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HomeCommunityWageWorks Inc. selected to administer Nation’s Health Benefit Plan

WageWorks Inc. selected to administer Nation’s Health Benefit Plan

WageWorks Inc. has been selected as the Osage Nation’s new administrator for its Health Benefit Plan.

According to a letter from Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear to tribal members dated Aug. 23, WageWorks out performs HealthSmart in call response time, first call resolution, claims processing and claims reimbursement. The Health Benefit Plan has been offered to tribal members since 2008.

Information on WageWorks has been mailed to all tribal members. It is important to keep mailing addresses up to date with the offices of Constituent Services, the Election Office and the Osage News.

The Nation currently offers a $500 Health Benefit card to all tribal members, and a $1,000 Health Benefit card to all tribal members over the age of 65. Osage artist Addie Roanhorse designed the new cards, which have changed from blue to red, with a blue fan across the front. The old HealthSmart cards will deactivate on Dec. 31 at midnight.

The Fifth Osage Nation Congress approved $9.3 million to fund the Health Benefit Plan on Sept. 18. The appropriation funds the Medigap coverage (Plan F) and a new program this year, Plan D, which is a prescription drug benefit.

Tribal members’ 2018 Health Benefit accounts will be accessible Jan. 1, 2018 if they enroll online before Oct. 31. Claims processing will also begin Jan. 1.

For more information about WageWorks and upcoming deadlines, visit the Nation’s website at https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/member-services/health-benefits-information-wageworks

Online enrollment

Online enrollment for the Health Benefit Plan is currently open and closes on Oct. 31. However, tribal members can still enroll by downloading an application from the Constituent Services website or contacting Constituent Services for an application after the Oct. 31 deadline.

WageWorks is also compatible with smartphones. Tribal members can download the app EZ Receipts and file claims. To learn more visit www.wageworks.com/aboutmobile

For more information about WageWorks, visit the Nation’s website at https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/member-services/health-benefits-information-wageworks


By

Shannon Shaw Duty


Original Publish Date: 2017-10-06 00:00:00

Author

  • Shannon Shaw Duty

    Title: Editor

    Email: sshaw@osagenation-nsn.gov

    Twitter: @dutyshaw

    Topic Expertise: Columnist, Culture, Community

    Languages spoken: English, Osage (intermediate), Spanish (beginner)

    Shannon Shaw Duty, Osage from the Grayhorse District, is the editor of the award-winning Osage News, the official independent media of the Osage Nation. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s degree in Legal Studies with an emphasis in Indigenous Peoples Law. She currently sits on the LION Publishers board of directors, the Freedom of Information Committee for the Society of Professional Journalists, and she is also a member of the Pawhuska Public Schools Board of Education. She served on the Board of Directors for the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) from 2013-2016 and served as a board member and Chairwoman for the Pawhuska Johnson O’Malley Parent Committee from 2017-2020. She is a Chips Quinn Scholar, a former instructor for the Freedom Forum’s Native American Journalism Career Conference and the Freedom Forum’s American Indian Journalism Institute. She is a former reporter for The Santa Fe New Mexican. She is a 2012 recipient of the Native American 40 Under 40 from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. In 2014 she helped lead the Osage News to receive the Elias Boudinot Free Press Award. The Osage News has won Best Newspaper from the SPJ-Oklahoma Chapter in their division the past five years, 2018-2022. Her award-winning work has been published in Indian Country Today, The Washington Post, the Center for Public Integrity, NPR, the Associated Press, Tulsa World and others. She currently resides in Pawhuska, Okla., with her husband and together they share six children, two dogs and two cats.

Avatar photo
Shannon Shaw Dutyhttps://osagenews.org

Title: Editor

Email: sshaw@osagenation-nsn.gov

Twitter: @dutyshaw

Topic Expertise: Columnist, Culture, Community

Languages spoken: English, Osage (intermediate), Spanish (beginner)

Shannon Shaw Duty, Osage from the Grayhorse District, is the editor of the award-winning Osage News, the official independent media of the Osage Nation. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s degree in Legal Studies with an emphasis in Indigenous Peoples Law. She currently sits on the LION Publishers board of directors, the Freedom of Information Committee for the Society of Professional Journalists, and she is also a member of the Pawhuska Public Schools Board of Education. She served on the Board of Directors for the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) from 2013-2016 and served as a board member and Chairwoman for the Pawhuska Johnson O’Malley Parent Committee from 2017-2020. She is a Chips Quinn Scholar, a former instructor for the Freedom Forum’s Native American Journalism Career Conference and the Freedom Forum’s American Indian Journalism Institute. She is a former reporter for The Santa Fe New Mexican. She is a 2012 recipient of the Native American 40 Under 40 from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. In 2014 she helped lead the Osage News to receive the Elias Boudinot Free Press Award. The Osage News has won Best Newspaper from the SPJ-Oklahoma Chapter in their division the past five years, 2018-2022. Her award-winning work has been published in Indian Country Today, The Washington Post, the Center for Public Integrity, NPR, the Associated Press, Tulsa World and others. She currently resides in Pawhuska, Okla., with her husband and together they share six children, two dogs and two cats.
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