COBRA Administration

 

 

In 1985, Congress passed the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) which was a potpourri of legislation affecting defense, Medicare, agriculture, housing and numerous other Federal programs. For most employers, COBRA is the law that provides employees (or covered dependents) that have experienced a "qualifying event" the right to continue their group health care coverage.

Congress viewed studies that indicated adequate health care coverage was not available to many Americans under age 65 due to pre-existing conditions, high premiums or difficulty in finding carriers to take them on an individual basis.  The studies also illustrated that sixty-six (66%) percent of an estimated thirty-three million had some relationship to an employer or previous employer. Henceforth, the laws implementation now places the responsibility of offering continuation coverage on the employer.

COBRA administration is both time sensitive and subject  to a set of complex regulatory requirements.  If you are an employer with twenty (20) or more employees that offers a group insurance program (with the exception of churches and the Federal Government) then you are required to comply with COBRA and have to be certain you are in compliance with all applicable regulations.  You want to be assured that your COBRA administrator stays on top of current events and regulations to ensure you fulfill your obligation.

MMI will not only ensure you remain compliant with the variety of notice requirements, but we will also collect COBRA premiums and maintain eligibility with your carriers.

In order to facilitate good communication between the employer and MMI, we offer the ability to communicate qualifying events, new hires and other information online.  This maximizes compliance with all federal regulations pertaining to COBRA and HIPAA.

If you are ready to benefit from Murfee Meadow's experience and desire our professional staff on your side, please contact us.