2023 Aviso sobre la transparencia

A) Out-of-network liability and balance billing

If you receive services from a provider that is out-of-network, you may have to pay more for services you receive. Non-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay, and the full amount charged for a service. This is known as balance billing. This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual maximum out-of-pocket limit.

When receiving care at a WellCare network facility, it is possible that some hospital-based providers (for example, assistant surgeons, hospitalists, and intensivists) may not be under contract with WellCare as network providers. We encourage you to inquire about the providers who will be treating you before you begin your treatment, so that you can understand their network participation status with us.

As a member of WellCare, non-network providers should not bill you for covered services for any amount greater than your applicable in-network cost sharing responsibilities when:

You receive a covered emergency service or air ambulance service from a non-network provider. This includes services you may get after you are in stable condition unless the non-network provider obtains your written consent.
You receive non-emergency ancillary services (emergency medicine, anesthesiology, pathology, radiology, and neonatology, as well as diagnostic services (including radiology and laboratory services)) from a non-network provider at a network hospital or network ambulatory surgical facility.
You receive other non-emergency services from a non-network provider at a network hospital or network ambulatory surgical facility unless the non-network provider obtains your written consent.

Please refer to your schedule of benefits for an overview of your costs for out-of-network services.

B) Enrollee Claim Submission

Providers will typically submit claims on your behalf, but sometimes you may need to submit claims yourself for covered services. This usually happens if:

Your physician is not contracted with us
You have an out-of-area emergency.

If you have paid for services we agreed to cover, you can request reimbursement for the amount you paid. We can adjust your deductible, copayment, or cost sharing to reimburse you.

To request reimbursement for a covered service, you need a copy of the detailed claim from your physician. You will also need to submit a copy of the member reimbursement claim form (PDF) posted at marketplace.wellcarenc.com under “Member Resources”. Send all the documentation to us at the following address:

WellCare of North Carolina
Attn: Claims Department – Member Reimbursement
P.O. Box 5010
Farmington, MO 63640-5010

We must receive written proof of loss within 180 days of the loss or as soon as is reasonably possible. Proof of loss furnished more than one year late will not be accepted, unless you or your covered dependent member had no legal capacity to submit such proof during that year.

After getting your claim, we will let you know we have received it, begin an investigation and request all items necessary to resolve the claim. We will do this in 30 days or less.

We will notify you, in writing, that we have either accepted or rejected your claim for processing within 30 business days as well. If we are unable to come to a decision about your claim within 30 business days, we will let you know and explain why we need additional time.

We will accept or reject your claim no later than 30 days after we receive it. If we reject your claim, the notice will state the reason why. If we agree to pay all or part of your claim, we will pay it no later than the 29 business days after the notice has been made.

C) Grace Periods and Claims Pending

If you don’t pay your premium by its due date, you’ll enter a grace period. This is the extra time we give you to pay (we understand that stuff happens sometimes).

During your grace period, you will still have coverage. However, if you don’t pay before a grace period ends, you run the risk of losing your coverage. During a grace period, we may hold — or pend — your claim payment.

If your coverage is terminated for not paying your premium, you won’t be eligible to enroll with us again until Open Enrollment or a Special Enrollment period. So make sure you pay your bills on time!

If you receive a subsidy payment

After the first premium is paid, a grace period of 3 months from the premium due date is given for the payment of premium. Coverage will remain in force during the grace period. If full payment of premium is not received within the grace period, coverage will be terminated as of the last day of the first month during the grace period if advance premium tax credits are received.

We will continue to pay all appropriate claims for covered services rendered to the member during the first month of the grace period and may pend claims for covered services rendered to the member in the second and third month of the grace period. We will notify HHS of the non-payment of premiums, the member, as well as providers of the possibility of denied claims when the member is in the second and third month of the grace period. We will continue to collect advance premium tax credits on behalf of the member from the Department of the Treasury and will return the advance premium tax credits on behalf of the member for the second and third month of the grace period if the member exhausts their grace period as described above. A member is not eligible to re-enroll once terminated, unless a member has a special enrollment circumstance, such as a marriage or birth in the family or during annual open enrollment periods.

If you don’t receive a subsidy payment

Premium payments are due in advance, on a calendar month basis. Monthly payments are due on or before the first day of each month for coverage effective during such month. There is a 60-day grace period. This provision means that if any required premium is not paid on or before the date it is due, it may be paid during the grace period. During the grace period, the policy will stay in force; however, claims may pend for covered services rendered to the member during the grace period. We will notify HHS, as necessary, of the non-payment of premiums, the member, as well as providers of the possibility of denied claims when the member is in the grace period.

D) Retroactive Denials

"Retroactive denial of a previously paid claim" or "retroactive denial of payment" means any attempt by a carrier retroactively to collect payments already made to a provider with respect to a claim by reducing other payments currently owed to the provider, by withholding or setting off against future payments, or in any other manner reducing or affecting the future claim payments to the provider.

There are instances where claims may be denied retroactively if you: receive services from a provider or facility that is not in our network, terminate coverage with WellCare, provide late notification of other coverage due to new coverage, or have a change in circumstance, such as divorce or marriage. This causes WellCare to request recoupment of payment from the Provider.

If you believe the denial is in error, you are encouraged to contact Member Services Department by calling the number on your ID card.

You can avoid retroactive denials by paying your premiums on time and in full, and making sure you talk to your provider about whether the service performed is a covered benefit. You can also avoid retroactive denials by obtaining your medical services from an in-network provider.

E) Recoupment of Overpayments

Members may call in to request a refund of overpaid premium. Refunds are processed by two methods, electronically or by a manual check. The type of refund that is issued is dependent on the method of payment. Payments made with a debit/credit card via eCashiering, IVR, auto pay, member portal as well as credit card payments sent to our lockbox vendor will be refunded via eCashering. Payments made via eCheck will also be refunded electronically. Payments made by check to our lockbox vendor and payments that were processed in-house at our Little Rock location must be refunded manually via live check.

F) Medical Necessity and Prior Authorization

Services are only covered if they are medically necessary. Medically necessary means those covered services, items, or supplies that are:

Provided for the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or relief of a health condition, illness, injury, or disease; and except as allowed for clinical trials under G.S. 58-3-255, not for experimental, investigational, or cosmetic purposes;
Necessary for and appropriate to the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or relief of a health condition, illness, injury, disease, or its symptoms;
Within generally accepted standards of medical care in the community; and
Not solely for the convenience of the member, the member’s family, or the provider.

Charges incurred for treatment not medically necessary are not eligible service expenses.

Prior Authorization Required

Some covered service expenses (medical and behavioral health) require prior authorization, as more fully detailed in the Schedule of Benefits. In general, for services that require prior authorization, network providers must obtain authorization from us prior to providing a service or supply to a member. However, there are some network eligible expenses for which you must obtain the prior authorization.

For services, items, or supplies that require prior authorization, as shown on the Schedule of Benefits, you must obtain authorization from us before you or your dependent member:

Receive a service or supply from a non-network provider; are admitted into a network facility by a non-network provider; or
Receive a service or supply from a network provider to which you or your dependent member were referred to by a non-network provider.

The following services or supplies require prior authorization:

Non-Emergency Health Care Services provided by Non-Network Providers;
Reconstructive procedures;
Diagnostic tests such as specialized labs, procedures and high technology imaging;
Injectable drugs and medications;
Inpatient health care services;
Specific surgical procedures;
Nutritional supplements;
Pain management services; and
Transplant services.

Prior Authorization requests can be submitted by telephone, eFax, or provider web portal. Although not required, submitting requests within the recommended timeframes below will allow for timely review of prior authorization requests:

At least 5 days prior to an elective admission as an inpatient in a hospital, extended care or rehabilitation facility, hospice facility, or residential treatment facility.
At least 30 days prior to the initial evaluation for organ transplant services.
At least 30 days prior to receiving clinical trial services.
Within 24 hours of any inpatient admission, including emergent inpatient admissions.
At least five days prior to the start of home health care, except those members needing home health care after hospital discharge.

After prior authorization has been requested and all necessary information, including the results of any face-to-face clinical evaluation or second opinion that may be required has been submitted, we will notify you and your provider if the request has been approved as follows:

For urgent concurrent review within 24 hours (1 calendar day) of receipt of the request.
For urgent pre-service reviews, within 72 hours (3 calendar days) from date of receipt of request.
For non-urgent pre-service reviews within three business days of receipt of all necessary clinical information.
For post-service or retrospective reviews, within 30 calendar days of receipt of the request.
Except in cases of fraud or material misrepresentation, we will be bound by our initial approval of medically necessary services or supplies

Except for medical emergencies, prior authorization must be obtained before services are rendered or expenses are incurred.

Failure to Obtain Prior Authorization

Failure to comply with the prior authorization requirements will result in benefits being reduced. Please see the contract Schedule of Benefits for specific details.

Network providers cannot bill you for services for which they fail to obtain prior authorization as required. In cases of emergency, benefits will not be reduced for failure to comply with prior authorization requirements. However, you must contact us as soon as reasonably possible after the emergency occurs.

G) Drug Exceptions Timeframes and Enrollee Responsibilities

Prescription Drug Exception Process

Sometimes members need access to drugs that are not listed on the formulary. Members or provider can submit a drug exception request to us by contacting Member Services at 1-833-863-1310 (Relay 711) or by sending a written request to the following address:

WellCare from North Carolina
Attn: Claims Department
P.O. Box 5010
Farmington, MO 63640-5010

Standard exception request

A member, a member’s authorized representative or a member’s prescribing physician may request a standard review of a decision that a drug is not covered by the plan or a protocol exception for step therapy. The request can be made in writing or via telephone. Within 72 hours of the request being received, we will provide the member, the member’s authorized representative or the member’s prescribing physician with our coverage determination. Should the standard exception request or step therapy protocol exception request be granted, we will provide coverage of the non-formulary drug for the duration of the prescription, including refills, or of the drug that is the subject of the protocol exception.

Expedited exception request

A member, a member’s authorized representative or a member’s prescribing physician may request an expedited review based on exigent circumstances. Exigent circumstances exist when a member is suffering from a health condition that may seriously jeopardize the enrollee's life, health, or ability to regain maximum function or when an enrollee is undergoing a current course of treatment using a non-formulary drug. Within 24 hours of the request being received, we will provide the member, the member’s authorized representative or the member’s prescribing physician with our coverage determination. Should the standard exception or step therapy protocol exception request be granted, we will provide coverage of the non-formulary drug or the drug that is the subject of the protocol exception for the duration of the exigency.

External exception request review

If we deny a request for a standard exception or for an expedited exception, the member, the member’s authorized representative or the member’s prescribing physician may request that the original exception request and subsequent denial of such request be reviewed by an external review organization. We will make our determination on the external exception request and notify the member, the member’s authorized representative or the member’s prescribing physician of our coverage determination no later than 72 hours following receipt of the request, if the original request was a standard exception, and no later than 24 hours following its receipt of the request, if the original request was an expedited exception.

If we grant an external exception review of a standard exception or step therapy protocol exception request, we will provide coverage of the non-formulary drug or the drug that is the subject of the protocol exception for the duration of the prescription. If we grant an external exception review of an expedited exception request, we will provide coverage of the non-formulary drug or the drug that is the subject of the protocol exception for the duration of the exigency.

H) Information on Explanations of Benefits

An Explanation of Benefits (EOB) is a statement that we send to members to explain what medical treatments and/or services we paid for on behalf of a member. This shows the amount billed by the provider, the issuer’s payment, and the enrollee’s financial responsibility pursuant to the terms of the policy. We will send an EOB to a member after we receive and adjudicate a claim on your behalf from a provider. If you need assistance interpreting your Explanation of Benefits, please contact Member Services at 1-855-650-3789 (TDD/TTY Relay 711).