C o n n e c t i c u t C a r p e n t e r s H e a l t h F u n d P
l a n
When you’re no longer eligible
for benefits under the Health Fund due to certain reasons, you and your
dependents don’t have to go without coverage — you may be able to buy it from
the Health Fund under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of
1985 (COBRA). You must notify the Health Fund within 60 days of losing
eligibility if you want to elect coverage under COBRA.
COBRA is a continuation
of your coverage, which means that you don’t have to prove that you’re in
good health to be covered.
If
you lose eligibility because you don’t have enough hours, you and your
dependents may buy coverage for up to 18 months. If
you should get divorced, become eligible for Medicare or die, your dependents
can continue their existing coverage under COBRA for up to a total of 36
months. If one of these events occurs while your dependents are on COBRA
coverage because you had insufficient hours, they can elect to increase their
COBRA coverage period from 18 to 36 months from the original event. They must
notify the Health Fund Office within 60 days of the event. If
you and your dependents are on COBRA coverage because you had insufficient
hours and one of you becomes disabled during the first 60 days of COBRA
coverage, you may elect to continue your coverage for up to 11 additional
months. To do so, before the initial 18-month continuation period expires,
the disabled person must: ·
receive a Social Security Disability Award, and ·
notify the Health Fund within 60 days of receiving the award. And
if one of your children is no longer an eligible dependent, he or she may buy
coverage for up to a total of 36 months. You
or your dependents have to notify the Health Fund Office within 60 days of
the later of: ·
the date a change takes place, such as a child turning age 19 or
leaving school, or you get divorced or legally separated, or ·
the day the person would lose coverage because of such a change. The
Health Fund Office will send you a COBRA Continuation Coverage form to
complete, sign and return. If you or your dependents don’t return your form
to the Health Fund Office on time, you will lose your right to continue your
coverage. |
A Bit of Information
If you’re Terminated for Cause, fail to notify the
Health Fund in time of a change such as divorce, separation or change in
eligibility of a dependent child or if the Health Fund makes changes that
exclude you from participating, you and your dependents will not be eligible to
continue your benefits under COBRA.
What COBRA Coverage Is Available?
The
Health Fund offers you and/or each of your dependents the option of buying the
same coverage you had or the same coverage minus dental or vision care
benefits.
COBRA
Full coverage includes Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Drug coverage.
COBRA Reduced coverage includes Medical and Prescription Drug coverage only.
Life Insurance, AD&D and Weekly Disability Income benefits are not
available under COBRA.
When Does COBRA Coverage
End?
COBRA
coverage ends if:
·
you
don’t make your payment to the Health Fund by the first of the month (Your
coverage will end on the last day of the month prior to the month your payment
is due.)
·
you
become eligible for Medicare
·
you
become covered under another plan that didn’t cover you when you lost Health
Fund coverage, unless that plan has an exclusion or limitation provision for
pre-existing conditions
If
your COBRA coverage is terminated, it may not be reinstated, unless you become
eligible again for coverage under the Health Fund, lose eligibility and elect
COBRA coverage once again.
How Much Will It Cost?
The
Health Fund will charge people on COBRA no more than 102% of the cost of
coverage for Active Members and their dependents for the first 18 or 36 months,
and no more than 150% for the additional 11 months allowed for disabled
individuals, as allowed by law.
Your
first COBRA payment will cover the period from the date you would have lost
coverage through the current month. You have 45 days to make your first
payment. After that, COBRA payments are due by the first of the month of
coverage.
A Bit of
information
Your decision to continue your medical coverage
under the Health Fund is an important one, and it hinges on many things — like
other coverage that may be available to you. So if you skipped over this
section, read it before you make up your mind. If you miss your chance to buy
COBRA coverage, you can’t buy it later on.