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Health care reform resources

July 2010

HealthPartners continues to add resources to help you navigate health care reform. For more information and for the latest updates, please visit the health care reform section of healthpartners.com/broker. Below is an update on the latest information:

• Dependents to Age 26 Provision – The requirement to cover dependents to the age of 26 goes into effect for all groups on or after September 23, 2010, as groups renew. To comply with this provision, you must hold a 30-day enrollment period, allowing eligible dependents to sign up for coverage beginning no later than the first day of the first plan year beginning on or after September 23, 2010. What this means for you:
   
  • If you do not normally have an open enrollment, you need to hold a 30-day enrollment period for dependents up to age 26.
  • If your open enrollment period is generally shorter than 30 days, we recommend that you extend it to a full 30 days this year to ensure that you have met the requirements of this law.
  You will need to clearly communicate this enrollment opportunity in writing to your employees. As an employer, you are required to notify your employees of this new eligibility. A model notice is provided for your reference. Review notice now.
   
• Grandfathered plans – An overview of what constitutes a grandfathered plan is available on healthpartners.com/broker. While we expect that most plans will choose not to maintain grandfathered status, if you are interested in offering a plan with grandfathered status, please contact your HealthPartners sales executive or your broker. HealthPartners small group and EZ plans cannot be grandfathered.

• July 19 webcast on recent guidance – View a recording of the webcast, which includes an update on many near-term provisions of health care reform. 

See all of HealthPartners resources on health care reform.