| FlexAmerica's COBRA Administration | ||
| Regulatory Compliance | ||
| We keep up-to-date with the COBRA law, so you don't have to. Our team of specialists know the law and continually stay abreast of the new case law and regulations to keep our systems and clients in compliance. | ||
| Customer Service | ||
| Our service is focused on the needs of the employer. We utilize technology to its fullest and we combine technology with responsive and informative customer service representatives. Our customer service personnel are available to answer your questions or those of your employees. We provide access to the information on our system for employers and COBRA continuants. We will work with your team to streamline our services and improve the customer service aspects. | ||
| Online Employer Reporting | ||
| Complete reporting will be made available to employers on our systems. If
we can track it and you want to know it, we will work to providing this to you and your staff. The initial reports
will be the active participant roster and census reports. Employers have secure access to administrative functions such as adding and terminating participants, account information, administrative manuals and much more. Complete account information will be displayed allowing plan sponsors to check to see if the information in our system is accurate. We will continue to provide full access to plan sponsors as technology permits. |
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| Online Notification | ||
| Requests for initial rights letters and qualifying event letters are only
accepted through our web site or by electronic transmission. More on COBRA Letters |
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| COBRA Rights Notification | ||
| A COBRA Rights Letter is mailed to the employee and spouse of the employee, when they first become covered under the employer's health plan(s). A separate letter will be mailed if there are separate addresses. | ||
| Qualifying Event Notification | ||
| A COBRA Qualifying Event Letter and COBRA application is mailed to the employee and/or covered dependents when they loose coverage as a result of a COBRA Qualifying Event. The letter states, the date their coverage ended, the timeframe to elect, and the cost for each benefit plan option available. The letter explains COBRA continuation eligibility and the length of potential COBRA coverage. We also provide an election form and give a customer service phone number to call with any COBRA eligibility or billing questions. | ||
| COBRA Application Processing | ||
| COBRA applications are reviewed to confirm they are postmarked within their sixty (60) day election period and that the continuant is eligible for the benefits elected. If an application is received without the initial payment, notice is sent to the COBRA continuant stating that we have received their COBRA application and coverage will be reinstated when we receive their initial payment. | ||
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| COBRA Eligibility Reporting | ||
| COBRA eligibility can be communicated directly to the employer or their health insurance carrier(s). A weekly transmission is sent for additions and changes and a monthly transmission is sent for terminations. Electronic eligibility files are sent in the standard EDI format specified by the HCFA. | ||
| Invoicing COBRA Premium Payments | ||
| An Invoice Letter and coupons are mailed to the active COBRA continuants.
The invoice letter explains the due dates and grace periods for their payments, reiterates COBRA eligibility, and
provides a customer service number for COBRA eligibility and billing questions. The COBRA continuants mail their premium payments, along with the coupon, to a secure lockbox controlled by us. Payments are only accepted if they are postmarked within their specified grace period from the due date. We accept partial payments. If a payment is received that is short by an "insignificant amount", a Balance Due Letter is sent allowing an additional thirty (30) days to make up the shortage, as required by law. |
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The coupon tells the COBRA continuant:
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| COBRA Checks returned due to Insufficient Funds | ||
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| Conversion & Termination Letters | ||
| When the plan has conversion rights, a Conversion Letter is mailed to the
COBRA continuant within 180 days of their projected termination date notifying them of their right to convert to
an individual policy. A Termination Letter is mailed to COBRA continuants whenever their COBRA coverage terminates. The letter will state the date COBRA coverage terminated and the reason. |
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| COBRA Reimbursements | ||
| We reimburse the employer the COBRA premiums we receive on a monthly basis. A report is sent to the employer listing the payment breakdown by continuant, by benefit plan. | ||
| Employer Reporting | ||
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| Open Enrollment Support | ||
| We can assist in the communication of rate changes and benefit plans to your COBRA participants with pre-printed labels, standard enrollments forms, processing of changes for employees and reporting of changes to employers. | ||
| Software | ||
| We utilize a nationally recognized software used by over 4,000 employers and third party administrators. The software tracks, reports, and prints all time sensitive materials to insure the appropriate time frames are met. The software functionality is updated as the regulations change to insure compliance for our customers. | ||
| System Back-Up | ||
| We maintain a redundant computer system with "hot swappable" hard drives, mirrored data storage, and automated daily back-ups. | ||
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