COBRA New Notice

COBRA New Notice

Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), an individual who was covered by a group health plan on the day before the occurrence of a qualifying event (such as a termination of employment or a reduction in hours that causes loss of coverage under the plan) may be able to elect COBRA continuation coverage upon that qualifying event.  Individuals with such a right are referred to as qualified beneficiaries.

Under COBRA, group health plans must provide covered employees and their families with certain notices explaining their COBRA rights. A group health plan must provide each covered employee and spouse (if any) with a written notice of COBRA rights “at the time of commencement of coverage” under the plan (general notice). A group health plan must also provide qualified beneficiaries with a notice which describes their rights to COBRA continuation coverage and how to make an election (election notice).

General Notice: The general notice must be furnished to each covered employee (and their spouse if covered under the plan) not later than the earlier of: (1) 90 days from the date on which the covered employee or spouse first becomes covered under the plan or, if later, the date on which the plan first becomes subject to the continuation coverage requirements; or (2) the date on which the administrator is required to furnish an election notice to the employee or to his or her spouse or dependent.

Election Notice: The election notice must be provided to the qualified beneficiaries within 14 days after the plan administrator receives notice that a qualifying event has occurred.
Some qualified beneficiaries may want to consider and compare health coverage alternatives to COBRA continuation coverage, such as coverage that is available through the Health Insurance Marketplace (Exchange). Qualified beneficiaries may be eligible for a premium tax credit (a tax credit to help pay for some or all of the cost of coverage in plans offered through the Exchange) and cost-sharing reductions (amounts that lower out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments), and may find that Exchange coverage is more affordable than COBRA.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) specifies that an employer that maintains a group health plan in a State that provides premium assistance for the purchase of coverage under a group health plan is required to notify each employee of potential opportunities currently available for premium assistance in the State in which the employee resides.

The Department of Labor has model notices that plans may use to satisfy the requirement to provide the general notice and election notice under COBRA, and the notice regarding premium assistance under CHIPRA. The COBRA model election notice was revised on May 8, 2013 to help make qualified beneficiaries aware of other coverage options that would soon become available in the Marketplace. Recently the DOL issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, as well as updated versions of the model general notice and model election notice that reflect that the Exchange is now open and that better describes special enrollment rights in Exchange coverage.  The DOL is also issuing a revised CHIPRA notice with similar updates related to Marketplace coverage.

Link to the COBRA model notices:  http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/cobra.html
Link to the CHIPRA model notice:  
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/chipmodelnotice.pdf

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