COBRA for Clients/Employers
"We have used Benefits Connection's COBRA Connection for several years now. They have been a lifesaver for us, especially during the recent COBRA subsidy period. The staff always make the process as easy as possible. They’re not only very knowledgeable and quick to respond, but are also a great group to work with."
- Carol, publishing industry client
Since the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 was passed, Benefits Connection’s COBRA Connection division has been administering COBRA. Our clients range in size from 25 to 200,000 lives, and we can provide our services on as broad or small of a scale as our clients desires. We keep abreast of the many changes in legislation and keep our clients in compliance with the deadlines and the many changing aspects of this Federal legislation.
Often, by utilizing a COBRA administrator, clients find that Benefits Connection can generate a savings on claims dollars. Upon initial takeover of COBRA Administration, we find that there are many participants who are not qualified for COBRA continuation and who are generating unnecessary claim dollars. On an ongoing basis, we are told that COBRA enrollment is lower than if the employer administers the benefit, because we are an outside third party, which results in a lower impact on the amount of claims paid.
Our state of the art electronic processing system minimizes the chance for error with the electronic transfer of data from our clients to us, and in turn, to the various vendors. We go above and beyond the Federal legislation and build an audit trail that will protect our clients from frivolous lawsuits and Department of Labor (LDOL) inquiries.
With the Notice and Disclosure Regulations passed in 2004, the additional administration requirements brought about with ARRA and the subsequent amendments, there has never been a better time to outsource COBRA Administration. We have a staff of courteous, professional COBRA Administrators who are certified in COBRA Administrating. Our service is continually monitored and calls are measured for accuracy and speed of answering the call.
We offer a complete COBRA Administration package. Services include (but are not limited to):
Setup and Administration of Plans- Monthly Administration
- Initial notification of COBRA rights to qualified participants
- Qualifying Event Letters
- Enrollment Communications and Eligibility Confirmation Letter
- Premium and Eligibility Reconciliation
- Premium and Premium Change Letters
- Monthly billing notices
- Collection of Premium Payments
- Payment Tracking
Underpayment and Late Premium Notices- Termination and late notices
- Data maintenance
- Monthly reporting package
- Audit trails
- Monitoring of Medicare Entitlement and Social Security Disability
- HIPAA certificates
- State mandated notices
- Toll-free phone number for Human Resources staff and participants
- Web access 24/7
For more COBRA services, go to our “COBRA Administration” page.
