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January 2007 Newsletter (pdf)

October 2006 Newsletter (pdf)

May 2006 Newsletter (pdf)

March 2006 Newsletter (pdf)

January 2006 Newsletter (pdf)

October 2005 Newsletter (pdf)

August 2005 Newsletter (pdf)

June 2005 Newsletter (pdf)

What is COBRA?
In 1986, Congress passed the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). COBRA was implemented to continue group health coverage requirements, out of concern for individuals that lost their coverage when they lost their job. COBRA regulations require employers with 20 or more employees or the full time equivalent as defined by law and based on the amount of hours paid in the prior year of wages to allow individuals to continue their group health coverage, based on certain qualifying events. The employee may choose to continue medical, dental and vision benefits offered by the current plan(s), of which the employee or employees enrolled eligible dependants had been previously covered.

Qualifying Event:
COBRA continuation must be offered to eligible employees and their dependents, if coverage would otherwise be lost due to:

• Voluntary or involuntary termination of employment for reasons other than "gross misconduct"
• Reduction in the number of hours of employment
• Covered employee's that become entitled to Medicare
• Divorce or legal separation of the covered employee
• Death of the covered employee
• Loss of "dependent child" status under the plan rules

Maximum Out of Pocket (MOOP)
are terms used by insurers to describe the maximum liability a person and their dependents can incur each year for eligible expenses under the plan. As a cautionary measure, please be aware that these terms are not defined or regulated by the Department of Insurance nor any federal agency and often have different interpretations by various carriers. For example MOOP may not include deductible, office visit co-pays, prescription drug card charges, thus your true “Maximum out of Pocket” my actually exceed the amount listed in your summary plan description. MOOP never includes ineligible charges –i.e. services and procedures not covered under the policy, out of network procedures which exceed the allowable charges.

What’s my deductible?
Deductibles tend to be 250.00, 500.00, 1000.00, 1500.00, and 2000.00. These are costs that are typically passed on to the employees.

Which Doctor can I go to?
Depending on your HealthCare Provider, Provider Directories can be attained via the internet. This is usually the most updated form in determining if a preferred doctor is covered on your plan.

Error on Bill – Carrier error
The option to contact a specific carrier directly, regarding billing questions is always an option, however, we may be able to get your answers and responses faster due to our enduring relationships with healthcare providers.