Benefit Plan Termination Q&A |
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| When will coverage end under the medical, dental and vision plans? |
If your employment is terminated on or before February 28, 2009, your coverage in medical, dental, vision and life insurance will end on the last day of the month of your termination and you will be offered COBRA continuation for medical, dental and vision through March 31. Long term disability (LTD) coverage will end on your termination date.
If your employment is terminated on or after March 1, 2009, your coverage in medical, dental, vision and life insurance will end on March 31, 2009, when the plans are terminated. Since Circuit City will no longer maintain any medical, dental or vision plans, COBRA continuation will not be available. Long term disability (LTD) coverage will end on your termination date. |
When will coverage under the Flexible Spending Accounts end? |
| The Flexible Spending Accounts will terminate on February 28, 2009. Claims must be submitted to Your Spending Account by May 31, 2009 for any claims incurred prior to your termination date or Plan end date, whichever is earlier. Claims submitted for reimbursement after May 31, 2009 or for claims incurred after February 28, 2009 will be denied. Call the Associate Service Center and choose the Health & Insurance option if you have questions regarding claims submission. |
How long can I use the Employee Assistance Program? |
| The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) will be available for all associates through March 31, 2009. |
If I am terminated prior to March 1, how long do I have to decide if I want to enroll in COBRA for the month of March? |
| You have 60 days from the date of termination to enroll in COBRA. Therefore, if your employment is terminated on February 28, 2009, you have until April 29, 2009 to make that election. If you elect and submit payment for COBRA, coverage will be retroactive to March 1 and will be in force until March 31. |
Why is COBRA not being offered? I thought COBRA was a legal requirement. |
COBRA requires companies to permit certain covered persons to elect continued coverage upon the occurrence of certain events resulting in the loss of coverage. This requirement exists only if a company continues to maintain a group health plan or plans. Since Circuit City will be terminating all of its medical, dental and vision plans on March 31, 2009, there will be no plan under which continued coverage may be offered. |
Will I be receiving information on how to find other coverage? |
All associates covered under the medical plan should receive a “letter of creditable coverage” regarding their medical insurance from PayFlex within 21 days of the date their termination is processed by Hewitt. Be sure to watch for that letter, as you will need it in the event you obtain coverage that has a pre-existing condition exclusion period. Additional Q&As will be provided to give you information on finding other coverage.
We have provided Aetna and Medco, who currently provide coverage under our plans, with a list of the names and current addresses of all Circuit City Associates. Watch your mail for information from them about insurance and/or discount plans that they have available. The mailing will tell you how to go about enrolling in these plans, if you are interested in their offerings. |
I will have access to other group coverage through my spouse (or domestic partner). Will I be able to enroll immediately without waiting for his/her open enrollment period? |
| Loss of eligibility for coverage is considered a qualified family status change. Be sure to check with your spouse’s (or domestic partner’s) plan as soon as possible, so you don’t miss any deadlines for enrollment. They will have a window during which you will need to enroll. If you miss that window, you will have to wait until their open enrollment. You will also need your letter of creditable coverage (mentioned above) to reduce or eliminate pre-existing condition exclusions the new plan may have. |
What if I don’t have access to other group coverage? |
| If you do not have access to other group coverage, you may find the following approaches to helpful in your search for coverage (depending on your health condition and the plan you select, you may also need your letter of creditable coverage for your new plan): |
How can I find affordable life insurance? |
The individual life insurance market is very competitive. Check with your personal insurance agent, a local agent, or Google “life insurance” and use one of the services to get competitive quotes.
(Note that if you use one of these services, the agents will be very aggressive in trying to sell you a policy.) |
What happens to the medical claims for the services I received before March 31, 2009 that have not yet been submitted or processed? |
| Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield will continue to process claims for services received on or before March 31, 2009 for 6 months. Please notify your health care provider that he/she should get all claims into the system (generally through your local Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan) as soon as possible. |
What happens if my network provider doesn’t submit the claim on time? |
| Empire will be communicating this claim deadline to all network providers nationwide through their network communications vehicles. Should your network provider fail to submit the claim in time, they will be required, by their network contract, to waive the charges. You should NOT be balance-billed for charges your provider does not submit on time. |
I was using a non-network provider for my services. What if he/she does not submit the claims on time? |
| Empire has no ability to control actions by non-network providers. If you feel you cannot get your provider to submit the claims on time, request an itemized statement from the provider and call the Empire Customer Service Center to get a claim form and submit the claim directly. |
What if I have claims incurred after March 31? |
| Coverage ends on March 31, 2009. Even though Empire is still administering claims, they will only honor claims for services incurred on or before March 31, 2009. |
Who do I call if I have questions about coverage or claims? |
Do not call the Store Support Center and leave a message, as there is no one left to respond to your call. Please call the Associate Service Center for questions about coverage eligibility and call the respective plan administrator if you have questions about coverage for a service or to follow up on claim questions.
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