Broker Buzz September 2025

Sentara Health Plans is moving all groups to electronic enrollment platforms by the end of 2026. 
Sentara Health Plans’ e3 web enrollment tool is a user-friendly platform that enables the employer or broker to easily and quickly manage a variety of enrollment functionalities such as:

• View group demographics
• Manage active enrollment
• Make open enrollment changes
• Add subscribers
• Perform life event updates
• Submit terminations
• View/order ID cards

A daily integration enables quick enrollment transactions.

As a broker, if you have requested e3 web enrollment access for your groups, here are a few important considerations:

• All changes and updates are managed by either the employer group or the broker.
• If you have access to a group's e3 web enrollment to manage updates and open enrollment elections, please coordinate with the employer group.
• Standard changes and updates are no longer serviced through submissions to the Sentara Health Plans enrollment department once you enable this self-service tool. However, one-on-one assistance is available for urgent needs or requests.

Please contact e3_inquiries@sentara.com with any questions you may have about the e3 web enrollment tool.

• Need assistance navigating the Broker portal, creating a quote, or managing your group’s enrollment in the e3 Web Enrollment tool? The Sentara Health Plans Sales Operations training team hosts twice-weekly live office hours, offering real-time support for brokers using Sentara Health Plans’ quoting and enrollment tools. Join one of our live working sessions, every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:30 a.m. EST. Registration isn’t required.
• We're here to support your success. Contact the Sales Operations training team at thelearninghub@sentara.com.

• Sell a plan, earn a reward. Enjoy. Repeat. Simple.
• Make a wish list and set a goal toward your favorite rewards! Broker Rewards points are earned in addition to the already-competitive commission plan. Start accruing as soon as you complete the opt-in process. There is no limit to what you can earn, and points never expire once enrolled in the rewards program. Learn More.

We’re happy to announce that Sentara Health Plans is now accepting Employee Navigator connection requests!

For groups utilizing the Employee Navigator benefit administration platform to manage their book of business, Sentara Health Plans now offers seamless and integrated enrollment through Employee Navigator connections.

• Groups can only utilize one of the electronic enrollment tools, Employee Navigator, e3 Web Enrollment, or 834.
• If a group is not renewing or cancelling their agreement, please email ensupport@sentara.com as soon as possible so that members have appropriate coverage.
• If a plan has subgroups, brokers must build out the plans in Employee Navigator. The Sentara Health Plans support team can only map to the main plan number on their end.
• If a group has a Sentara HSA plan through HealthEquity, plans must have the carrier designation set to “Unspecified.” You will need to include these plans with the file feed by enabling it through the “Sentara Health Plans Optional Benefits” configuration.
• There is no automated error reporting file that will be sent through Employee Navigator. When a group goes to testing, the support team will notify the broker via email if there is a file error, and indicate the steps needed to correct it.
• All updates and changes must be made through the Employee Navigator portal. Please do not call in or email changes, as they will not match what was in Employee Navigator and will error out the member.
• After you have built out your plans, validation and mapping of the main plan names/numbers are performed by our support team within a couple business days. Testing may take up to several days, depending on the errors and discrepancies.
• All non-Sentara HSA plans must have the carrier designation set to “Unspecified”.
• If a group is set up in Employee Navigator but not currently active, changes will not feed into Sentara Health Plans’ database for automatic updates. Any updates to member enrollment during that time must be made in Employee Navigator and sent to our enrollment department to ensure data accuracy.

Please contact ensupport@sentara.com with any questions or needs you may have about Employee Navigator.

Sentara Health Plans has partnered with Hinge Health to offer members access to personalized resources to treat and prevent joint and muscle pain. The program is free to all fully insured commercial group, BusinessEDGE^®, and Sentara Individual & Family Health Plans covered members to help reduce future musculoskeletal care issues. Self-funded groups can choose to opt-in.

For more information on Hinge Health and the services they provide, refer to our frequently asked questions.

We are pleased to share that all Kroger companies, namely Kroger and Harris Teeter, joined our Express Scripts pharmacy network, effective July 1, 2025.

Members are able to fill their prescription drugs at Kroger, Harris Teeter, or any of the affiliated Kroger pharmacies, and the cost is covered at the in-network rate. Sentara Health Plans pharmacy benefits, including the formulary, tier structure, authorization requirements, and network rates apply to prescriptions filled at Kroger except for GLP-1 prescriptions.

More information on this network update, including the GLP-1 exception and a list of Kroger’s affiliates, can be found in our frequently asked questions.

We are excited to continue to enable members to view important resources and access plan information, available at their fingertips anywhere, anytime.

As a reminder, commercial and Medicare members can easily opt-in to receive text messages and paperless delivery for certain plan documents, , and designate English/Spanish language preference via the member portal and mobile app.

Mobile feed messages: We have started sending text campaigns to opted-in members, educating them about their benefits. We’ve seen great engagement with these campaigns, hosted on a customized dynamic mobile experience called the ‘mobile feed’.

Thank you for your help in encouraging members to update their preferences and verify their text consent with us. We are excited to create new opportunities to engage more with our members via text messaging and paperless delivery of documents.

If you have questions, please reach out to your Sentara Health Plans representative.

Don’t let your clients miss out on rewards! Sentara Well-being Rewards is a voluntary incentive program designed to encourage participation in healthy behaviors to improve and maintain well-being. Eligible members can earn up to $250 annually by completing healthy activities.

Powered by our partnership with WebMD® Health Services, the Sentara Well-being Rewards program offers a flexible and inclusive solution for fully insured small group, mid-market, and large group* employers to help their workforce join in activities that lead to better health outcomes. 

Sentara Well-being Rewards is an excellent part of the total rewards package and helps members optimize their health and well-being.

The Sentara Well-being Rewards program is still available for subscribers in fully insured small group, mid-market, and large group* plans. Subscribers in fully insured plans began receiving direct communications about the program in July. 

If you have any questions, please refer to our Sentara Well-being Rewards frequently asked questions or contact your Sentara Health Plans representative.

Learn more

Mark your calendars! 

This year, the Open Enrollment Period will run from November 1 to January 30, 2026. With enhanced subsidies set to expire by the end of 2025, members are encouraged to review their health plan coverage and make necessary adjustments. 

Members who currently receive premium assistance may likely see an increase in their monthly premiums.

At Sentara Health Plans, we value our members. That is why we’re adding new plan designs with various copayment and deductible options so members can choose the plan that fits their needs, budget, and lifestyle. These plans may help offset the reduced subsidies.

Brokers, consider discussing Sentara Unique Off-Exchange Plans. Offered outside the Marketplace, these plans are ideal for those without subsidies and may even be an option for those with Marketplace Silver plans. Sentara Unique Off-Exchange Plans may carry lower premiums compared to Marketplace Silver plans, as most insurers raise Marketplace Silver premiums to compensate for the loss of federal assistance with out-of-pocket expenses when members receive medical care or fill a prescription (cost-share reductions).

The Sentara Medicare Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) alignment campaign is in full swing this month, with a mix of direct mail, digital, social, and out-of-home tactics designed to connect with prospects who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid.

Key campaign goals include aligning current unenrolled Medicaid members, winning back past D-SNP members, and driving new enrollment. Messaging emphasizes Sentara Medicare as a trusted local partner, offering members the opportunity to maximize their benefits with providers and facilities they already know.

Highlights include:

• Direct mail: "Local Partner" brochures (11k members) and personalized “Five Reasons” postcards (11k unaligned members + 43k prospects) rolling out weekly through the end of October.
• Paid digital & social media: Engaging display ads, search, and animated/static posts emphasizing coordinated benefits and better care, went live August 8.
• Out-of-home: Posters, interior bus signage, bus shelters, and digital billboards across Virginia starting August 18.
• Upcoming: Audio ads on Spotify and Pandora, plus a 30-second programmatic video.

With a consistent call-to-action—connect with a Licensed Plan Advisor or visit sentaramedicare.com/DSNP—this campaign positions Sentara Medicare as Virginia’s trusted local partner in health.