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UnitedHealthcare has extended the COVID-19 Special Enrollment
Period (SEP) to April 13, and employers* with multiple plan options also can
buy down to a leaner plan. Options include:
- Add a special open enrollment for members who previously waived
coverage, including dependents, to provide additional access to care.
Employers can do this without introducing any new plans from March 23 –
April 13 (extended from April 6). Employers will continue to contribute
to the cost of the coverage, and coverage will be effective April 1.
- Buy down to a leaner plan:
- Employers with
a single-benefit offering that wish to buy down to a leaner plan may do
so between now and May 31. They also can re-enroll their population to
the leaner plan design.
- Employers with
multi-option plan designs can temporarily buy down to a leaner plan. If
employers decide to conduct a SEP when adding the plan, new enrollees who
previously waived coverage can select from any of the plans offered by
the employer provided they are eligible and the employer contributes to
the cost of coverage.
Existing members can also move to the lean plan design, but
no other benefit changes are permitted.
- Add a lean plan design but no SEP: Consistent with the buy-down approach,
employers will have until May 31 to add a lean benefit. In that
instance, existing members
can move to the new lean plan design. No other benefit changes are
permitted. New enrollees previously waiving coverage are excluded beyond
the April 13 cutoff for SEP.
*Applies to NICE, PRIME,
UNET, CIRRUS/PULSE, All Savers® and SIERRA fully insured customers.
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