Through the reconciliation process, it has come to the Plan's attention that some employing units are identifying members as in "arrears" for multiple months. The Plan recognizes that there are some timing issues between enrollment and payroll which may cause a slight delay when initially enrolling, but a member cannot stay on the Plan longer than one billing cycle without the premiums being paid in full.

Effective immediately, any members identified using the arrears option on the reconciliation statement and whose balance is not brought current by the next billing cycle will be terminated from the State Health Plan. The termination date will be one day prior to the effective date of the arrears acknowledgement.

It is important that agencies process all changes using either BEACON or eBenefitsNow. Changes via paper will no longer be accepted or processed. If you see discrepancies in your bill, you must immediately make the correction through the appropriate enrollment tool. Changes written on the bill will not be processed. We are also seeing a high volume of exceptions. Making enrollment changes in a timely manner is important. Untimely changes can have an impact on processing member claims and coverage effective dates. This can ultimately leave a member responsible for a large amount of money owed.

Timely enrollments are also important for the RIF process to ensure that employees are enrolled in a timely manner. The Plan continues to receive a high number of retroactive enrollments for RIF health coverage from eBN agencies. Although the COBRA offer letter contains the Application for Reduction in Force Health Coverage Benefit Form, HBRs should explain RIF benefits to their employees during their exit interview and provide employees with the form. For more information on the RIF process, click here.

Don't forget about the HBR Contact List. Print it out and keep it handy. It lists all the supports and resources available to you to assist you with your job duties.