2023-2024 HEALTH PLAN NOTICES FOR EMPLOYEES Health Insurance Marketplace Options and Your Health Coverage The Health Insurance Marketplace is designed to help individuals find, compare, and purchase private individual health insurance. The Marketplace does not affect your eligibility for coverage in your employer’s group health plan. Individuals may be eligible for a tax credit that lowers the monthly premium of coverage purchased in the Marketplace. However, if you are eligible for an employer’s group health plan, you may not be eligible for a tax credit through the Marketplace if the employer group health plan meets the "minimum value" and "affordability" standards set by the Affordable Care Act. Additionally, if you purchase your own health plan through the Marketplace instead of accepting health coverage offered by your employer, then you will lose the employer contribution towards coverage. This employer contribution - as well as your employee contribution towards coverage - is often excluded from income for Federal and State income tax purposes. Your payments for coverage you purchase through the Marketplace are made on an after-tax basis. Open enrollment for individual health insurance coverage through the Marketplace occurs at the end of each calendar year for coverage effective the following January 1st. If you are interested, please visit HealthCare.gov for more information, including an online application for health insurance coverage and contact information for a Health Insurance Marketplace in your area. Notice of Special Enrollment Rights If you decline enrollment for yourself or an eligible dependent (including your spouse) while other health insurance or group health plan coverage is in effect, you may be able to enroll yourself and your dependents in the plans offered by the company if you or your dependents lose eligibility for that other coverage (or if the employer stops contributing toward your or your dependents’ other coverage). You must request enrollment within 30 days after your or your dependents’ other coverage ends (or after the employer stops contributing toward the other coverage). In addition, if you have a new dependent as a result of marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption, you may be able to enroll yourself and your new dependents. You must request enrollment within 30 days after the marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption. You may also be able to enroll if you or your dependents lose eligibility for coverage under Medicaid or a state Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) and request enrollment within 60 days of losing Medicaid or CHIP. You may also be able to enroll if you or your dependents become eligible for state premium assistance from Medicaid or CHIP towards the cost of the group health plan, and request enrollment within 60 days of eligibility for state premium assistance. If you decline coverage for yourself or an eligible dependent, you are required to complete a waiver form. On the form, you may be asked to state that coverage under another group health plan or other health insurance coverage is the reason you are declining enrollment and you may be asked to identify that coverage. If you do not complete the form, you and your dependents will not be entitled to special enrollment rights upon a loss of other coverage as described above, but you will still have special enrollment rights when you have a new dependent by marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption, as described above. If you do not gain special enrollment rights upon a loss of other coverage, you cannot enroll yourself or your dependents in the Plan at any time other than the Plan’s annual open enrollment period, unless special enrollment rights apply because of a new dependent by marriage, birth, adoption, or placement for adoption. To request special enrollment or to obtain information about the Plan’s special enrollment provisions, contact the employer.
Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) The Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act requires group health plans that provide coverage for mastectomies to also cover reconstructive surgery and prostheses following mastectomies. The law mandates that a member receiving benefits for a medically necessary mastectomy who elects breast reconstruction after the mastectomy, will receive coverage for: • reconstruction of the breast on which mastectomy has been performed; • surgery and reconstruction of the other breast to produce a symmetrical appearance; • prostheses; and • treatment of physical complications of all stages of mastectomy, including lymphedemas. This coverage will be provided in a manner determined in consultation with the attending physician and the patient, and it will be subject to the same annual deductibles and coinsurance provisions as those established for other benefits under the plan. Please call your medical plan using the number on your identification card or contact the employer for more information. Availability of Notice of Privacy Practices The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) requires health plans to protect the confidentiality of your personal health information (“PHI”). HIPAA also requires that health plans maintain privacy notices which provide a complete description of your rights under HIPAA’s privacy rules. For insured coverage, the health insurance plan privacy notices are maintained by the insurance providers. For self-insured coverage, the privacy notice is maintained by your employer. In general, the plans will not use or further disclose PHI except as necessary for treatment, payment, health plan operations and plan administration or as permitted or required by law. Under HIPAA, you have certain rights with respect to your protected health information and the right to file a complaint with the plan or the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if you believe your rights under HIPAA has been violated. Please see the employer for a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices for your health plans. Premium Assistance Under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) If you or your children are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP and you’re eligible for health coverage from your employer, your state may have a premium assistance program that can help pay for coverage, using funds from their Medicaid or CHIP programs. If you or your children aren’t eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, you won’t be eligible for these premium assistance programs but you may be able to buy individual insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. For more information, visit www.healthcare.gov. If you or your dependents are already enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP and you live in a State listed on the DOL website https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/EBSA/laws-and-regulations/laws/chipra/model-notice.pdf, contact your State Medicaid or CHIP office to find out if premium assistance is available. If you or your dependents are NOT currently enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, and you think you or any of your dependents might be eligible for either of these programs, contact your State Medicaid or CHIP office or dial 1-877-KIDS NOW or https://www.insurekidsnow.gov/ to find out how to apply. If you qualify, ask your state if it has a program that might help you pay the premiums for an employer-sponsored plan. If you or your dependents are eligible for premium assistance under Medicaid or CHIP, as well as eligible under your employer plan, your employer must allow you to enroll in your employer plan if you aren’t already enrolled. This is called a “special enrollment” opportunity, and you must request coverage within 60 days of being determined eligible for premium assistance. If you have questions about enrolling in your employer plan, contact the Department of Labor at www.askebsa.dol.gov or call 1-866-444-EBSA (3272).