Aug 08, 2018
Blue Shield of California is relaxing underwriting participation requirements for groups with five or more enrolled employees to just 25% of their medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans. Rules for the relaxed participation requirements promotion:
- Applies to new medical small business and specialty clients with off-exchange plans and effective dates of January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2018.
- At least 25% of the total number of eligible employees enroll in a Blue Shield healthcare plan with no fewer than five.
- Only one carrier can be written alongside a Blue Shield plan.
- When offering dental, vision, and life products, Blue Shield must be the sole carrier.
- Groups who contribute 100% of premiums for medical or specialty coverage must enroll 100% eligible employees (except those waiving due to other group coverage through another employer).
- Groups must meet the definition of a qualified small employer group.
- All normal eligibility and enrollment documents are required.
- Refusals are required for all eligible employees not enrolling in the Blue Shield plan(s).
Trio HMO plans – Enroll as Few as One Member Blue Shield is waiving participation requirements for Trio-only membership for groups of 1 to 100 eligible employees. Just select Trio plans only on the Master Group Application and a new group can enroll with Blue Shield with just a single member. This promotion allows your client to purchase a medical plan and/or specialty benefits from Blue Shield alongside another carrier with more lenient underwriting participation rules.
