The new federal health care reform law requires certain notices to be provided to employees for specific provisions. We are providing three model notices below – dependent coverage, grandfathering and lifetime/annual limits. Please note that the employer will be required to give the notice to employees of the dependent coverage enrollment opportunity and grandfathered status (if applicable) during annual enrollment.
The Patient Protections notice (not listed below) was included in our Member Certificate as of October 1st so this notice has already been handled by us. If you have any questions, please let your Account Manager know.
Dependent Coverage Enrollment
Notice of Opportunity to Enroll
The interim final regulations extending dependent coverage to age 26 provide transitional relief for a child whose coverage ended, or who was denied coverage (or was not eligible for coverage) under a group health plan or health insurance coverage because, under the terms of the plan or coverage, the availability of dependent coverage of children ended before the attainment of age 26. The regulations require a plan or issuer to give such a child an opportunity to enroll that continues for at least 30 days (including written notice of the opportunity to enroll), regardless of whether the plan or coverage offers an open enrollment period and regardless of when any open enrollment period might otherwise occur. This enrollment opportunity (including the written notice) must be provided not later than the first day of the first plan year beginning on or after September 23, 2010. The notice may be included with other enrollment materials that a plan distributes, provided the statement is prominent. Enrollment must be effective as of the first day of the first plan year beginning on or after September 23, 2010.
The following model language can be used to satisfy the notice requirement:
Individuals whose coverage ended, or who were denied coverage (or were not eligible for coverage), because the availability of dependent coverage of children ended before attainment of age 26 are eligible to enroll in [Insert name of group health plan or health insurance coverage]. Individuals may request enrollment for such children for 30 days from the date of notice. Enrollment will be effective retroactively to [insert date that is the first day of the first plan year beginning on or after September 23, 2010.] For more information contact the [insert plan administrator or issuer] at [insert contact information].
Template for Your Use
Lifetime Limits
Lifetime Limit No Longer Applies and Enrollment Opportunity
Plans and issuers are required to give written notice that the lifetime limit on the dollar value of all benefits no longer applies and that an individual, if covered, is once again eligible for benefits under the plan. Additionally, if the individual is not enrolled in the plan or health insurance coverage, or if an enrolled individual is eligible for but not enrolled in any benefit package under the plan or health insurance coverage, then the plan or issuer must also give such an individual an opportunity to enroll that continues for at least 30 days (including written notice of the opportunity to enroll). The notices and enrollment opportunity must be provided beginning not later than the first day of the first plan year beginning on or after September 23, 2010. For individuals who enroll under this opportunity, coverage must take effect not later than the first day of the first plan year beginning on or after September 23, 2010.
These notices may be provided to an employee on behalf of the employee’s dependent. In addition, the notices may be included with other enrollment materials that a plan distributes to employees, provided the statement is prominent. For either notice, if a notice satisfying the requirements is provided to an individual, the obligation to provide the notice with respect to that individual is satisfied for both the plan and the issuer.
Special Notice
Dean Health Plan has reviewed our records and we do not show any members hitting lifetime or annual maximums that would have resulted in a disenrollment from coverage. We do not believe any notices will be required. Contact your Account Manager if you have any questions.
The following model language can be used to satisfy the notice requirement:
The lifetime limit on the dollar value of benefits under [Insert name of group health plan or health insurance issuer] no longer applies. Individuals whose coverage ended by reason of reaching a lifetime limit under the plan are eligible to enroll in the plan. Individuals have 30 days from the date of this notice to request enrollment. For more information contact the [insert plan administrator or issuer] at [insert contact information].
Template for Your Use
Grandfathered Health Plans
To maintain status as a grandfathered health plan, a plan or health insurance coverage must include a statement, in any plan materials provided to a participant or beneficiary describing the benefits provided under the plan or health insurance coverage, that the plan or coverage believes it is a grandfathered health plan within the meaning of section 1251 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and must provide contact information for questions and complaints.
The following model language can be used to satisfy this disclosure requirement:
This [group health plan or health insurance issuer] believes this [plan or coverage] is a “grandfathered health plan” under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the Affordable Care Act). As permitted by the Affordable Care Act, a grandfathered health plan can preserve certain basic health coverage that was already in effect when that law was enacted. Being a grandfathered health plan means that your [plan or policy] may not include certain consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act that apply to other plans, for example, the requirement for the provision of preventive health services without any cost sharing. However, grandfathered health plans must comply with certain other consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act, for example, the elimination of lifetime limits on benefits.
Questions regarding which protections apply and which protections do not apply to a grandfathered health plan and what might cause a plan to change from grandfathered health plan status can be directed to the plan administrator at [insert contact information]. [For ERISA plans, insert: You may also contact the Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor at 1-866-444-3272 or
www.dol.gov/ebsa/healthreform
. This website has a table summarizing which protections do and do not apply to grandfathered health plans.] [For individual market policies and nonfederal governmental plans, insert: You may also contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at
www.healthreform.gov
.]
Template for Your Use
