Open enrollment/special enrollments

[Guest mat]

non-profit employer is partially funded by a municipality - municipality offers contributory employee health plans. non profit employer maintains a fully-insured contributory private health plan because it is cheaper than munipals offerings and some employees have opted for participation in those plans. Municipality has open enrollment in October of ea year with effective date of coverage Jan 1. Non-profit employer has fiscal year of 7-1 and wants their own health plan to renew on that date - insurer says fine. How do we handle open enrollment for currently insured employees under the private plan -can it be June of each year (the 31 day rule)? How do we handle the non-profit employees participating in the municipal plan that want to change over to the employers private plan? Can they participate in the June open enrollment sponsored by the non-profit employer? Do they have to wait for the municipals open enrollment in October to exit for January 1? Will we have to have two enrollments per year?

Thanks for your guidance and keeping us in compliance without discriminating!

MAT

[Guest mat]

WE SOLVED THE PROBLEM - THE 7-1- COMPLIANCE WITH THE FISCAL PLAN YEAR HAS BEEN ELIMINATED. WE HAVE REDEFINED THE PLAN EFFECTIVE DATE TO COMPLY WITH THE MUNICIPAL PLAN. OTHERWISE, WITH THE TWO ENROLLMENTS THERE WOULD BE INSUREDS OPTING OUT OF ONE PLAN AND UNABLE TO GAIN ENTRY INTO THE OTHER PLAN ON A TIMELY BASIS.