Continuing to Understand Your Health Care – What are Life Events?
Life changes are a common occurrence. In one person’s lifetime, everyone will go through life event that changes their personal and financial situation. It may also affect your health care situation – including your health insurance benefits. There are federal laws that affect your benefits whether in you’re in an employer based health plan or you qualify for coverage under the HealthCare Marketplace.
When you hear the word HIPAA, the first thing that comes to mind is privacy of health care information. Fortunately, for us, HIPAA also includes continuation of health plan coverage.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (aka HIPAA) provides specific enrollment rights for employees, spouses and dependents that allow them to enroll in group coverage based on certain qualifying life events. These events could include getting married, having or adopting a baby or a job change. Enrollment is dependent on the type of benefit plan that the person enrolled in.
For instance, you get married and your spouse does not have coverage. You should contact your group health plan administrator or human resources department to see if your health plan benefit allows enrollment for qualifying events.
In addition, HIPAA ensures that there are special enrollment rights for individuals and dependents to obtain coverage should there be a divorce or legal separation. Eligibility criteria will need to be met.
Coverage During Changes
Individuals can also be protected after a job change, loss, or retirement by enabling them to continue their health plan coverage for a limited period of time. That period of time is dependent on the type of reason for the loss in coverage. You can go to the United States Department of Labor website at www.dol.gov to get more information to see if you qualify and learn about your rights. You should also check with your employer.
If you do not have health insurance with your employer, but you have a life event, you also may have the option to obtain coverage (individual or family) through the Healthcare Marketplace. Check out the website www.healthcare.gov for more details.
