a period of time to Agents and customers. Its first appearance will be on the new member website coming in September. We are excited about this introduction and will be sharing more in the future on how to begin to leverage this in your conversation with customers.

 

If you have any questions/issues please contact your CSM representative!

Sourced from SureBridge communication on 5/24/22:

We recently communicated about price adjustments on the SureBridge Prime DVH product for new business and in force policies with customers receiving an increase at 6 months in some states (AK, AL, AZ, CA, CT, DC, GA, ID, IL, KS, KY, ME, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NV, OH, OK, PA, SC, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV, and WY).

Understanding some budgets may not allow for a rate increase, we are offering an option that may help. Customers who have been impacted by the 6-month rate increase and would like to lower their benefit level to make the premium more affordable, can contact Customer Service directly at 800-815-8535 or contact their agent to have the change made on their behalf.  We are allowing waiting period credits, accumulators, etc. to remain as they are at their current level with the move to a lower benefit. Those who received a 12-month rate increase notice already have the option to move to a lower benefit level.

Please note:

• This change is only allowed within the existing DVH policy and does not allow customers to move to a standalone dental or vision.
• A customer that exercises this option with their DVH policy does not trigger a new first year commission period or a commission advance.

See What’s New in the Point of Sale Tool Beginning October 22

Sourced from SureBridge’s broker announcement from 10/21/21:

 

Point of Sale (POS) Tool Impacts

Updates to the SureBridge Point of Sale tool will begin around 7 PM CST Thursday, October 21 which could cause the system to be temporarily unavailable. For Email Proposals – If the application is not started by the customer before Thursday (10/21), a new Proposal must be created.

In addition to the new SureBridge products and revised Applications, the following updates will be made to the POS Tool:

• Primary Beneficiary Designation – Now allows up to two Primary Beneficiary designations. Providing as much information as possible (Date of Birth, Address, etc.) to properly identify the Beneficiaries is important and will help expedite and ensure accurate payments to the designated Beneficiaries.

• Revised Product and Summary Information Form – Updated to include the new Product(s) and the premium amount. This form is part of the Voice Review screen and is required to be read aloud during the call recording process. Note: Applications that include SecureWise Term Life will NOT have Voice Signature as an option.

 

 

New SureBridge Products – Underwritten by The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company

• SecureWise™ Term Life (10 Year & 20 Year) – Alaska, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oregon, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming

Click here for more information regarding SecureWise.

For Idaho* – The following SureBridge products are back!

• Accident Direct

• Accident Disability Direct

• CancerWise^® Plus (Individual & Senior) 
  • Optional Rider: Invasive Cancer Recurrence Rider

• Critical Accident Direct

• HospitalWise™ (Individual & Senior)
  • No Riders available

*Product information can be found in the Supplemental Product & UW Guide and brochures located on the Broker Portal for product details. Additional product information can be found in the Training guides available in SBU Continu LMS: https://surebridge.continu.co/#/view/tracks/61095a8cf1f45e0012afa4b5

See our chart for SureBridge state product availability.