WSR 11-01-116

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETINGS

HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY


(Public Employees Benefits Board)

[ Filed December 17, 2010, 3:41 p.m. ]

     The health care authority (HCA) will hold a public meeting to consider proposed public employees benefits board (PEBB) customer service administrative policies, as well as administrative policies that PEBB customer service plans to rescind.

     The meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 21, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. in the Sue Crystal Center, Health Care Authority, 676 Woodland Square Loop S.E., Lacey, WA 98503.

     The proposed policies, and the policies that are proposed to be rescinded, can be downloaded on-line from http://www.pebb.hca.wa.gov/policy.html and are summarized below. Public comment on these proposed and repealed policies can be submitted through the web page or to Shelli Lackey, P.O. Box 42684, Olympia, WA 98504-2684. The deadline for public comment is January 21, 2011.

     For further information or to receive a hard copy of the proposed policies, please contact Shelli Lackey at (360) 923-2643.


Interpretive and Policy Statements

Notice of Interpretive or Policy Statements



     The following is a summary of policy and interpretive statements issued by the health care authority PEBB program regarding employee eligibility and enrollment.

     Policy #15-1: Determining eligibility for seasonal employees and maintenance of employer contribution through the off-season. The purpose of this policy is to clarify seasonal employee eligibility as described in WAC 182-12-109 and 182-12-114(2). Effective January 1, 2011.

     The PEBB program is rescinding the following policies:

     Policy #1-06: Enrollment in the PEBB program following post-retirement employment. The purpose of this policy was to clarify the application of the provisions of chapters 182-08 and 182-12 WAC as they relate to employees that apply for participation in PEBB retiree insurance following post-retirement employment with a PEBB employer or Washington state K-12 school district or educational service district (ESD). The PEBB program will address this in a future policy.

     Policy #4-01: Certification of full-time student dependents. The purpose of this policy was to provide guidelines for the PEBB program in determining the eligibility of a full-time student dependent under a subscriber's account. This policy is no longer required due to national health care reform.

     Policy #4-06: Request for change of PEBB medical or dental plans. The purpose of this policy was to establish guidelines for the PEBB program when an employee, self-pay, COBRA or retiree subscriber requests to change medical or dental plans outside an open enrollment period. This is now addressed in rule.

     Policy #4-07: Reinstatement of PEBB medical coverage outside of open enrollment period. The purpose of this policy was to establish procedures when reinstating a PEBB member's medical coverage outside the annual open enrollment period. This information is addressed in rule (WAC 182-12-262, 182-08-198, and 182-12-128).

     Policy #4-08: Enrollment in the PEBB program following post-retirement employment. The purpose of this policy was to clarify the application of the provisions of chapter 182-12 WAC as they relate to employees that apply for participation in PEBB retiree insurance following post-retirement employment with a PEBB employer or Washington state K-12 school district or ESD. The PEBB program will address this in a future policy.

     Policy #4-09: Reinstatement of PEBB medical coverage outside of open enrollment period. The purpose of this policy was to establish procedures when reinstating a PEBB member's medical coverage outside the annual open enrollment period. This information is addressed in rule (WAC 182-12-262, 182-08-198, and 182-12-128).

     Policy #5-01: Disenrollment from a health plan for just cause. The purpose of this policy was to provide a fair and consistent method to process a plan's request to disenroll a PEBB member from a health plan for just cause. This information is addressed in rule (WAC 182-12-207).

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