Renewal/Open Enrollment Information

• You must provide an annual open enrollment period for your employees and any individuals on COBRA/State Continuation. (If CBIA administers your company’s COBRA/State Continuation we will do this for you.) During this time, dependents may be added and employees may change their carrier or benefit level. In addition, employees who previously waived coverage may now join the plan.
• Open enrollment changes will become effective on your company’s renewal date except Medicare products which renew on Jan. 1 each year.
• It is your obligation to notify employees of the open enrollment period. This is the only time employees can enroll themselves or their dependents in the absence of a qualifying event. Some benefits may require a Personal Health Application (PHA). See below for more information.
• You should provide all necessary forms to employees for open enrollment including benefit information, renewal rates, Enrollment/Change Forms, PHA forms, Summaries of Benefits & Coverage (SBCs), and other information to assist your employees with making a plan election, or to understand how their plan works.
• You may request a quantity of enrollment supplies here.
• CBIA must be notified of any employee who is changing plans with an Enrollment/Change Form or online transaction.
• In addition to an Enrollment/Change Form, a Hartford Life PHA form is required (for underwriting purposes) when an employee is adding life, supplemental life, STD, or LTD coverage that was initially waived. A PHA form is also required to increase the Supplemental Life amount or for amounts more than the $10,000 annual allowable Voluntary Life amount. If a PHA form is not submitted with the Enrollment/Change Form, the request will not be processed. Find all forms here.
• All CBIA Health Connections employers must be certified to participate in the program. If your company does not meet CBIA Health Connections certification requirements, you will be notified that your company is no longer eligible to participate in the program. Receipt of a renewal illustration does not guarantee recertification for renewal. View Eligibility Guidelines here.
• As a reminder, you are required to annually disclose to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) whether the prescription drug coverage offered to your employees is “creditable” or “non‐creditable.” This must be done within 60 days of your company’s renewal date. Please view details of your compliance requirements here.
• If your company has employees who reside in Massachusetts, please refer to information on our website to determine which plans are creditable according to Massachusetts creditable coverage requirements. In addition, for members considering enrolling in an HSA‐compatible plan, additional steps are required for those plans to be considered creditable. Find more information here.