COBRA

Many employers mistakenly believe that COBRA is simply billing and collecting premiums from terminated employees. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. COBRA is one of the most complex and burdensome regulations employers face today. Issues related to COBRA require daily attention. Worse yet, the cost of noncompliance can be extremely high. When employers consider that COBRA is “policed” by divorced spouses and terminated employees, it should become immediately evident why employers should take their COBRA responsibility very seriously.

 

Contrary to the common myth, true compliance with COBRA requires employers to implement and maintain a three-pronged process. To comply with COBRA, employers must:

(1) Develop, maintain and adhere to formal policies and procedures;

(2) Be able to demonstrate that employees who are responsible for COBRA are well-informed; and,

(3) Administer COBRA properly.

In the best of times, most employers find that just developing a comprehensive COBRA strategy is extremely challenging; while maintaining COBRA compliance is near impossible. That is why so many employers choose outsourcing as part of their COBRA strategy. Unfortunately, outsourcing does not alleviate the employer from their COBRA related responsibilities.

Even if an employer outsources COBRA administration, the employer retains the liability for COBRA compliance. What does this mean? It means the employer still needs to take an active role in COBRA. And it means the employer needs to choose their administrator wisely, and then stay with the administrator to ensure consistency.  That is why Advantage Administrators has chosen to partner with Custom Benefit Administrators (CBA) in offering COBRA Administration Services.

COBRA ADMINISTRATION SERVICES

• Notifying of New Participants and Qualifying Events
• Premium Billing and Collection
• Health FSA COBRA Administration
• DOL General Notice (Initial Notification)
• Qualifying Event Notice (Election Notification)
• Election Process
• Termination Process
• Additional Notices
• Employer Reports
• COBRA Determination Year
• Open-Enrollment
• Enforcement of Election and Payment Deadlines
• COBRA Participants Moving Out of Service Area
• Disclosure to Service Providers
• Records Retention
• Toll-Fee Customer Service
• Service Guarantee
• Document/Service Agreement Modifications

OPTIONAL SERVICES

• Mail DOL General Notice
• Open-Enrollment Processing
• Direct Payment and Eligibility Maintenance of COBRA Premium to Carriers
• HIPPA Certifications

WHY ADVANTAGE ADMINISTRATORS CHOSE TO PARTNER WITH CBA

• CBA understands that they are first and foremost a “service” organization
• CBA supports our clients with state of the art systems and great people
• CBA tailors services to fit the specific needs and desires of our clients
• CBA provides comprehensive services at very competitive rates
• CBA’s services are not tied the sale of insurance products, so your COBRA administration stays consistent when our clients change carriers
• CBA’s employees are all housed together in one location. CBA does not outsource any component of their administration.
• CBA is a true partner with Advantage Administrators