This is the Health Care Reform category of the Broad REach Benefits blog. At Broad Reach Benefits, we focus on employers that have between 30 and 500 benefit eligible employees. We’re employee benefit specialists, not a big box brokerage firm or payroll company with a sales force peddling policies.
DOL Releases Model Notices and Other Resources Related to COBRA Premium Assistance
On April 7, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a link to its webpage dedicated to the COBRA premium assistance authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021 (ARPA), the third COVID-19 stimulus bill. The webpage includes model notices, frequently asked questions, and related information. With the exception of the model notices, the guidance appears targeted towards impacted workers, leaving many employer-related questions unanswered. This alert summarizes the recent guidance and model notices.
What does ARPA Provide and Who is an Assistance Eligible Individual?
Among other things, the ARPA provides a 100% subsidy for COBRA premiums for group health plans (other than health FSAs) from April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021 for assistance eligible individuals (AEIs). AEIs are employees and their family members who are:
- eligible for, and enroll in, COBRA (or state mini-COBRA) due to a reduction in hours or involuntary termination of employment;
- not eligible for other group health plan coverage or Medicare; and
- still within their maximum COBRA continuation coverage period (generally, 18 months).
AEIs include individuals newly eligible for COBRA between April 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021, individuals who were in their COBRA election period as of April 1, 2021, and individuals who would be AEIs but whose COBRA coverage lapsed due to non-payment prior to April 1, 2021. AEIs also include any qualified beneficiaries, such as family members, who did not elect COBRA continuation coverage when first eligible. Generally, this means an employee (and their qualified beneficiaries) with a COBRA start date on or after November 1, 2019, would have one or more months of eligibility for the COBRA subsidy. Therefore, employers should identify any employees involuntarily terminated or whose hours were reduced on or after October …